Lizz Wright and Kenny Banks Sr. Announce City Winery Show for New Album

Lizz Wright, the acclaimed vocalist and songwriter, and Kenny Banks Sr., the virtuoso pianist, have announced a show at New York City’s City Winery on Oct. 4. The special performance celebrates the duo’s recently announced LP, Nearness, released by Blues & Greens Records and Candid Records. Doors open at 6 p.m. ET, and the duo’s set begins at 7:30 p.m. ET. Fans can grab tickets here .

Additionally, Wright and Banks will be bringing the magic on the road with a new tour. After NYC, the duo will hit High Point Theatre in North Carolina on Oct. 8, then head to the Berklee Performance Center in Boston, De Doelen in Rotterdam, Netherlands, and more. See full tour routing below.

The duo’s new album, Nearness , is an 11-track collection that brings the two artists together across jazz standards, spirituals, and original songs, marking the first full album centered entirely on the exchange between Wright’s voice and Banks’ piano and organ.

“When the audience asked for more, I didn’t have anything ready. I turned around and asked Kenny if he could play ‘Amazing Grace,’” Wright recalls. “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.”

TOUR DATES

October 4, 2026 – City Winery, New York, NY^

October 8, 2026 – High Point Theatre – High Point, NC*

October 10, 2026 – Berklee Performance Center – Boston, MA*

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^

December 7, 2026 – Keystone Korner – Baltimore, MD^

December 10, 2026 – Library of Congress – Washington, DC^

April 22, 2027 – De Singel – Antwerpen, Belgium^

April 27, 2027 – Martinskirche – Basel, Switzerland^

May 7, 2027 – Sheldon Concert Hall – St. Louis, MO*

October 6-13, 2027 – Botti at Sea 2027 – Boston, MA to Quebec City, Canada^

^ duo show with Kenny Banks Sr.

*full band show

_Originally reported by [Pollstar](https://news.pollstar.com/2026/09/30/lizz-wright-kenny-banks-sr-announce-tour-in-support-of-new-album/)._