Catherine Russell Brings Jazz’s Hidden Gems to Life at Lincoln Center

Catherine Russell has always sounded like New York—restless, elegant, and steeped in history. Born into what can only be described as musical royalty, she carries a lineage that doesn’t just reference jazz tradition; it helped build it. Her father, the late Luis Russell, was a legendary pianist, composer, and bandleader, and served as Louis Armstrong’s long-time musical director. Her mother, the late Carline Ray, was a pioneering vocalist, guitarist, and bassist whose career connected her to the International Sweethearts of Rhythm, Mary Lou Williams, and Sy Oliver. For Catherine Russell, the music isn’t an influence at a distance—it’s family language.

That sense of inheritance becomes something vivid and immediate on Catherine Russell – Live at Jazz at Lincoln Center, her first live album, arriving April 24, 2026. Captured during a special weekend at the Appel Room, the recording places Russell in one of the city’s most iconic modern jazz spaces, with Central Park stretching out behind her like a living postcard. Yet what makes this release feel essential isn’t just the setting—it’s the intention. Invited to perform as part of Jazz at Lincoln Center’s 2023–2024 season theme, “Community and Consciousness,” Russell responded with a program that feels both deeply personal and culturally generous.

Rather than leaning on the predictable standards that often dominate live sets, Russell turns her spotlight toward a particular kind of community: The Hot Club of New York. It’s a devoted circle of enthusiasts who gather weekly to listen to vintage jazz and blues on 78rpm shellac records, chasing the warmth, grit, and immediacy of early recordings. Russell’s set honors that tradition by reaching into the crates and pulling forward lesser-known gems—songs originally recorded by Hot Lips Page, Tiny Grimes, Blanche Calloway, Cab Calloway, Helen Humes, Eddie Barefield, and, notably, her father Luis Russell, among others. It’s a curated love letter to the overlooked corners of the canon.

Across eleven selections that move through swing, blues, and early jazz styles, Russell doesn’t treat this repertoire like museum material. She claims it with the ease of someone who understands its roots and its possibilities. There’s a rare kind of authority in her delivery—warm, playful, and precise—where phrasing becomes storytelling and timing becomes its own kind of truth. Few contemporary vocalists keep this kind of material in active circulation, and Russell’s gift is that she doesn’t simply revive it; she makes it feel necessary again.

She’s joined by a seasoned ensemble that meets the moment with style and muscle: Matt Munisteri on guitar, Ben Paterson on piano, Russell Hall on bass, and Domo Branch on drums. The horn section—Jon-Erik Kellso on trumpet, John Allred on trombone, and Evan Arntzen on tenor sax and clarinet—brings a bright, period-rich energy to Mark Lopeman’s arrangements. Together, they evoke the spirit of Harlem nightlife, territory bands, vintage New Orleans jazz, the swing era, and rhythm-and-blues traditions, without ever slipping into imitation. The sound is reverent, but it’s also alive.

Adding another layer of kinetic joy, special guest tap dancer Michela Marino Lerman appears on four tracks, injecting rhythmic vitality that feels like a conversation with the band rather than an accessory to it. It’s the kind of detail that reminds you jazz has always been more than sound—it’s movement, community, and shared pulse.

Live at Jazz at Lincoln Center ultimately lands as more than a live album. It’s a statement about memory and presence, about how the past can be honored without being frozen. Catherine Russell steps into this music not as a visitor, but as someone returning home—then opening the door wide enough for the rest of us to walk in.