"Best known as a side person playing keys, guitar, mandolin and/or percussion with the likes of David Bowie, Cyndi Lauper and Jackson Browne, these days Catherine "Cat" Russell steps out front to lead her own band as a singer. The material predates her by decades.

"We do swing and blues," she says. "It's a piano, guitar and bass acoustic trio. We do mostly tunes from the '20s, '30s and '40s."

Standing at the crossroads between jazz and blues, Russell digs the earth that nurtures both. "If you listen to Dinah Washington, she is very bluesy. Billie Holiday is very bluesy," she says. "The way radio has evolved ~ or devolved depending on how you look at it ~ separation has come into play a lot more."

Russell appears in town (tonight) to feature tunes from her latest disc, Sentimental Streak, which is the follow-up to her debut, Cat, that was recorded at Levon Helm Studios in Woodstock, N.Y.

The latest release features members of her swinging band with pianist Mark Shane, guitarist Matt Munisteri and bassist Lee Hudson. Look for arrangements inspired by Chick Webb, Hoagy Charmichael and her dad, Luis Russell, who was a pianist with Louis Armstrong. Image
Much of the music is associated with the likes of Bessie Smith, Alberta Hunter, and Nellie Lutcher. Among the pantheon of these greats, Russell is successfully walking in their footsteps." - Chet Williamson