Sidney D Mitchell

BWW Review: Swinging Catherine Russell is Sultry and Sublime at Dizzy's Club Coca-Cola

Catherine Russell levels the playing field. With a connoisseur's passion for primarily 1930s-40s music, preternatural comprehension, and protean musical talent, this artist personifies the enduring relevance of vintage numbers with a freshness that makes the material feel immediate. Russell is never less than fully committed and infectiously entertaining. Thursday night at Dizzy's Club Coca-Cola (Jazz at Lincoln Center), with city lights twinkling as a backdrop, she and her blue-chip band (Music Director Matt Munisteri on guitar; Mark Shane on piano, Mark McLean on percussion, and Tal Ronan on bass) played Russell's show Sultry Summer Swing to two sold-out houses of faithful and burgeoning fans.