Catherine Russell Turns Seventy at Rose Theater

Catherine Russell marked her 70th birthday in early October with two nights at Jazz at Lincoln Center, and the party was as much a lesson in jazz history as a celebration.

According to the New York Amsterdam News, the shows on October 3 and 4 drew on songs associated with Sarah Vaughan, Irving Berlin, Billie Holiday and Ethel Waters. Cyndi Lauper joined her for duets, including a version of "Time After Time." Russell joked that she had never had so many guests on stage.

The repertoire is the point. Russell has long worked the early-to-mid-century songbook as living pop music rather than museum material. The review describes an audience that danced and sang along to "When the Lights Are Low."

The concerts were billed as part of a year of milestones. The Amsterdam News also mentions more fall dates to come.

When/where: Rose Theater, Jazz at Lincoln Center, New York, October 3–4, 2026.