The jazz world could use a few more Catherine Russells. Not just because this Grammy Award-winning artist is a wonderful singer, with an appealing sound and a sure sense of swing; but because she takes such great care in her choice of songs, arrangements, and musicians. And her ever-growing repertoire of songs from the 1920s, ’30s, ’40s, and ’50s includes an abundance of riches.
I’ve been impressed by her since she first came onto the scene. I’m delighted to see the place that she’s made for herself in the jazz world, and the widespread recognition of her gifts that’s come about in the last 20 years. This year she’s been a jazz-master-in-residence at Harvard University.
Since making her recording debut as a leader in 2006, three of her nine albums have received Grammy nominations. She sang on Vince Giordano’s Grammy Award-winning Boardwalk Empire soundtrack album. She’s won awards ranging from the NYC Nightlife Award to the Grand Prix of the Hot Club of France. The latest honor she’s received was the presentation, on April 14, 2025, of a Bistro Award (her second to date), at the 40th Annual Bistro Awards Ceremony in New York City.
As I write this, her upcoming dates this spring include performances in France, Italy, and Angola, before returning to the US for the High-Country Jazz Festival in Boone, Norh Carolina, and the Twin Cities Jazz Festival in St. Paul,
