Catherine Russell (singer)

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This article is about the American singer. For other people named Catherine or Katherine Russell, see Katherine Russell.

Catherine Russell
Russell at the Detroit Jazz Fest in 2006
Russell at the Detroit Jazz Fest in 2006
Background information
Also known asCat[1]
Born (1956-09-20) September 20, 1956 (age 67)
New York City, U.S.
Genres
Occupation(s)Singer
Instrument(s)
  • Vocals
  • keyboards
  • guitar
  • percussion
Years active2006–present
LabelsHarmonia Mundi
Dot Time Records
Websitewww.catherinerussell.net Edit this at Wikidata

Catherine Russell (born 1956)[1] is an American jazz and blues singer. She is best known for her 2016 album Harlem on My Mind.

Biography

Early life

Her father was

Juilliard and the Manhattan School of Music and performed with the International Sweethearts of Rhythm following World War II.[4] She later performed "with Doc Cheatham and Wynton Marsalis, among others."[2]

Russell's interest in music began as a child.[1] As a young girl, she was "steeped in early jazz—from '20s and '30s recordings by her father's orchestras to '40s and '50s R&B."[5] She was also enamored with country music—including the early George Jones, Patsy Cline, Hank Williams, and Merle Haggard—as she liked "anything that swings."[1]

Background vocalist

In the mid-1980s, she often visited a

Madonna recording "Rescue Me
".

From 2002-2004, Russell worked with David Bowie as a band member, providing backing vocals and featured contributions on guitar, keyboard and percussion for Bowie's Heathen Tour, A Reality Tour, and his late-2003 album Reality. Recalling these experiences, Russell remarked: "Working with David was a dream come true. I’d been a fan since 1971. He was such a gracious man, and musically generous. He brought out the best in me. In addition to background singing, he let me play several instruments: keyboards, percussion, guitar and mandolin. He allowed me to stretch beyond what I thought I was capable of. He was caring, funny and loved his family. I am blessed to have known him."[6]

Jazz career

When Bowie's touring career was suspended in 2004, Russell's business partner and later husband Paul Kahn suggested that she record a solo album.[6] However, Russell initially rejected the idea as she believed she already had "a nice career as a backup singer."[6] Nevertheless, she eventually consented to record song tracks at a friend's studio in Skokie, Illinois. Kahn then invited executives from a record company to hear Russell sing in New York, which led to a recording contract with Harmonia Mundi. The earlier tracks recorded in Illinois became her first album, Cat (2006).[6]

Russell soon experienced a "mid-career surge" in which she transitioned from an "in-demand, first-call backup singer to rock and pop stars" to become "the foremost vocal interpreter of vintage jazz and R&B songs."[6] Seven albums followed, about one every two years, supported by an extensive touring schedule in Asia, Australia, Europe and the United States. With her roots in jazz and the blues, Russell quickly became known in jazz circles and, by January 2014, was the second best-selling female artist on several jazz charts.

"Harlem on My Mind"
Sample of the 1933 song "Harlem on My Mind" as covered by Russell. The song first appeared in the musical revue As Thousands Cheer.
Problems playing this file? See media help.

Her voice has been described as "reminiscent of many of the great jazz and blues singers. Her phrasing is impeccable and her delivery relaxed and effortless; it never seems as if she's 'trying.'"

Jazz Times which declared that, "if there's a post-millennial answer to Dinah Washington, surely it's Catherine Russell: same remarkable vocal dexterity-blues shouter meets jazz stylist; same espresso-strength power; same immaculate clarity; same ability to shift seamlessly from sassy to torchy."[7]

Russell's cover of the 1920s song "

54th Grammy Awards.[10]

In 2019, Russell appeared as a character in the biographical feature film

Bolden!, about early jazz performer Buddy Bolden. She performed the blues folk song "Make Me a Pallet on the Floor."[11] The same year, she released her seventh album, Alone Together, via Dot Time Records.[12]

In 2022, Catherine Russell released

Pop Matters, JazzTimes, and others, while also performing a concert for NPR Tiny Desk (Home)
.

Awards

Russell in a 2009 performance
  • German Record Critics' Award
    — Sentimental Streak (2008)
  • Prix Decouverte from Hot Club de France — Sentimental Streak (2008)
  • Grammy Award
    — Best Compilation Soundtrack — Visual Media, Boardwalk Empire Vol. 1 (2011)
  • Prix du Vocal Jazz from L'Academie du Jazz — Strictly Romancin' (2012)
  • Grand Prix from Hot Club de France — Strictly Romancin' (2012)
  • NYC Nightlife Award — Outstanding Jazz Performer (2012)
  • Bistro Award
    for Outstanding Achievement, Recording — Strictly Romancin' (2013)
  • Fans Decision Jazz Award — Hot House Magazine & Metropolitan Room — Female Vocalist (2016)
  • The Louie from The Louis Armstrong House Museum — Preserving and Promoting the Legacy of Louis Armstrong (2016)
  • Grammy Nomination — Best Jazz Vocal Album — Harlem on My Mind
    (2017)
  • Grammy Nomination - Best Jazz Vocal Album - Alone Together
    (2019)

Discography

Albums

Soundtracks and compilations as featured artist

  • The New Jazz Divas: NPR Discover Songs (2010)
  • Walkin' & Swingin' (2011)
  • Boardwalk Empire, Vol. 1 (2011)
  • Kill Your Darlings (Original Soundtrack) (2013)
  • Bolden (Original Soundtrack) – Wynton Marsalis (2019)
  • Big Band Holidays II – Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis (2019)

As backing singer, musician or guest lead singer

Some of Russell's credits are as follows:[13]

References

Citations

  1. ^ a b c d e f g Hentoff & Porter 2010, p. 26.
  2. ^ a b c d Hogg 2008.
  3. ^ Yardley 2013.
  4. ^ Gross 2012.
  5. ^ a b Holden 2015.
  6. ^ a b c d e f g h i Morrison 2017.
  7. ^ a b Loudon 2016.
  8. ^ The Emerald City 2010.
  9. ^ Boardwalk Empire Soundtrack 2011.
  10. ^ Haury 2012.
  11. ^ Tarby 2019.
  12. ^ a b Sheridan 2019.
  13. ^ a b c d AllMusic.com.

Bibliography

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Catherine Russell.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gi5ehMVsggI

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