Catherine Russell says that when choosing songs for her repertoire, she first looks at the lyrics
“I like songs that tell a good story, that make you laugh or think”
It’s also got to have that swing and get you moving; “fun for the band to play and for the audience to dance”
All elements in evidence on today’s selection(s)
This is from “Strictly Romancing” in 2012 on World Village
Her own story is pretty damn good itself
She came from a Harlem musical dynasty
Her dad, Luis Russell, born in Panama and came to New Orleans as a teenager, was a pianist, composer, and musical director for Louis Armstrong for 8 years
Moms, Carline Ray, was a Julliard- and Manhattan School of Music-trained guitarist and singer
Ray was part of the International Sweethearts of Rhythm, considered the first racially-integrated all-women’s band in the US
Catherine grew up in Harlem and went to “M&A,” Music and Arts High School, a public magnet founded under Mayor LaGuardia in 1936
In the 80s it was merged with the Performing Arts High School (the inspiration for “Fame”) and became LaGuardia (“LaG”)
It also moved 70 blocks downtown, next to Lincoln Center
Other alums: Nat Adderly, Jeremy Steig, Al Jaffee (the guy who created the Mad Magazine Fold-In), Susan Stamberg, Steven Bochco, and Slick Rick the Ruler
(More recently, Nicki Minaj and Awkwafina went to LaG)
Okay, enough public high school trivia
Russell didn’t actually graduate from M&A; she ended up finishing high school, and then going to junior college and college, in Cali (says she went to the west coast after a difficult adolescence when she was depressed and aimless)
You can hear more about her household, childhood influences, and growth in this interview on Fresh Air (where she also does a live rendition of Under the Spell of the Blues)
https://www.npr.org/2020/01/01/792601770/fresh-air-favorites-catherine-russell
She got her first little buzz by performing in between sets at “Catch a Rising Star” a big comedy club on the upper east side in the 80s
The amazing thing is that she was actually a backup singer, and mostly in rock, for decades
Spent years singing and touring with David Bowie, Steely Dan, Paul Simon, Dr. John, Cyndi Lauper, all kinds of folks
It wasn’t til she was almost 50 that she was finally convinced to put out her first album and become a lead singer and bandleader!
Her phrasing and timing are obviously influenced by the early blues and swing greats
But sounds contemporary without relying on retro nostalgia
In addition to the primary dose, here are a couple other of my favorites
https://youtu.be/hq88lJS17as
https://youtu.be/q5SaiEdZQvM
Latter is live in Holland, but comes from her first album Cat in 2006; it’s a tune made famous by Dinah Washington
My girls love both of these
Which makes sense, as nothing comes more naturally to kids (or to humans in general) than good stories
