Vocalist Catherine Russell is a native New Yorker and was born into musical royalty. Her father, Luis Russell, was a legendary pianist, composer, bandleader and Louis Armstrong’s long-time musical director. Her mother, Carline Ray, was a pioneering vocalist and guitarist. After graduating with honors from the American Academy of Dramatic Arts, she toured and recorded with Steely Dan, David Bowie, Cyndi Lauper, Paul Simon, Jackson Browne, among others, appearing on over 200 albums.
She began her own solo career in 2005 and would go on to release eight albums as a leader, two of which, Harlem On My Mind and Alone Together, earned GRAMMY® nominations for Best Jazz Vocal Album. Her latest album, Send For Me, received rave reviews in national media outlets, while she performed a concert for NPR Tiny Desk (Home).
A favorite on The Jazz Cruise, Catherine has been a hit at major jazz festivals including Monterey, Newport, North Sea, JazzAscona, Montreal, Bern, Tanglewood and at sold-out venues like The Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., Scullers in Boston, The Dakota in Minneapolis, Jazz at Lincoln Center and Carnegie Hall in NYC, SFJAZZ in San Francisco and Pasadena Pops in Los Angeles.
In recent years, Catherine has been performing concerts with the John Pizzarelli Trio in a show called “Billie and Blue Eyes,” in which the two pay tribute to Billie Holiday and Frank Sinatra.