On some level, it was probably pre-ordained from a very early age that New York City's Catherine Russell (www.catherinerussell.net AND www.myspace.com/catrussell) would indeed enter the realm of singing sooner or later, since her father (Luis Russell) was Louis Armstrong's musical director back in the 1930s and '40s, and her mother (Carline Ray) is a highly-acclaimed vocalist and bassist, both, with a myriad of impressive advanced degrees from Juilliard and the Manhattan School of Music.

But Wood River Valley resident and visitors alike can decide for themselves if indeed "the apple didn't fall far from the tree" when Russell performs a wonderful cross-section of beloved Americana tunes -- everything from Billie Holiday, Bessie Smith and Peggy Lee to Judy Garland, Fats Waller and Duke Ellington -- when she takes center stage (together with pianist Mark Shane) at the nexStage Theatre this coming Saturday, Feb. 20, at 7:30pm.

Russell, who has performed with a number of similarly highly-acclaimed and well-established musicians over the years (Paul Simon, David Bowie, Cyndi Lauper, Steely Dan, Jackson Browne, Rosanne Cash, etc) has never been to Idaho before, but seems to be genuinely relishing the chance to when I spoke to her recently, from her apartment in Manhattan -- a city that has been mercilessly and unceasingly cold and snowy lately.

"I CAN'T WAIT for a change of scenery" Russell told me the other day. "It's been really dreary and miserable here in New York lately!"

Russell, who started out in her teens and  20s a actress and dancer before later embracing singing, instead, said that neither of her parents were noticeably pushy about her getting into ANY form of show business -- let alone one that mirrored one either her mother or her father had been involved with. "I lost my dad when I was pretty young, and my mom pretty much left me to my own devices growing up. I started out as a dancer, and in choirs. The psychology of music is different from dance, and I en ded up going to acting school for awhile."

But music did eventually find its way into Russell's heart -- even if what she listened to growing up on A.M. radio (Jefferson Airplane, Jimi Hendrix, The Rolling Stones, Robert Johnson, Muddy Waters, etc) didn't always reflect exactly the sort of music she'd be performing in front of extremely grateful and supportive audiences later on in life -- audiences that have included ones at the Chicago Blues Festival, the Montreal Jazz Festival, the Montreaux Music Festival, the Kennedy Center, and the Skirball Cultural Center (in Los Angeles).

Russell has performed in a number of overseas destinations as well -- including the Netherlands, Switzerland, France, and Germany. "The Europeans, traditionally, are always VERY, VERY supportive of Amerian roots music, and I think they're very keenly aware in France and Germany, especially, that a lot of the headliner (blues) artists of the past are passed and gone now, and that they really need to be supporting the 'new kids on the block,' as it were, like me who likewise are deeply rooted in American blues, soul, R&B, and other types of music that are classically American in nature."

She also does a fair amount of teaching in New York and elsewhere as well -- another unabashed passion of hers which Russell likewise hopes to continue for many years to come. "My students are GREAT!!! But I want them to be there because they really luvvvvv the MUSIC and want to learn about the origins of American music; not about ME!!"

Inspired by, excited and driven as much by great American stories as by great American melodies, Russell said that her nexStage Theatre performance Saturday evening will encompass a broad spectrum of music -- everything from unapologetically romantic love ballads and American songbook classics to great jazz and blues standards.

And while acknowledging that MySpace and Facebook, particularly, have definitely made it much easier for cash-poor aspiring musicians to get their music out there ("It's still very hard, in most cases, to get on the radio -- unless you're a big name -- and those sites allow people to learn quickly about someone's music"), Russell said that blues music, especially, has a rather uncertain future, at least in the United States.

"Hey, I'm very, very glad that Eric Clapton has devoted his life to the blues and kept it alive in some form. But there are definitely less (blues and jazz) clubs around now than, say, the '80s," Russell said, before adding that, "But by the same token, there are NEW (blues and jazz) clubs opening in the country.... I think, as a musician, you just have to be more inventive and open about where you perform these days."

Tickets for Catherine Russell's Saturday, Feb.20 one night-only concert at the nexStage Theatre range from $38 (for individual tickets) to $150 (for a table of four, which includes two bottles of either champagne or wine). Various snacks and other libations will be for sale at the nexstage as well. Contact www.sunvalleycenter.org ,stop by the SVCA (corner of 5th Street and Washington Avenue, in Ketchum) or call 726-9491 for tickets or more information about Saturday's event.   
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Questions or comments regarding this SVO local music scene-oriented "Harmonic Convergence" column can be sent to John at WriteStuffIdaho@gmail.com .And to read any of John's previous "HC' columns --which include raves on local faves Bruce Innes, Leana Leach, Sheryll Mae Grace, Cow Says Mooo and FourStroke Bus -- simply type "John Pluntze" into the SVO search engine here.