Catherine Russell Alone Together

Catherine Russell
Alone Together
Dot Time

The daughter of Luis Russell (Louis Armstrong's big band leader) and pioneering guitarist-bassist Carline Ray, Catherine Russell has established herself as a superb jazz singer. "Alone Together" is her seventh studio album and is the vein of her prior recordings. It brings together a range of vintage material from the twenties until the seventies.

On this recording, she interprets songs associated with the likes of Rosa Henderson, Louis Jordan, Cecil Gant, Nat King Cole, Fats Waller along with standards from the American Song Book. She is backed by a band rooted in the swing style of the thirties and forties that include Matt Munisteri on guitars, Mark Shane on piano, Tal Ronen on bass, Mark McLean on drums, Jon-Erik Kellso on trumpet, John Allred on trombone, and Evan Arntzen on tenor sax, with a string trio employed on one selection.

Opening with a rendition of the Schwartz-Dietz title track, Russell delights with the warmth and delivery of her vocals. The backing band is superb with Allred and Arntzen soloing on this. This is an album full of songs touching on love and its pitfalls. Munsiteri's acoustic chording launches "You Turned the Tables On Me," as she wistfully sings about her ex who let her fall with a drop." Mark Shane is also outstanding on this hornless selection.

A lovely rendition of "When Did You Leave Heaven?", uses strings to cushion her vocal. Munisteri takes a tight electric guitar solo. Solid, personal interpretations of a couple of Louis Jordan songs, "Early in the Morning," and "Is You or Is You Ain't My Baby?" follow with outstanding backing. Kellso provided the riff-based horn arrangement on "Early in the Morning," with a terrific tenor sax solo by Arntzen and Munisteri contributes some strong jazz-blues guitar. Russell ably handles the lyrics of "Is You or Is You Ain't My Baby?" displaying just how good a blues singer she is. Kellso is exquisite with on his muted trumpet solo. Her revival of Cecil Gant's classic blues-ballad "I Wonder" captures the song's wistfulness.

Then there is her infectious, delightful revival of a 30's pop swinger, "You Can't Pull The Wool Over My Eyes," and her swaggering rendition of Rosa Henderson's 1923 recording, "He May Be Your Dog But He's Wearing My Collar." Munisteri plays dobro on the latter song. Then there is an effervescent take on Nat King Cole's jumping jive, "Errand Girl For Rhythm," and the warmth in her rendition of "I Only Have Eyes for You."

A charming rendition of Fats Waller's "You're Not The Only Oyster In The Stew," closes another terrific Catherine Russell recording.

I received from my review copy from the record company. This review appeared in the March-April 2019 Jazz & Blues Report (Issue 383), although I have made some minor changes. Here is a video of Catherine Russell singing "He May Be Your Dog But He's Wearing My Collar."

Catherine Russell Harlem on My Mind

Catherine Russell
Harlem on My Mind
Jazz Village


Some familiar with this blog may be aware, I am a fan of the singer, Catherine Russell. Regarding her 2012 release "Strictly Romancin'," I observed that, "Vocally she remains as commanding as in her past efforts as her vocals are delivered soulfully yet with a clarity that many vocalists today would benefit from listening to her mix of clean diction and musicality." The same can be said about this latest recording, with a mix of classic swing numbers mixed with intriguing renditions of fifties rhythm'n'blues and a few obscure songs that she introduces to many. 

On her latest release she is backed by a superb rhythm section of guitarist Mike Munisteri, pianist Mark Shane, bassist Tal Ronen, and drummer Mark McLean. Saxophonists Andy Ferber, Mark Lopeman and Dan Block along, with trumpeter Jon-Erik Kellso, are among those playing on horns. One track has centenarian Fred Staton (brother of the late Candy Staton). 


The title track is an Irving Berlin song that Ethel Waters originally recorded and is performed with small group backing as Russell so sonorously delivers "I’ve got Harlem on my mind /And I’m longing to be low down/ And my parlez vous will not ring true / With Harlem on my mind," and followed by the vibrant big little band (tentet) horn-driven  "I Can’t Believe That You’re In Love With Me," with Munisteri providing solid rhythm guitar in the manner of Freddie Greene. This is followed by the ebullient swing of "Swing! Brother Swing!" with wonderful muted trumpet by Kellso, trombone from John Allred and Mark Lopeman's tough tenor sax. Then there is the wonderful rendition of Ray Noble's classic ballad, "The Very Thought of You," the delightful, slightly naughty, neo-trad reworking of the Clarence Williams' classic, "You Got the Right Key But The Wrong Keyhole" (with Lopeman's clarinet and Munisteri's banjo), and anogther lovely ballad, "Don’t Take Your Love From Me," with a marvelous, romantic tenor sax solo from Fred Staton.

