Vocalist Kris Russell discovered her love of singing jazz as a teenager. Both her parents were working jazz musicians and she studied the great jazz singers such as Anita O'Day, Ella Fitzgerald, and Sheila Jordan, from an early age. It was they who introduced her to ballads, swing, the Great American Songbook, cool jazz, bebop, and traditional jazz. Russell was also heavily influenced by bossa nova and samba, spending many hours listening and learning the styles of Antonio Carlos Jobim, Astrud Gilberto, Sergio Mendes, and many others.
Russell's new single, a re-interpretation of Michael Franks' "Down in Brazil," was released on May 15. It was recorded at StudioPros in Los Angeles, California, and arranged by Russell herself alongside The Mystery Jazz Ensemble, who are six talented session musicians with a repertoire of major label credits.
Listen to Kris Russell's "Down in Brazil" below:
"Down in Brazil" follows Russell's previous release, a cover of Cole Porter's "I Concentrate on You." It differs from it because of its more contemporary vibe, which is the result of an emphasis on and inclusion of guitar and saxophone. As an official statement about "Down in Brazil" states, "with the release of this second new single, Kris decided to incorporate a newer sound and still include the traditional instrumentation and sound of traditional bossa nova that she loves. She effortlessly blends ... the style and the sophisticated sound of those early powerful influences of the great jazz singers she studied while growing up!"
For more information, go to
http://www.krisrusselljazz.com/ To purchase the "Down in Brazil" CD, go to
https://store.cdbaby.com/cd/krisrussell2 
