Luis Russell
Encyclopedia
Luis Russell was a jazz
pianist
and bandleader.
Luis Carl Russell was born on Careening Cay, near Bocas del Toro, Panama
, in a family of Afro
-Caribbean
ancestry. His father was a music teacher, and young Luis learned to play violin
, guitar
, trombone
, and piano
. He began playing professionally accompanying silent film
by 1917 and later at a casino in Colón, Panama
. In 1919 he won $3000 (USD) in a lottery
, and used it to move to the United States
with his mother and sister, settling in New Orleans, Louisiana
. He began performing with New Orleans bands, and took lessons on New Orleans style jazz piano from Steve Lewis
. He played with Albert Nicholas
's band, then moved to Chicago, Illinois in 1924.
In Chicago he played with Doc Cook
and King Oliver, in addition to occasional jobs under his own name and pick up bands in recording studio
s. With Oliver's band Russell moved to New York City
in May of 1927. In October of that year he left Oliver to start his own band.
Russell's band became one of the top jazz groups in New York. It was borrowed for gigs and recording dates by such jazz notables as Red Allen
, Jelly Roll Morton
, and Louis Armstrong
; Armstrong wound up taking over the band as front man in 1929 although Russell remained the music director.
The band returned to Russell's name while Armstrong played in California
and Europe
in the early 1930s; Russell and Armstrong were reunited in 1935. They again split paths in 1943 when Russell formed a new band under his own name, which played at the Savoy and Apollo in Manhattan
as well as in Atlantic City, New Jersey
.
Between 1926 and 1934, Russell recorded only 38 sides (mostly using his own name), plus those issued under Henry "Red" Allen
(1929) and a handful where Louis Armstrong
fronted his band. Of these, his 1929-1930 OKeh sides are considered jazz milestones.
After the OKeh contract ended in September 1930, Russell recorded a handful of largely unremarkable sessions for Melotone
, Brunswick
and Victor. An exception was the super hot "Saratoga Drag" b/w "Ease On Down" (mislabelled as "Case On Dawn" for Vocalion
.
After no recordings under his name between late 1931 and late 1934, Russell recorded a session for ARC
(Melotone, Perfect, Oriole, Banner, Romeo) in 1934 which yielded 6 very precise modern recordings (three featured Sonny Woods' novelty vocals, one featured the great, although obscure vocal group The Palmer Brothers. The two instrumental sides, "Primitive" and "Hokus Pokus" are amazing examples of hot jazz precision. (Sonny Woods' vocal of "Old Man River" was something of a hit.)
In 1935 Louis Armstrong took it over the orchestra altogether and for the next eight years they functioned as back-up band for Armstrong with Russell acting as the musical director. Russell led a new band from 1943-48 that played at the Savoy and Apollo and made a few recordings.
In 1948 Russell retired from full time music and opened a notions shop, with irregular band gigs and teaching music on the side. In 1959 he visited Panama where he gave a piano recital of classical music. Luis Russell died in New York City, aged 61.
His daughter, Catherine Russell
, is a jazzsinger.
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
pianist
Pianist
A pianist is a musician who plays the piano. A professional pianist can perform solo pieces, play with an ensemble or orchestra, or accompany one or more singers, solo instrumentalists, or other performers.-Choice of genres:...
and bandleader.
Luis Carl Russell was born on Careening Cay, near Bocas del Toro, Panama
Panama
Panama , officially the Republic of Panama , is the southernmost country of Central America. Situated on the isthmus connecting North and South America, it is bordered by Costa Rica to the northwest, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean Sea to the north and the Pacific Ocean to the south. The...
, in a family of Afro
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
-Caribbean
Caribbean
The Caribbean is a crescent-shaped group of islands more than 2,000 miles long separating the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea, to the west and south, from the Atlantic Ocean, to the east and north...
ancestry. His father was a music teacher, and young Luis learned to play violin
Violin
The violin is a string instrument, usually with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is the smallest, highest-pitched member of the violin family of string instruments, which includes the viola and cello....
, guitar
Guitar
The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
, trombone
Trombone
The trombone is a musical instrument in the brass family. Like all brass instruments, sound is produced when the player’s vibrating lips cause the air column inside the instrument to vibrate...
, and piano
Piano
The piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
. He began playing professionally accompanying silent film
Silent film
A silent film is a film with no synchronized recorded sound, especially with no spoken dialogue. In silent films for entertainment the dialogue is transmitted through muted gestures, pantomime and title cards...
by 1917 and later at a casino in Colón, Panama
Colón, Panama
Colón is a sea port on the Caribbean Sea coast of Panama. The city lies near the Atlantic entrance to the Panama Canal. It is capital of Panama's Colón Province and has traditionally been known as Panama's second city....
. In 1919 he won $3000 (USD) in a lottery
Lottery
A lottery is a form of gambling which involves the drawing of lots for a prize.Lottery is outlawed by some governments, while others endorse it to the extent of organizing a national or state lottery. It is common to find some degree of regulation of lottery by governments...
, and used it to move to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
with his mother and sister, settling in New Orleans, Louisiana
New Orleans, Louisiana
New Orleans is a major United States port and the largest city and metropolitan area in the state of Louisiana. The New Orleans metropolitan area has a population of 1,235,650 as of 2009, the 46th largest in the USA. The New Orleans – Metairie – Bogalusa combined statistical area has a population...