An impish rendition Fats Waller-Andy Razaf gem “Blue Turning Grey Over You,” is followed by a wonderful rendition of a torch song, “You’re My Thrill,” with a marvelous Farber horn arrangement. I am not sure who first recorded “I Want a Man” (Esther Phillips?) but Russell's rendition reminds me of the sass and vigor Ruth Rrown brought to similar material. Benny ‘King’ Carter’s classic “When Lights Are Low,” receives a royal rendition followed by a terrific cover of Little Willie John’s “Talk To Me, Talk To Me,” along with her own, heart-felt take of Dinah Washington’s “Let Me Be the First to Know.”

The retro-swing “Goin’ To Town,” was part of Duke Ellington’s Cotton Club repertoire and recorded by Catherine’s father Luis Russell in 1931. The effervescent performance provides a lively close to another superb recording from Ms. Russell. No one is producing such a series of excellent joyful celebrations of swing jazz and jump blues as Catherine Russell, of which “Harlem on My Mind,” is simply the latest example.

I purchased this as a download. Here Catherine performs a blues Dinah Washington recorded,  "My Man Is An Undertaker."

Cafe Society (Soundtrack)

Various
Cafe Society (Soundtrack)
Sony Classical

A soundtrack to the new Woody Allen film of the same name, "Cafe Society" is a curious collection of a number of new performances of classic songs by Vince Giordano and the Nighthawks mixed with several from classic 78s. 8 of the 15 songs (selected by Allen) were composed by Rogers and Hart, and the other songs mostly are classics of the American songbook. I have not seen the film so make no comment on it .

The personnel for Giordano and his group includes Giordano on bass, Chris Flory or Vinny Raniola on guitar, Mark Shane on piano and Christopher Gelb on drums. What is surprising is the lack of horns in the band and while the crisply played performances may be delightful, if the movie is supposed to conjure up swing music that was featured at the actual Cafe Society, Barney Josephson's pioneering club that was the first racially integrated nightclub in the United States. The Nighthawks come across almost as a gypsy jazz band with the music not bearing relationship to what was played by the Boogie Woogie Trio, Billie Holiday, Hazel Scott, Lena Horne, Al Casey, Eddie Barefield, and the likes. A vocal by Kat Edmondson backed by The Nighthawks on Rogers & Hart's "Mountain Greenery" has charm but far removed from Holiday singing "Strange Fruit."

This is not to say there is anything bad about the new performances. Pianist Shane has a deft touch displayed nicely on the ballad "Manhattan" and the sprite treatment of "My Romance," the latter of several tracks where Flory distinguishes himself. Of note is the YeraSon trio's marvelous rendition of "The Peanut Vendor," followed by a restrained rendition of "Out of Nowhere" by Conal Fowkes on piano, Brian Naepka on bass and John Gill on drums. Fowkes' spirited stride-rooted piano does delight on "This Can't Be Love," a performance that perhaps captures the actual Cafe Society spirit. Still the musical highlight of this album is an alternate take of the Count Basie classic, "Taxi War Dance" with some marvelous Lester Young, while Benny Goodman's "I Didn't Know What Time It Is," also notable.

The music on this soundtrack is quite congenial and listenable although not as exciting or passionate as might have been found at the actual Cafe Society where Barney Josephson persuaded Lena Horne to stop singing "When Its Sleepy Time Down South."

I received a review download from a publicist. This review appeared originally in the November-December  Jazz & Blues Report (Issue 369). Here is a trailer for the movie that I now realize has to do with a Hollywood venue, and not the legendary Greenwich Village venue. Not sure if it would have affected my review of the quality of the music although I would not have made some of the references contained here.

 

Catherine Russell Brings it Back

The emergence of Catherine Russell on the music stage in the past few years has provided lenity of magical listening. Daughter of legendary band leader Luis Russell and bassist-guitarist-singer Carline Ray, Catherine Russell delights with her revival of classic and less-known swing and blues tunes. Her latest album, Bring It Back on Jazz Village, continues in this vein with her superb singing backed by a little big band rooted in swing with some gypsy jazz accents. 

The new album brings her back with the creative team from her last album Simply Romancin’, that earned the Grand Prix du Hot Club de France. Among those supporting Ms. Russell are guitarist Matt Munisteri, pianist Mark Shane, bassist Lee Hudson, drummer Mark MacLean, tenor saxophonist and arranger Andy Farber, trumpeter Jon-Erik Kellso, saxophonist Dan Block, trombonist John Allred and baritone saxophonist Mark Lopeman. And what a terrific team on a wonderful collection of songs ranging from the title track, a Peppermint Harris composition recorded by Wyonnie Harris, Duke Ellington’s I Let a Song Out Of My Heart, Johnny Otis and Preston Love’s Aged and Mellow, that Esther Phillips waxed, Public Melody One, which Louis Armstrong recorded for Decca with a big band led by Russell's late dad. There is also a previously unrecorded song by her father, Lucille, that was written for Louis Armstrong’s wife.

