HIGHLIGHT REEL FROM MY ALBUM RELEASE EVENT

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It’s taken me a couple of weeks to recover from my first album release in 8 years! But I did want to share a highlights reel from the evening, and my gratitude to everyone involved for an amazing release event in New York.

-First, thanks to the American Songbook Association and their team – Carolyn Montgomery, Frank Dain and Craig Pomeranz for getting behind this event to celebrate not just a new album, but the everlasting joy of The Great American Songbook, both classic and modern.

-Thanks to Betsyann Faiella at SavoyPR for helping us to arrange the venue and getting the word out about the show.

-Thanks to all the team at The Triad Theatre, including Gene Castle, Michael Doane, Jon Furshpan, and all the of the staff that took care of our guests.

-Super special thanks to JP Perreaux for his technical direction PLUS his original recording expertise back in 2008 that made the album possible.

-Big thanks to our smokin’ hot band: Eric Halvorson on drums, Justin Rothberg on guitar, Tom Hubbard on bass (and on the album!) and Kelly Park, musical director/arranger/pianist, my co-composer and friend for nearly 20 years.

-Next, I’d like to thank the guest artists who covered the songs that I can no longer sing: Jennifer Roberts, Lennie Watts, Mary Foster Conklin, Spencer Day and Billy Stritch. It’s a difficult task to come in, learn new songs, sing with a new band, sing the songs in front of their composers, AND do it all as volunteers. You guys are incredible – thank you so much!

-Finally, thank you to the composers and lyricists who are still adding chapters to the Songbook that we all love & celebrate: Andrew Lippa, Harry Connick, Jr., Ramsey McLean, Peter Cincotti, Cynthia Cincotti, John Pizzarelli, Jessica Molaskey, Michael Feinstein, Lionel Richie, Maury Yeston, Ronny Whyte, Francesca Blumenthal, Tony DeSare, Mike Lee, Cynthia Thompson, Ray Jessel, and especially Bob Levy who was in the audience when we recorded the album back in 2008, and was at the release event 15 years later. My heart is full of gratitude for you all.

IT’S FINALLY HERE! “STANDARD TIME: LIVE IN NEW YORK” IS AVAILABLE NOW

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It’s finally here! 15 years in the making, “Standard Time: Live In New York” is now LIVE not just in New York, but all around the globe, wherever you listen to music! (It would also make a lovely Christmas gift!)

Listen now on your favorite music platform

Who says The Great American Songbook stopped being written in 1959? Many have deemed that The Great American Songbook is going extinct. But in 2008, I saw it differently. I put together a show of “new standards,” demonstrating that songs with soul and depth were still being crafted. My show, “Standard Time,” was a tribute to love and relationships, shedding light on the fresh pages being added to The Great American Songbook of the New Millennium.

While initially recorded with the intention of a 2009 release, this album of songs from performances at the beloved (and sorely missed) Metropolitan Room nightclub in New York had been shelved. But now, 15 years later, these rediscovered gems validate my belief: many have indeed evolved into the new generation’s standards.

Every track on this album draws inspiration from composers who themselves have been torchbearers of the classic standards artists like Michael Feinstein, Harry Connick, Jr., John Pizzarelli, Tony DeSare and more. Their modern compositions, echoing with undertones of jazz classics, stand as testament to the living, breathing, evolving nature of the Songbook.

Listen now on your favorite music platform

As always, thank you for your support!
Russ