Ray Russell

Leon Russell was born in Lawton, Oklahoma in 1941. He studied classical piano as a boy and took up trumpet in his teens. Not too many years later, he was on the road as a sideman to Jerry Lee Lewis and Ronnie Hawkins and ended-up on the west coast.

Leon Russell was born in Lawton, Oklahoma in 1941. He studied classical piano as a boy and took up trumpet in his teens. Not too many years later, he was on the road as a sideman to Jerry Lee Lewis and Ronnie Hawkins and ended-up on the west coast.

Leon Russell was born in Lawton, Oklahoma in 1941. He studied classical piano as a boy and took up trumpet in his teens. Not too many years later, he was on the road as a sideman to Jerry Lee Lewis and Ronnie Hawkins and ended-up on the west coast.

Ray Brown finally got around to producing a Christmas CD and it was worth the wait. The great bassist has seven guest vocalists plus features for tenor saxophonist Ralph Moore and guitarist Russell Malone; his gifted trio includes pianist Geoff Keezer and drummer Gregory Hutchinson. Dee Dee Bridgewater at first sings "Away in a Manger" in a traditional vein with only Keezer's fluid piano accompanying her, but Brown's arrangement evolves into a swinging gospel setting…

It took a long time for Johnny Ray Jones and his friends to get Feet Back In The Door finished and bring it to market. The process actually started back in 1995 when Jones joined musicians Tony Braunagel, Marty Grebb, Joe Sublett, and Johnny Lee Schell got together, formed a group, and recorded four songs that somehow never got released. Thankfully the project didn’t just disappear and they were able to complete the album by recording around busy schedules during 2015 and 2016, and now the album is available, and let me tell you, it’s a damn fine album.

GRAMMY® nominated vocalist Catherine Russell, when asked to characterize her new album, Send For Me, replied, "I love romance that swings." Send For Me features a baker's dozen of newly recorded tunes on her eighth album as a leader, meeting a simple exacting standard. "Songs that inspire or touch me in some way. When I find a song I like, it haunts me until I learn it." Her mission is finding songs that you might not have heard but deserve attention. Russell's deep connection to her chosen material is part of a calling. As the daughter of pioneering and legendary musicians, pianist/orchestra leader/composer/arranger Luis Russell, and bassist/guitarist/vocalist Carline Ray, Catherine Russell was born into jazz royalty. In culling material for her new album from the likes of Billie Holiday, Nat King Cole, Luis Russell, Betty Carter, Kay Starr, Joe Liggins, Earl King, Jack Teagarden, Helen Humes, Frank Sinatra, Dakota Staton, Henry Red Allen, and Louis Armstrong, the vocalist swims in familiar waters. She sings a language that comes naturally, furthering a profound legacy. Send For Me is a follow up to Russell's 2019 release Alone Together, which received a GRAMMY® nomination for Best Jazz Vocal Album, and landed on the JazzWeek year-end radio chart as the #1 most played album. "I like to invite the people in," she says of her new album, which is also her philosophy of performing live. The album is an invitation, welcoming the audience to come along on a journey.

Dot Time Records is thrilled to announce the August 23, 2024 release of My Ideal, a breathtaking new album from acclaimed GRAMMY®-nominated vocalist Catherine Russell and prodigious pianist Sean Mason. This modern classic marks a significant milestone in both artists' careers, capturing a powerful and intimate musical dialogue. My Ideal is a very special project even in the very rarified strata where Catherine works; this is not only her first complete set of voice-and-piano duets, but her partner on this project is a remarkable piano prodigy whose technical skill is only rivaled by his soulfulness.