Carnegie Hall’s 2013-2014 Mainstage Concert Season continues Friday, Nov. 15, with a performance by jazz and blues singer, Catherine Russell. The concert will begin at 7:30 p.m. with access to the Mainstage Lounge, hosted by Harmony Ridge Gallery, beginning at 6:45. The general public is invited from 5-6 p.m. for an open sound check followed by Q&A with Catherine as she recalls her childhood as the daughter of jazz legends, Luis Russell and Carline Ray. No ticket purchase is required to attend the sound check.
Russell is a native New Yorker born to musical royalty. Her father, the late Luis Russell, was a pioneering pianist/composer/bandleader, and Louis Armstrong’s long-time side-kick. Her mother, Carline Ray, was a bassist, guitarist and vocalist who performed with Mary Lou Williams and International Sweethearts of Rhythm. Catherine’s professional life began early. After graduating with honors from the American Academy of Dramatic Arts, she embarked upon a rich journey backing artists like Carrie Smith, Steely Dan, David Bowie, Cyndi Lauper, Paul Simon, Jackson Browne, Michael Feinstein and Rosanne Cash.
Her 2006 debut album Cat, (World Village/Harmonia Mundi), garnered rave reviews, paving the way for her 2008 sophomore release, Sentimental Streak. Catherine has been a guest on “Late Night with Conan O’Brien,” PBS-TV’s “Tavis Smiley Show” and NPR’s “Fresh Air,” “Piano Jazz,” “Mountain Stage,” “World Café,” “JazzSet” and “Riverwalk Jazz.” She has won a prestigious German Record Critics’ Award and a Hot Club of France Discovery Award. Catherine Russell’s third album, Inside This Heart of Mine, reached #1 on JazzWeek, Roots Music Report, and I-Tunes Jazz Charts. The acclaim has enabled Catherine to join elite company on various compilations, including the Soundtrack Album for the award winning HBO-TV show “Boardwalk Empire,” NPR’s “The New Jazz Divas,” “Putumayo Presents Rhythm & Blues” and “Walkin’ and Swingin’” from The Kennedy Center’s Mary Lou Williams Women in Jazz Festival.
Catherine Russell has headlined on three continents, performing at major Jazz Festivals including North Sea, JazzAscona, Montreal, Bern, Rochester International, Panama, and at sold out venues like The Kennedy Center in Washington, DC, Scullers in Boston, The Dakota in Minneapolis, Dizzy’s Club in NYC and Yoshi’s in San Francisco. “Russell emerged as a retro old school vocalist for the ages.” (All Music Guide)
The rarest of entities and able to sing virtually anything, Catherine Russell is a must see this season. Tickets to the concert and Mainstage Lounge are on sale now by calling 304-645-7917 or online at www.carnegiehallwv.org.
Carnegie Hall’s 2013-14 arts programming is presented with financial assistance from the WV Division of Culture and History, and the National Endowment for the Arts, with approval from the WV Commission on the Arts.
