Catherine Russell - The Matrix

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Who I Am & Where I Live

Name: Catherine Russell
City: New York City
Country: United States

My Life

Biographical: Catherine Russell is a native New Yorker, born into musical royalty. Her father, the late Luis Russell, was born in Panama, emigrated to New Orleans and then to Chicago and New York City, becoming a legendary pianist/bandleader/arranger/composer, and Louis Armstrong’s long-time collaborator and musical director. Her mother, Carline Ray, was a pioneering bassist/guitarist/vocalist and holder of advanced degrees from Juilliard and Manhattan School of Music, who performed with International Sweethearts of Rhythm, Mary Lou Williams, and Ruth Brown. Not surprisingly considering her pedigree, Catherine Russell is a one of a kind musician and vocalist. A graduate of American Academy of Dramatic Arts, Catherine has toured the world, performing and recording with David Bowie, Steely Dan, Cyndi Lauper, Jackson Browne, Michael Feinstein, Levon Helm, Paul Simon, Rosanne Cash, Carrie Smith, Toshi Reagon, The Holmes Brothers, Wynton Marsalis, Dr. John, Joan Osborne, Vince Giordano, and many others, appearing on over 200 albums.

Since the 2006 release of her debut album, Cat, on Harmonia Mundi's World Village label, Catherine Russell has been making new fans and friends. National Public Radio's top 5 jazz cd's of 2006 as chosen by WBGO's dj's included Cat, and the album garnered rave reviews worldwide. “She is a fresh and original voice." wrote Sinatra biographer, Will Friedwald, who picked Cat among his top 10 cds of the year. “It’s a delight to hear the real thing in Catherine Russell.", chimed in Nat Hentoff in The Wall Street Journal.

Six acclaimed and chart topping albums have followed. Her sophomore release in 2008, Sentimental Streak, was helmed by Grammy winning producer/multi-instrumentalist Larry Campbell, winning a prestigious German Record Critics Award.

Her third album, Inside This Heart of Mine released in 2010, contains gems from the 1920’s through the Present, from the likes of Duke Ellington, Fats Waller, Louis Armstrong, Peggy Lee, Maxine Sullivan, Wynonie Harris, Howlin’ Wolf, Rachelle Garniez, and Catherine’s dad, Luis Russell. Inside This Heart Of Mine showcases the ever-deepening interpretive wiles of Catherine Russell’s ripe, honey-dipped alto as she personifies the living heart and proud history of each song. In it's first month of release, the album jumped to the #1 position on JazzWeek's Chart for national airplay, while also charting #1 at Roots Music Report, I-Tunes and Amazon's Jazz Album Charts, and #7 on Billboard's top Traditional Jazz Albums.

Strictly Romancin', released in 2012, is a paean to natural attractions; to a lover, an art form, and to one’s family heritage. Our faithful heroine explores love’s foibles, failures, and bliss, from amorous to humorous, embodying the lost art of song savvy, inhabiting the lyric, and allowing each melody to shine. On this 14 song collection, this ever soulful jazz/blues vocalist takes us on a journey; from Harlem dance hall, to Parisian Café, to Store Front Church, to New Orleans Gin Joint, to Uptown Cabaret, blurring distinctions between the carnal and the eternal, in a musical tour de force. Strictly Romancin' was awarded Prix du Jazz Vocal (Vocal Album of The Year) by the Jazz Academy in France, Grand Prix du Hot Club de France, and a Bistro Award for Outstanding Recording, after reaching #1 on multiple Jazz Charts (JazzWeek, I-Tunes, Amazon), and #6 on Billboard. She also received a Nightlife Award as Outstanding Jazz Performer.

Ms. Russell has performed on four continents, and been a hit on major Jazz Festivals including, Montreal, Monterey, Newport, North Sea, Bern International, Charlie Parker, JazzAscona, Rochester, Detroit International, Tanglewood, Lotus World Music, Panama, I Love Jazz - Brazil, and at sold out shows at premier venues like The Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., Sculler's in Boston, The Dakota in Minneapolis, SFJazz's Miner Auditorium in San Francisco, Carnegie/Zankel Hall in New York City, The Pasadena Pops in Los Angeles, and Tchaikovsky Hall in Moscow. She has appeared on the nationally syndicated NPR shows Fresh Air with Terry Gross, Mountain Stage, JazzSet, Marian McPartland's Piano Jazz, Weekend Edition, World Cafe, Riverwalk Jazz on PRI, Song Travels with Michael Feinstein, and on national TV on The Tavis Smiley Show on PBS, and Late Night with Conan O'Brien on NBC. Reviews and profiles have appeared in The Wall Street Journal, Living Blues, Blues Review, Downbeat, Goldmine, No Depression, Boston Globe, Newark Star Ledger, JazzTimes, Miami Herald, San Francisco Chronicle, LA Times, Hartford Courant, and many more.

