Jazz Vocalist Catherine Russell Comes to Bay Area Cabaret

Bay Area Cabaret welcomes celebrated vocalist Catherine Russell in her Venetian Room debut on Sunday, March 24 at 5 p.m. Ms. Russell will perform selections from her acclaimed show, Harlem on My Mind for which her recording won a 2016 Grammy Nomination for Best Jazz Vocal Album. For the first time before a San Francisco audience, Ms. Russell will also perform songs from her highly anticipated March '19 release Alone Together ("Errand Girl for Rhythm", "He May be your Dog, but he's Wearing my Collar", "Is You or is You Ain't my Baby").

Hailed by Andrew Gilbert of the San Francisco Chronicle as "a dogged song sleuth with a vast and varied book of salty blues, swooning ballads, pre-World War II pop tunes and vintage R&B," Ms. Russell holds international awards alongside her Bistro and Nightlife Awards as Outstanding Jazz Performer, and a Grammy for her appearance as a featured artist on the soundtrack for the HBO series Boardwalk Empire. Ms. Russell is also a featured vocalist with today's leading big bands and symphony orchestras. She has toured with Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis, and appeared with the Count Basie Orchestra, Andy Farber and his After Midnight Orchestra, Knoxville Jazz Orchestra, Jazz Philharmonic Orchestra of St. Petersburg, Russia; Miami's New World Symphony, and The Pasadena Pops Orchestra conducted by Michael Feinstein. In addition, Ms. Russell has joined forces with the great guitarist, vocalist and raconteur, John Pizzarelli, performing a salute to Billie Holiday and Frank Sinatra. Russell has a sound all her own, along with a unique ability to interpret and deliver a song.

Her seventh studio album, Alone Together, was just released and is a tribute to composers and lyricists of The Great American Songbook-Irving Berlin, Eddie de Lange and Jimmy Van Heusen-along with songwriters from the Swing and Rhythm & Blues eras-Nat "King" Cole, Louis Jordan, and Al Dubin and Harry Warren. Co-producers Katherine Miller, Paul Kahn and Catherine Russell-the team behind Ms. Russell's previous album, Harlem On My Mind (2016), a GRAMMY Award-nominee for Best Jazz Vocal Album-are reunited for their fifth album together on Alone Together. The winning streak started with Inside This Heart of Mine (2010), which reached #1 on JazzWeek and Roots Music Report radio charts, also charting on Billboard and reaching #1 on iTunes and Amazon jazz charts. Strictly Romancin' (2012) was awarded Prix du Jazz Vocal (Vocal Album of The Year) by the French Jazz Academy, Grand Prix du Hot Club de France, and a Bistro Award for Outstanding Recording. Her fifth solo album, Bring It Back (2014), received a 5-star review in DownBeat.

Ms. Russell's professional life began early. After graduating with honors from the American Academy of Dramatic Arts, she was fortunate to work with David Bowie, Steely Dan, Cyndi Lauper, Paul Simon, Jackson Browne, Michael Feinstein, Levon Helm, Wynton Marsalis, Rosanne Cash, and jazz-blues vocalist Carrie Smith, among others. Performing as a backup singer, multi-instrumentalist, and lead singer, before launching her solo recording career, she has appeared on over 200 albums. In 2012, Ms. Russell received a GRAMMY Award as a featured artist on the soundtrack of the HBO TV series Boardwalk Empire. She performed the award-winning song, "Crazy Blues," on PBS's Great Performances special, GRAMMY Salute to Music Legends 2017. Tickets to Catherine Russell in "Harlem on My Mind" are $65 with no food or drink minimum required. Information and tickets are available at www.bayareacabaret.org or by phone at City Box Office (415) 392-4400.

Bay Area Cabaret, now in its 15th season of presenting world-renowned Broadway, pop and jazz vocalists, marks its eighth consecutive season in San Francisco's legendary showroom, the Venetian Room, at the historic Fairmont San Francisco. The 2018-2019 season concludes on May 19 with Tony Award-winner LaChanze. For Bay Area Cabaret's 2018-2019 season information and video clips of performers visit www.bayareacabaret.org.

Catherine Russell
"Harlem on My Mind"

Sunday, March 24 at 5 p.m.
Venetian Room of the Fairmont San Francisco, 950 Mason Street, Atop Nob Hill

The Venetian Room in the Fairmont San Francisco opened in 1947 with a performance by Ethel Waters About Bay Area Cabaret (BAC)

All Bay Area Cabaret shows this season are presented on Sundays in the Venetian Room at the "Grand Dame" Fairmont Hotel atop Nob Hill (950 Mason Street in San Francisco). From 1947 to 1989, the Venetian Room reigned supreme as the city's premier showroom. Tony Bennett introduced his signature song, "I Left My Heart in San Francisco" at the storied venue, where such show business legends as Ella Fitzgerald, Marlene Dietrich, Tina Turner, Peggy Lee, Nat 'King' Cole, and many others performed for over four decades. Having presented seasons in a variety of elegant showrooms, Bay Area Cabaret found a permanent home in 2010 when it was invited to reopen the Fairmont San Francisco's Venetian Room, which had been dark as an entertainment venue for over 21 years,

Following a gala opening (featuring Oscar, Grammy, Tony, and Pulitzer Prize-winning composer Marvin Hamlisch), the organization has gone on to present such musical legends as Barbara Cook, Chita Rivera, Judy Collins, Stacey Kent, Leslie Odom, Jr., John Pizzarelli (3/3) and the Bay Area Teen Idol competition, slated this year for April 28, 2019. Having been awarded exclusive music booking rights to the Venetian Room, Bay Area Cabaret continues to provide top caliber lineups, now in its ninth year in residence, to present Bay Area Cabaret's 15th season of music. Information about all Bay Area Cabaret shows and tickets are available at www.bayareacabaret.org or by phone at City Box Office (415) 392-4400. For BAC 2018-2019 season information and video clips of performers visit www.bayareacabaret.org.

Subscriptions, and discounts for groups of eight or more, are available directly from Bay Area Cabaret at (415) 927-4636. Subscribers enjoy substantial discounts and reserved seating, and those who purchase seven or eight shows are allowed to exchange tickets among shows.

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