The Promise is the third album by jazz artist Kirk Whalum, released in 1989 on Columbia Records.

7 on the Billboard Top Contemporary Jazz Albums chart.

Artists such as Syreeta and Paul Jackson Jr. appear on the album.

[2] With a four out of five star rating, Johnathan Widran of Allmusic said "But this third effort was his strongest outing to date, displaying a versatility which ranges from spiritual ("The Promise") to Brazilian (the tropical flavored "Desperately") to straight ahead rock & roll (the Larry Carlton tribute "LC's Back," which features the fancy licks of the guitarist himself).

This 1980s jazz album-related article is a stub.