Renowned jazz saxophonist Vincent Herring battles back from COVID-19 and its career-threatening side effects with a defiant and joyful new album, Preaching to the Choir. It’s a paean to Herring’s fans and supporters, celebrating real triumph over hardship with soulful jazz. Despite the prevailing darkness, Preaching to the Choir delivers a sermon of optimism and hope to the jazz faithful, aided by as fervent a congregation as a swing disciple could pray for: pianist Cyrus Chestnut, bassist Yasushi Nakamura, and drummer Johnathan Blake.

“We have to have hope for the future,” Herring insists. “I’ve been in a constant state of disbelief with so much going on that is negative in the world, but I try to look at the positive side of everything. Fate is written with all kinds of twists and turns, and in the end the only thing you can do is realize that as bad as things are – and they are bad – the promise of tomorrow is going to be special.”