VIRB

This year's WOMAD Festival features World Village artists Son de la Frontera and Justin Adams with Juldeh Camara!

Embracing fusion and juxtaposition this year, the festival includes popular acts as well as traditional, with a star-studded line-up, consisting of Seun Kuti & Egypt 80, Orchestra Baobab, Dengue Fever, Martha Wainwright, Toumani Diabaté, and Eddy Grant & The Frontline Orchestra, among many others.

Both Son de la Frontera and Justin Adams perform on Sunday July 27th, at the Siam Tent and the BBC Radio 3 Stage, respectively. For the rest of the line-up, go here.

GOING SOLO

Lee Hildebrand
Friday, July 18, 2008

"During her more than two decades as one of the most in-demand backup singers in the pop music business, Catherine Russell has on occasion been afforded the opportunity to "step out," a term that refers to a harmony vocalist being given a brief solo, usually at the end of a tune. Donald Fagan asked her do it on his second CD. Cyndi Lauper and David Bowie not only allowed her to step out during tours but also had her play piano, guitar and mandolin with their bands.

"There's a misconception that backup singers are chomping at the bit to be out front, but really it's two different skills," Russell says by phone from Boston. "There are many of my peers who are very happy having backup singing as a career. It's not like we are in the background saying, 'God, just let me sing that tune and I'll show 'em.' "

Russell, the daughter of onetime Louis Armstrong orchestra leader Luis Russell and bassist-singer Carline Ray, had no intention of stepping out on her own as a solo artist until booking agent Paul Kahn, her husband of four years, talked her into it. She has released two CDs, "Cat" in 2006 and "Sentimental Streak" earlier this year, both on the World Village label, that skirt the jazz, blues and cabaret genres. Her repertoire draws heavily on old, little-known songs associated with such singers as Armstrong, Pearl Bailey, Ella Fitzgerald, Lena Horne, Alberta Hunter, Nellie Lutcher and Bessie Smith. Both discs include tunes written by her late father and utilize mandolin, guitar, violin, accordion and other acoustic instruments. The CD booklet for "Sentimental Streak" contains four color snapshots of Russell, at age 4, being held in Armstrong's arms.

"I found 50 zillion reasons not to do that, but Paul said, 'Let's do it,' " the Manhattan singer says of making her own CD. "I was turning 49 at the time, and I said, 'Well, it's really the only thing I haven't done. Let's try this.' "

The variety of things Russell has done during her 51 years is mind-boggling, and that's something of an understatement.

Born and raised in Brooklyn, she joined chorographer Katherine Dunham's company at age 7 and spent four seasons dancing in a Metropolitan Opera production of "Aida," starring Leontyne Price, before giving up dance at 11.

"Dance was a very cutthroat, competitive art form," Russell says. "I was much happier in choral singing and ensemble-type work."

As a child, Russell learned to accompany herself on her grandfather's mandolin while singing the ragtime tune "Hello, Ma Baby." She studied violin in elementary school and tuba in junior high.

"I tried everything - trumpet, saxophone, and I went on to drums in high school," Russell says.

She made her recording debut at 9, singing several solos and in the chorus on two children's albums issued by Holt, Rinehart & Winston.

"Hee Haw" and "Grand Ole Opry" were two of her favorite television shows, and she became fond of such singers as Buck Owens, George Jones, Johnny Cash and Porter Wagoner..." (full article)