Lizz Wright + Kenny Banks Sr. Release "Amazing Grace" From New Duo Album "Nearness"

Today, jazz vocalist and songwriter Lizz Wright, together with acclaimed pianist Kenny Banks Sr., released the new single “Amazing Grace” from their forthcoming duo jazz album, Nearness. Set to release on September 25, 2026, on Blues & Greens Records and Candid Records, the 11-track LP of standards and spirituals showcases each artist’s talent, as well as their creative connection. Pre-order Nearness here

Listen to “Amazing Grace” here Watch video here

Wright and Banks’ blues take on the classic hymn “Amazing Grace” is a profound culmination of their kinship. Years ago, at a jam session in Atlanta, Wright sat in while Banks was on the keys and sang a couple of jazz standards — at the time, the only ones she knew. But the crowd wanted more.

Transporting listeners to the duo’s origin story, Lizz Wright recalls, “When the audience asked for more, I didn’t have anything ready. I turned around and asked Kenny if he could play ‘Amazing Grace.’ He smiled, looked down at the piano and started digging into it as a blues. That moment changed my life. I’d never sung a blues. I’d never felt prayer and longing and lust and confusion at the same time. And the sound came out with all those things.”

Banks adds, “You know when you hear people say, ‘You’ve got that thing’? [Wright] always had that thing. She’s just got a presence that commands your attention.”

Banks became one of Wright’s most trusted collaborators. Now comes Nearness, the most thrillingly intimate expression of their kinship yet.

“Amazing Grace” follows the release of “The Nearness of You,” an expansive reading of Hoagy Carmichael’s timeless ballad, which serves as the album’s opener and title inspiration. The standard has orbited Wright’s career for many years, most notably taking root during the Apollo Theater’s 100: The Apollo Celebrates Ella tribute concert in October 2016. Shared on Wright’s Facebook and premiered by PopMatters, the duo's video performance went on to reach over one million views. Revisiting the song alongside Banks again a decade later, Wright brings a warm, insightful perspective to the classic, centering on how the simple presence of a kindred soul can reshape how we view ourselves and share our gifts.

Lizz Wright shares, “I’m excited to be able to use that one word to explore concepts of love and closeness that are not often mentioned. I’m celebrating not just a teacher here, but a great platonic love.”

Also previously released is the single “Soon I Will Be Done,” a take on the landmark spiritual. Expanding on her fresh interpretations, Wright adds, “it feels like taking old tools out of a museum and running them along a grinder and getting them sharp again and shiny. If I do my part in taking them out of historical reference mode, I really can bring something new to them.”

Produced by longtime musical director and esteemed guitarist Chris Bruce, Nearness reveals deep kinship and trust in the forms of Banks' signature arrangements, which serve as an architectural frame for Wright's profound delivery.

Central to Wright’s catalogue, Banks has been part of her other releases throughout the years, including Salt (Verve, 2003), and acclaimed records such as Dreaming Wide Awake (Universal Music Group, 2005), The Orchard (Universal Music Group, 2008), Fellowship (Universal Music Group, 2010), Freedom & Surrender (Concord, 2016), Grace (Concord, 2017), and Shadow (Blues & Greens Records, 2024).

TRACKLIST

1. The Nearness Of You

2. Jazz Ain’t Nothin’ But Soul

3. Soon I Will Be Done

4. Hold On

5. All The Things You Are

6. Amazing Grace

7. Just You, Just Me

8. Hold Me

9. How I Got Over

10. Deep River

11. Circling

TOUR DATES

• October 21, 2026 - Kulturetage - Oldenburg, Germany*
• October 22, 2026 - Stadschouwburg - Sint-Niklaas, Belgium*
• October 24, 2026 - De Doelen - Rotterdam, Netherlands*
• October 25, 2026 - De Oosterpoort - Groningen, Netherlands*
• October 26, 2026 - Muffathalle - Munich, Germany*
• October 28, 2026 - Centralstation - Darmstadt, Germany*
• October 29, 2026 - Enjoy Jazz Festival - Heidelberg, Germany*
• October 30, 2026 - Teatro Albéniz Madrid - Madrid, Spain*
• November 1, 2026 - Stadthalle Koln-Mulheim Julich - Cologne, Germany*
• November 3, 2026 - Kammermusiksaal - Berlin, Germany*
• November 4, 2026 - Enter Music Festival - Poznan, Poland*
• November 5, 2026 - Wojciech Kilar Polish Philharmonic "Sinfonia Baltica" - Slupsk, Poland*
• November 7, 2026 - Cosmopolite Scene - Oslo, Norway*
• November 13, 2026 - Jazz Voice Gala 2026 - Royal Festival Hall - London United Kingdom
• November 14, 2026 - Saffron Hall - Walden, United Kingdom
• November 15, 2026 - Cadogan Hall - London, UK
• April 22, 2027 - De Singel - Antwerpen, Belgium
• April 27, 2027 - Martinskirche - Basel, Switzerland
• May 7, 2027 - Sheldon Concert Hall - St. Louis, MO*

duo show with Kenny Banks Sr.

*full band show