All her jazz
Catherine Russell builds her future on music from the past
By Jim Carnes

"Catherine Russell comes from another time.

Her voice, smoky, sexy and smooth, is perfect for old-time swing and jazz tunes. She's got the affection - and the pedigree - for the music.

Russell, 51 (and "proud of it - I'm happy that I made it this far"), is the daughter of the late Luis Russell, a pioneering pianist, composer, bandleader and longtime musical director for Louis Armstrong; and Carline Ray, a graduate of Juilliard and an outstanding bassist and vocalist who was a member of the International Sweethearts of Rhythm, a 1940s all-woman jazz band.

It's not unexpected that Russell, who performs Sunday at Harlow's, would become a singer. And since some of her earliest memories include going with her parents to Louis Armstrong's house, maybe her choice of music isn't unexpected, either.

"My taste is vintage," Russell said recently in a telephone interview from her New York home.

"I really start from the pre-1920s and come forward ... not too far." (full article)