Vocalist extraordinaire Catherine Russell will take an historic walk on the “Sunny Side of the Street” for her long-awaited return to Jazz at Lincoln Center’s The Appel Room, located at Broadway at 60th Street, New York, New York, on April 15-16, 2016 at 7pm & 9:30pm. Russell, with vocalists Carolyn Leonhart (Steely Dan, Wax Poetic) and La Tanya Hall (Bobby McFerrin, Michael Feinstein), will pay tribute to Sy Oliver and perform the legendary composer and arranger’s own re-arrangements of his most famous tunes, originally written for male vocal trios. This will be only the second time Russell has performed these original arrangements in concert; the first time was with her original trio nearly 30 years ago. Prior to that, the arrangements, in Oliver’s original handwriting, have remained in Catherine’s collection.
On this special evening, Jazz at Lincoln Center audiences will experience this rare personal treasure of re-crafted classics – including “Ain’t She Sweet,”
“Cheatin’ On Me,” and “Opus One” – continuing a musical legacy intimately connected to both the arranger and Russell’s own personal heritage. Oliver lovingly reworked the arrangements for a female vocal trio that included Russell, her late mother, Carline Ray, and his late wife, Lillian Clark.
For this special appearance in The Appel Room, Russell will be joined by her band featuring Jon-Erik Kellso (trumpet), John Allred (trombone), Evan Arntzen (reeds)Mark Shane (piano), Tal Ronen (bass), Mark McLean (drums), Matt Munisteri (guitar).
Grammy-Award winning Russell, who has toured the world, performing and recording with David Bowie, Steely Dan, Cyndi Lauper, Paul Simon, Michael Feinstein, Rosanne Cash and more, has released five albums. Born into musical royalty, her father was Luis Russell, Louis Armstrong’s long-time collaborator and musical director, and her mother, Carline Ray, was a pioneering bassist, guitarist and vocalist. Joining members of David Bowie’s last touring band, Catherine recently performed a tribute to David Bowie at the 2016 Brit Awards.
Oliver was hired by the Tommy Dorsey Orchestra in 1939 as arranger and vocalist, becoming one of the first African-American musicians to assume a prominent role in a white orchestra. With Tommy Dorsey, Oliver continued to refine vocal harmony arranging, contributing big hits “On The Sunny Side of The Street,” and with his own composition “Opus One.” Oliver was also an admired arranger for Louis Armstrong, Frank Sinatra with The Pied Pipers, Ella Fitzgerald, Peggy Lee, Bing Crosby, The Mills Brothers, and countless others.
Big band vocalist, Lillian Clark, was a part of the vocal harmony group, The Clark Sisters, which in 1944 were known as The Sentimentalists, who were coached by Oliver, delivering the vocal on the Tommy Dorsey hit record, “On The Sunny Side of The Street.” Years later, Lillian befriended Carline Ray (Catherine Russell’s mother), as both were singers in the vibrant New York City session scene. Clark and Oliver married, and as a gift to his wife, Oliver rearranged many of his famous vocal harmony numbers, for a female trio. Carline recommended her daughter to sing the third part, and a new vocal trio was born.
Tickets for Catherine Russell: Sunny Side of the Street can be purchased through jazz.org 24 hours a day or via CenterCharge at 212-721-6500, open daily from 10am to 9pm. Tickets can also be purchased at the Jazz at Lincoln Center Box Office, located on Broadway at 60th Street, ground floor. Box Office hours: Monday-Saturday from 10am to 6pm (or 30 minutes past curtain) and Sunday from noon to 6pm (or 30 minutes past curtain).
Select concerts will also stream live in high-definition audio and video for free to a global audience via jazz.org/live. Click here for the complete season schedule
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