Jazz Singer Catherine Russell at Birdland NYC (The Epoch Times)

by Barry Bassis

Jazz singer Catherine Russell blew me away when I first saw her perform at the Mohonk Blues on the Mountain Festival. She sang a blues and jazz set with her group and then returned on Sunday morning for a gospel show. Since then, I have been collecting her recordings and try to catch her whenever she is in town.

A native New Yorker, Russell was born into jazz royalty. Her father, Luis Russell, was the long-time bandleader/pianist for Louis Armstrong. (On Catherine’s website, there are photos of her with Satchmo when she was 4 years old.)

Russell has the gift of communicating pure joy. 

Lovers of jazz, blues and popular music should not pass up the opportunity to catch Catherine Russell at Birdland , where she will be performing with musicians from the “Bring it Back” CD for five nights, from December 15-19.

Birdland / 315 W 44th St.

Tickets: 212-581-3080; birdlandjazz.com