Catherine Russell at 2013 NYC Winter Jazz Festival

2013-0111 NYC Winter JazzFest-1000080, a photo by NoVARon on Flickr.

Catherine Russell was one of the many performers at the Ninth WinterJazz Festival in New York City. Held over two nights at six venues a wide range of performers could be seen and heard at the various crowded venues. I was fortunate to have gotten at La Poisson Rouge early and caught sets by Amina Figuera and Catherine Russell.

Russell, daughter of Luis Russell and Carline Ray, is one of the finest interpreters of blues and pop songs form the thirties through the sixties with a marvelous band. She is a singer not simply a shouter, and her set included songs associated with Ella Fitzgerald (when she was a teenager with Chick Webb), Esther Phillips, Dinah Washington, ivy Anderson (with Due Ellington) and Wyonnie Harris. Her taste in her repertoire is matched by her performances.

Here's another shot of Catherine Russell from her set.