GRAMMY© award-winning vocalist Catherine Russell will premiere a program inspired by collaborations between her father, pioneering pianist and orchestra leader Luis Russell, and his life-long friend, the greatest jazzman of all – Louis Armstrong. The concerts will take place at Jazz at Lincoln Center’s Allen Room on Friday and Saturday March 30 & 31, 2012, with two shows nightly.
For these shows, Catherine will lead a 10 piece orchestra, featuring new arrangements performed by the musicians on her new album Strictly Romancin’:
Catherine Russell – vocals
Matt Munisteri – guitar, arranger, musical director
Mark Shane – piano
Jon Erik-Kellso – trumpet, arranger
John Allred – trombone
Dan Block – sax, clarinet
Andy Farber – sax, arranger
Lee Hudson – bass
Mark McLean – drums
Dave Brown – trumpet
Scott Robinson – horns
Catherine Russell’s 4th solo album, Strictly Romancin’ (World Village/Harmonia Mundi) was released on Valentine’s Day to rave reviews. It shot to the top of radio and sales charts after the nation heard the special feature on NPR‘s Fresh Air with Terry Gross. Strictly Romancin’ hit #1 on Jazz Radio’s JazzWeek Chart, iTunes and the Amazon Jazz Chart and has found its groove (6 weeks) on Billboard’s Top Jazz Album Charts.
On her new album and at The Allen Room, Catherine draws from a deep well of American culture. Highlights include the classic Dorothy Fields – Jimmy McHugh composition, “I’m In The Mood For Love”, plucked from the fruitful recording collaboration of Louis Armstrong and Luis Russell. “Everything’s Been Done Before”, from the same source, is an unusual melody. Both are impeccably rendered by Catherine’s lush croon. “Ev’ntide” comes from the same rich period in 1936 when Louis Armstrong was churning out masterpieces for the Decca label, this one written by Hoagy Carmichael, and rarely recorded since.