Description

Three-time GRAMMY®-nominated vocalist Catherine Russell presents her first live album Catherine Russell – Live at Jazz at Lincoln Center, captured during a special weekend at the Appel Room with New York City’s Central Park as scenic backdrop. Invited to perform for JALC’s 2023-2024 season theme “Community and Consciousness,” Russell crafted a program honoring The Hot Club of New York, a community of enthusiasts who gather weekly to listen to vintage jazz and blues on 78rpm shellac records, assembling lesser-known gems originally recorded by Hot Lips Page, Tiny Grimes, Blanche Calloway, Cab Calloway, Helen Humes, Eddie Barefield, her father Luis Russell, and others. The daughter of pioneering pianist/bandleader/composer Luis Russell and trailblazing vocalist-guitarist-bassist Carline Ray, Catherine Russell owns this repertoire by birthright, showcasing her remarkable command across eleven selections spanning swing, blues, and early jazz styles. The seasoned ensemble includes Matt Munisteri on guitar, Ben Paterson on piano, Russell Hall on bass, Domo Branch on drums, and a horn section of Jon-Erik Kellso on trumpet, John Allred on trombone, and Evan Arntzen on tenor sax and clarinet performing Mark Lopeman’s arrangements that evoke Harlem Nightlife, Territory Bands, vintage New Orleans jazz, Swing Era, and Rhythm & Blues traditions. Special guest tap dancer Michela Marino Lerman adds rhythmic vitality to four tracks, while Russell breathes new life into material few contemporary singers keep in active circulation.