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8-panel Digipak Album
“HARD TIMES deals with classic themes and indulges in straightforward blowing without pretense—an honest, courageous approach that just plain feels good.”
-– Ed Enright, DownBeat
“Herring’s voice on the horn is quick and energetic, but smooth; he’s going for a Hank Crawford/Stanley Turrentine vibe, with just enough grit to keep the listener on edge.”
-– Phil Freeman, Stereogum
“Although the vicissitudes of our era weigh on Herring’s mind, his new album, HARD TIMES, exhibits no diminishment of fervor; the alto saxophonist has an unerring knack for merging technical command with heart-on-sleeve emotiveness.”
-– The New Yorker
“…he brings a flair for showmanship and fondness for catchy, crowd-pleasing, often soulful tunes and infectious rhythms. Those traits factor into the equation on this album, with Herring augmenting his basic quartet on various tracks with a three-piece horn section, guitarist and/or vocalist. It all makes for an album both artistically substantial and immensely entertaining.”
-– George Kanzler, The New York City Jazz Record
Alto saxophonist Vincent Herring makes the case for music as a remedy for “hard times” with this swinging and soulful recording. He is aided in this mission by an impressive core quartet featuring pianist Cyrus Chestnut, bassist Yasushi Nakamura, and drummer Carl Allen. On roughly half the tracks the quartet is joined by the tight horn section of trumpeter Brad Mason, saxophonist Sam Dillon, and trombone virtuoso Steve Turre while guitar master Russell Malone casts his spell over two tracks and the rich baritone of renowned vocalist Nicolas Bearde graces three tunes.
The set list for HARD TIMES is based on a single principle: these are quite simply songs that Herring has loved over the years and have seen him through his own hard times. “All through my life, whenever I’ve had ups and downs, music has been the one thing that’s always kept it positive for me,” he says. “It’s always been something that I could come back to and dig into to lift my spirits. This record is meant to be fun, it’s meant to be uplifting, it’s meant to be something that people will want to listen to over and over again.”
released November 3, 2017
Vincent Herring – alto & soprano saxophones
Cyrus Chestnut – piano & Fender Rhodes
Yasushi Nakamura – bass
Carl Allen – drums
Nicolas Bearde – vocals (2, 3 & 5)
Russell Malone – guitar (1, 2 & 7)
Steve Turre – trombone (except 5, 6 & 7)
Brad Mason – trumpet (except 5, 6, 7, 10 & 11)
Sam Dillon – tenor saxophone (except 5, 6, 7, 10 & 11)
All arrangements by Vincent Herring & Takahiro Izumikawa
Recorded Live May 30, 2017 at Sear Sound Studio C, NYC
Produced by Paul Stache
Associate Producer: Damon Smith
Recorded, Mixed & Mastered by Chris Allen
Studio Assistant: Grant Valentine
Photography by Jimmy Katz
Liner Notes by Shaun Brady
Design by Damon Smith & Paul Stache
Cyrus Chestnut and Russell Malone appear courtesy of High Note Records
Executive Producers: Frank Christopher & Paul Stache