And the music is simply top-rate with Russell’s horn-like phrasing, her warmth, joy and intonation superb throughout whether strutting on The Darktown Strutters’ Ball, reflective on Aged and Mellow (which is how she wants her men, just like she wants her whisky). She can be sassy on the title track, moody on After The Lights Go Down Low, and getting the jitterbuggers out on the floor singing Ida Cox’s You Got to Swing and Sway. She sings with the exuberance of Helen Humes and the nuance of Lavern Baker. Then there are booting sax solos, growling trumpets, marvelous piano from boogie to deep swing, guitarist Munisteri jazzy electric blues playing on the title track as well as his deft acoustic chording elsewhere. One also notes the wonderful arrangements with touches of Ellington and other classic big bands. 

The only reason I would be hesitant in describing this as her best recording because her other recordings have also been so marvelous, but Bring It Back is one of the finest vocal recordings I have heard in the past few months. Its an outstanding recording that retains its pleasures with repeated hearings. Catherine Russell not simply brings back, but reinvigorates, some familiar classics and lesser known gems from the blues and swing worlds. 

I received my copy from a publicist. Here is Public Melody One.

Catherine Russell Is Strictly Romancin'

Catherine Russell, the daughter of the legendary Luis Russell and Carline Ray, has yet another collection of musical treats with her latest album, Strictly Romancin’ (World Village). It carries on in the vein of her well received Sentimental Streak and Inside This Heart Of Mine, with a similar collection of mostly long forgotten blues, ballads, love songs and swing from the twenties to today.

On this date, she is joined by guitarist Matt Munisteri, pianist Mark Shane, bassist Lee Hudson and drummer Mark McLean with Dan Block’s alto saxophone and clarinet. The tenor saxophone of Andy Farber is present on four tracks while Joe Barbato adds accordion to two selections. Vocally she remains as commanding as in her past efforts as her vocals are delivered soulfully yet with a clarity that many vocalists today would benefit from listening to her mix of clean diction and musicality.

She and her collaborators have such a way of uncovering lesser know gems from such well known composers and songwriters as Edgar Sampson, Hoagy Carmichael, Duke Ellington and Billy Strayhorn, Mary Lou Williams and Ivory Joe Hunter as well as bring a fresh touch to some very well known songs while Munisteri in particular adds some very neat guitar playing channeling at different times, Eddie Lang and Django Reinhardt as well Charlie Christian.

Certainly the yearning vocal of the swinging Edgar Sampson-Ken Harrison Under the Spell of the Blues, helps set the tone and then followed by the gypsy swing rendition of I’m In The Mood For Love, with Barbato’s accordion being stunning. If Ev’ntide is not a familiar Hoagy Carmichael song, Russell’s warm rendition should change that. The Ellington-Strayhorn I’m Checkin’ Out, Goodbye, has a lively backing anchored in part of Shane’s stride-base piano and John Allred’s gruff trombone and some nice alto sax fills from Block along with Jon-Erik Kellso’s bright horn arrangement. Then there is the hep lively jive of Mary Lou William’s tribute to Louis Armstrong, Satchel Mouth Baby, with Munisteri providing vocal harmony.

It is a joy to listen to Catherine Russell deliver Lil Green’s classic ballad blues In the Dark, with Shane taking a solo. No More is a choice uptown blues as she sings about not needing nor caring for her lover with the horns caressing her vocal. There is some more Left Bank Gypsy jazz flavor on Everything’s Been Done Before, with Barbato’s accordion and Munisteri’s deft single note acoustic guitar contribute to this romantic performance. It is followed by the yearning and pleading vocal on Ivory Joe Hunter’s Don’t Leave Me, with Shane evoking the late blues and country balladeer’s piano style while Munisteri perhaps takes his finest solo. Then there is a lively rendition of the early jazz classic Everybody Loves My Baby, that swings hard with some fine muted trumpet from Kellso and clarinet from Block that is more in the vein of Benny Goodman than Buster Bailey (who played on the original by Eva Taylor which had Louis Armstrong on cornet).

Russell’s mother, Carline Ray, adds her vocal to He’s All I Need, a gospel classic from Sister Rosetta Tharpe and Marie Knight with Shane providing solid, idiomatic piano. This disc closes with the jaunty “Whatcha Gonna Do When There Ain’t No Swing?” As long as Catherine Russell is around we don’t have to worry about that question, because we won’t be blue because she will keep us swinging. Strictly Romancin’ is another varied and marvelous recording by Catherine Russell. Those who have her prior albums likely have been waiting for more from her and will not be disappointed. Others will discover just how wonderful a performer she is.

I received my review copy from a publicist for this release. Here is Catherine doing the title track of Inside This Heart Of Mine.