In 2012, Catherine Russell won a Grammy Award for her appearance as a featured artist on the soundtrack album for the HBO TV series Boardwalk Empire. In 2013, Catherine contributed 3 songs to the soundtrack album for the movie Kill Your Darlings, starring Daniel Radcliffe as a young Allen Ginsberg.

Catherine's 5th album, Bring It Back hit the streets in February 2014 on the Jazz Village label, and received a rave Five Star review in Downbeat Magazine. Here, Catherine Russell digs deeper into a rich vein of musical treasures. Mining collaborations between her legendary father, Luis Russell, and the great Louis Armstrong, Catherine brings along the same team from her two previous chart-topping albums. Gems from the Jazz Age and Swing Era performed with new arrangements for 10 piece orchestra, blend seamlessly with reinventions sourced from Blues icons Esther Phillips, Al Hibbler, Wynonie Harris, and Little Willie John.

A sixth album, Harlem On My Mind, was released in September 2016, on the Jazz Village label, receiving a Grammy Nomination for Best Jazz Vocal Album. Ms. Russell's seventh album as a leader, Alone Together, and her first for Dot Time Records, was released worldwide in March 2019.

Catherine Russell is that rarest of entities – a genuine jazz and blues singer – who can sing virtually anything. Her voice is full blown feminity incarnate; a dusky, stalwart and soulful instrument that radiates interpretive power yet remains touchingly vulnerable. She launches fearlessly into each tune, getting inside the melody and capturing every emotion. Her repertoire features a selection of gems from the 1920's through the Present; vital interpretations, bursting with soul and humor. With an off-the beaten-path song selection, sparkling acoustic swing, and a stunning vocal approach, Catherine Russell joins the ranks of the greatest interpreters and performers of American Popular Song.

My Media

Website: http://catherinerussell.net
Spotify: http://open.spotify.com/album/2ebxe3beKvg6ee7XJkvxEd
Spotify 2: http://open.spotify.com/album/4Hx5axN7HxCKRxSKYrAeaQ
Spotify 3: http://open.spotify.com/album/4Hx5axN7HxCKRxSKYrAeaQ
Spotify 4: http://open.spotify.com/album/0oyu5Vuai0HPO8zR9X0s36
Spotify 5: http://open.spotify.com/album/0Iu9RRPSHdoYZPA7BYmRZt
Spotify 6: https://open.spotify.com/album/038gVUwrun1SWRxNCNfvgM
Instagram: catherine_russell_vocalist
YouTube Channel: http://www.youtube.com/channel/UCUQXX7fslqyqraHXM3sLv0Q

Contact Information

Management/Booking: Management: Paul Kahn
Contact Paul Kahn
email: paul@concertedefforts.com
phone: 646-490-4958

Worldwide Representation: The Kurland Agency
email: agents@thekurlandagency.com
phone: 617-254-0007

Booking Agency in France: WorldSoulProd
Contact Hervé Cocotier
email: herve.cocotier@gmail.com
phone: +33 6 18 94 11 78

Instructions

The matrix is a small world curation network.

It is designed to be coursed through, from node (person/entity) to node to node in a voyage of discovery.

This is universal open curation in series. A 21st century twist on the oldest and most effective means of publicity of all: word-of-mouth.

Curations in series form worldlines, which enter pages via the THEY CURATE ME tabs and exit via the I CURATE THEM tabs (per above).

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All are welcome to curate, and all may decide for themselves whose judgement to trust. One aspect of open curation is that it allows us to see the curations of performing experts in their area, no matter how obscure this area might be, areas where perhaps there are no professional curators.

After a page has been created (it can be as simple or as complex as you like) you create arts-related categories for which you can be recommended. Examples can be seen at the bottom of every member page, including your own.

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