Bring It Back (Jazz Village)
Catherine Russell
Released February 2, 2014
DownBeat Five-Star Review
YouTube:
https://music.youtube.com/watch?v=XII8jYu2oEM&list=OLAK5uy_l3wzzsts7oxvMHOqyPxfL_nRSuEntgN0g
Spotify:
https://open.spotify.com/album/4Hx5axN7HxCKRxSKYrAeaQ?si=VmmosNI0TI6B-oE_TgQm4w
About:
With Bring It Back, vocalist Catherine Russell digs deeper into a rich vein of musical treasures. Mining legendary collaborations between her father, Luis Russell and the great Louis Armstrong, Russell brings along her team from two previous chart-topping albums, the latest of which won the Prix du Jazz Vocal from L’academie du Jazz and Grand Prix du Hot Club de France. Gems from the jazz age and swing era, performed with new arrangements for ten-piece orchestra, blend seamlessly with reinventions sourced from Blues icons Esther Phillips, Al Hibbler, Wynonie Harris and Little Willie John. Russell personifies the living heart and proud history of each song.
Track Listing:
1. Bring It Back (Harrison Nelson) 3:54
2. I’m Shooting High (Ted Koehler / Jimmy McHugh) 2:31
3. I Let a Song Go Out of My Heart (Duke Ellington / Irving Mills / Henry Nemo / John Redmond) 4:08
4. You Got to Swing and Sway (Ida Cox) 3:09
5. Aged and Mellow (Preston Love / Johnny Otis) 4:40
6. The Darktown Strutter’s Ball (Shelton Brooks) 2:39
7. Lucille (Luis Russell) 3:55
8. You’ve Got Me Under your Thumb (Mildred Brooks / Jack Hudgens / Will Livermash) 2:39
9. After the Lights Go Down Low (Leroy Lovett / Alan White) 5:23
10. I’m Sticking with You Baby (Henry Glover / Rudy Toombs) 3:07
11. Strange as It Seems (Andy Razaf / Fats Waller) 3:30
12. Public Melody Number One (Harold Arlen / Ted Koehler) 3:13
13. I Cover the Waterfront (Johnny Green / Edward Heyman) 5:01
Personnel:
Catherine Russell: vocals, percussion (6, 10)
Matt Munisteri: guitar
Mark Shane: piano
Lee Hudson: bass (1-5, 7-13)
Nicki Parrott: bass (6)
Mark McLean: drums, percussion (6)
Andy Farber: tenor saxophone
Jon-Erik Kellso: trumpet
Brian Pareschi: trumpet (2-13)
Dan Block: alto saxophone, tenor saxophone (5), clarinet (4)
John Allred: trombone
Mark Lopeman: baritone saxophone
Glen Patscha: Hammond B-3 (6, 9, 10)
Recorded June 3 – 5, 2013, at MSR Studios, New York, NY; Trading 8s Recording Studios, Paramus, NJ
Produced by Paul Kahn and Katherine Miller
Recorded and Mixed by Katherine Miller
Assistant Engineer: Dan Fyfe
Mastering: Alan Silverman
Photography: Nancy Carbonaro
Executive Producer: René Goiffon
Review:
After decades as one of the strongest and most versatile backup singers in pop and rock (Steely Dan, Jackson Browne and Paul Simon), Catherine Russell has established herself as a premier interpreter of classic 20th-century jazz, blues and r&b. By not trying to be “modern,” she has, paradoxically, created something new, retooling vintage tracks with vital, soulful vocals and striking new arrangements that burnish the blues and swing feeling that is the bedrock of jazz. She was the logical choice when HBO’s Boardwalk Empire wanted someone to evoke the classic blues singer Mamie Smith for an episode that included the 1920 million-selling hit “Crazy Blues.” (The soundtrack won a Grammy.) Russell’s versions of classic tunes are sometimes even better than the originals. On Bring It Back, she reinvigorates songs from three eras—the Jazz Age, the Swing Era and the r&b era—with equal fervor, accompanied by a sparkling tentet that transforms the tunes from museum pieces into modern-sounding vehicles for jazz expression. The album is dedicated to her famous parents: pianist-bandleader Luis Russell, who served as musical director to Louis Armstrong, and singer-bassist Carline Ray, an original member of the pioneering International Sweethearts of Rhythm. It’s unlikely that there will be a sexier jazz vocal performance this year than Russell’s rendition of “Aged And Mellow,” the 1952 Johnny Otis gem, unless it’s her smoldering delivery of “After The Lights Go Down Low.” On Bring It Back, Catherine Russell turns in her most fully realized vocal performances to date—by turns sassy, sexy, humorous, reflective and joyous.
Allen Morrison (DownBeat)