. He began performing with New Orleans bands, and took lessons on New Orleans style jazz piano from Steve Lewis
Steve Lewis (musician)
Steve Lewis was a jazz pianist and composer.Lewis was born in New Orleans. He was influenced by the piano stylings of Tony Jackson and Jelly Roll Morton, and became the premier pianist in Storyville after those two older musicians left town. When the District was closed down in 1917 he went on...
. He played with Albert Nicholas
Albert Nicholas
Albert Nicholas was an American jazz reed player.Nicholas's primary instrument was the clarinet, which he studied with Lorenzo Tio in his hometown of New Orleans. Late in the 1910s he played with Buddy Petit, King Oliver, and Manuel Perez...
's band, then moved to Chicago, Illinois in 1924.
In Chicago he played with Doc Cook
Doc Cook
Charles L. Cooke was an American jazz bandleader and arranger, who performed and recorded under the stage name Doc Cook...
and King Oliver, in addition to occasional jobs under his own name and pick up bands in recording studio
Recording studio
A recording studio is a facility for sound recording and mixing. Ideally both the recording and monitoring spaces are specially designed by an acoustician to achieve optimum acoustic properties...
s. With Oliver's band Russell moved to New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
in May of 1927. In October of that year he left Oliver to start his own band.
Russell's band became one of the top jazz groups in New York. It was borrowed for gigs and recording dates by such jazz notables as Red Allen
Red Allen
Henry James "Red" Allen was a jazz trumpeter and vocalist whose style has been claimed to be the first to fully incorporate the innovations of Louis Armstrong.-Life and career:...
, Jelly Roll Morton
Jelly Roll Morton
Ferdinand Joseph LaMothe , known professionally as Jelly Roll Morton, was an American ragtime and early jazz pianist, bandleader and composer....
, and Louis Armstrong
Louis Armstrong
Louis Armstrong , nicknamed Satchmo or Pops, was an American jazz trumpeter and singer from New Orleans, Louisiana....
; Armstrong wound up taking over the band as front man in 1929 although Russell remained the music director.
The band returned to Russell's name while Armstrong played in California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
and Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
in the early 1930s; Russell and Armstrong were reunited in 1935. They again split paths in 1943 when Russell formed a new band under his own name, which played at the Savoy and Apollo in Manhattan
Manhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
as well as in Atlantic City, New Jersey
Atlantic City, New Jersey
Atlantic City is a city in Atlantic County, New Jersey, United States, and a nationally renowned resort city for gambling, shopping and fine dining. The city also served as the inspiration for the American version of the board game Monopoly. Atlantic City is located on Absecon Island on the coast...
.
Between 1926 and 1934, Russell recorded only 38 sides (mostly using his own name), plus those issued under Henry "Red" Allen
Red Allen
Henry James "Red" Allen was a jazz trumpeter and vocalist whose style has been claimed to be the first to fully incorporate the innovations of Louis Armstrong.-Life and career:...
(1929) and a handful where Louis Armstrong
Louis Armstrong
Louis Armstrong , nicknamed Satchmo or Pops, was an American jazz trumpeter and singer from New Orleans, Louisiana....
fronted his band. Of these, his 1929-1930 OKeh sides are considered jazz milestones.
After the OKeh contract ended in September 1930, Russell recorded a handful of largely unremarkable sessions for Melotone
Melotone Records
Melotone Records has been the name of two unrelated record companies.* Melotone Records , Australia* Melotone Records , United States of America...
, Brunswick
Brunswick Records
Brunswick Records is a United States based record label. The label is currently distributed by E1 Entertainment.-From 1916:Records under the "Brunswick" label were first produced by the Brunswick-Balke-Collender Company...
and Victor. An exception was the super hot "Saratoga Drag" b/w "Ease On Down" (mislabelled as "Case On Dawn" for Vocalion
Vocalion Records
Vocalion Records is a record label active for many years in the United States and in the United Kingdom.-History:Vocalion was founded in 1916 by the Aeolian Piano Company of New York City, which introduced a retail line of phonographs at the same time. The name was derived from one of their...
.
After no recordings under his name between late 1931 and late 1934, Russell recorded a session for ARC
American Record Company
The American Record Company was a United States record label, in business from about 1904 to 1908. Then re-activated in 1979.The American Record Company was founded by Ellsworth A. Hawthorne and Horace Sheble and Frederick M. Prescott. It was based in Springfield, Massachusetts...
(Melotone, Perfect, Oriole, Banner, Romeo) in 1934 which yielded 6 very precise modern recordings (three featured Sonny Woods' novelty vocals, one featured the great, although obscure vocal group The Palmer Brothers. The two instrumental sides, "Primitive" and "Hokus Pokus" are amazing examples of hot jazz precision. (Sonny Woods' vocal of "Old Man River" was something of a hit.)
In 1935 Louis Armstrong took it over the orchestra altogether and for the next eight years they functioned as back-up band for Armstrong with Russell acting as the musical director. Russell led a new band from 1943-48 that played at the Savoy and Apollo and made a few recordings.
In 1948 Russell retired from full time music and opened a notions shop, with irregular band gigs and teaching music on the side. In 1959 he visited Panama where he gave a piano recital of classical music. Luis Russell died in New York City, aged 61.
His daughter, Catherine Russell
Catherine Russell (singer)
Catherine Russell is a contemporary jazz and blues vocalist.Her father, the late Luis Russell, was Louis Armstrong's long-time musical director, and her mother, Carline Ray, holds degrees from both Juilliard and Manhattan School of Music.- Discography :...
, is a jazzsinger.