Saxophonist Vincent Herring's intense, soulful style and ebullient swing draw shouts from the audience. A prodigy who started playing at 11, by 16, Vincent Herring was studying at California State University on a music scholarship. He first toured the U.S. and Europe as part of the Lionel Hampton Big Band. With his sound strongly influenced by Julian “Cannonball” Adderley, Vincent’s virtuosity and promise came to the attention of Cannonball’s brother Nat Adderley, and the two forged a nine-year musical relationship, producing nine albums and touring around the world. After Nat’s death, Louis Hayes collaborated with Vincent to form the Cannonball Adderley Legacy Band. In addition to his long association with the Adderley dynasty, Vincent Herring has also performed with Wynton Marsalis, Freddie Hubbard, Dizzy Gillespie, Art Blakey and The Jazz Messengers, Larry Coryell, The Mingus Big Band, Kenny Barron, Nancy Wilson, Dr. Billy Taylor, and many more. Even if you’ve never managed to see Herring in concert, you’ve likely heard his work—his discography includes more than 20 titles as a leader and over 250 as a sideman. Downbeat defined this artist’s charm in a review of his album Hard Times: “a soulful groover…wailing the hard-bop blues, with gospel-like exclamations and deep pockets of funk contributing to the album’s uplifting vibe... an honest, courageous approach that just plain feels good.”