Noted international jazz vocalist Catherine Russell provides the finale for Thomasville Entertainment Foundation’s 81st performance season with a Thursday evening concert March 28.

With a varied program incorporating salty blues, swooning ballads, pre-WW II standards and vintage rhythm and blues, the highly sought after singer takes the stage at 7:30 p.m. along with a noted combo of seasoned jazz performers at the Thomasville Center for the Arts.

The Grammy Award-winning Russell is a native New Yorker who was born into musical royalty. Her father, the late Luis Russell, was a legendary pianist/composer/bandleader and Louis Armstrong’s long-time musical director. Her mother, Carline Ray, was a pioneering vocalist/guitarist/bassist who performed with International Sweethearts of Rhythm, Mary Lou Williams, Sy Oliver, and countless others.

After graduating with honors from the American Academy of Dramatic Arts, she embarked upon musical adventures with Carrie Smith, Steely Dan, David Bowie, Cyndi Lauper, Paul Simon, Jackson Browne, Michael Feinstein, Levon Helm, and Rosanne Cash, among others, touring the world and appearing on over 200 albums.

With universal acclaim, Russell has performed on four continents. She has been a hit at major jazz festivals including Monterey, Newport, Montreal, Bern and Tanglewood, among many others, and at sold out venues from Washington’s Kennedy Center to Jazz at Lincoln Center and Carnegie Hall. Critics hail her as one of the greatest interpreters and performers of American popular song.

Since 2006, she has headlined seven albums, including her most recent, “Alone Together,” which was released earlier this month. In 2012, Russell won a Grammy Award as a featured artist on the soundtrack album for the HBO-TV series, Boardwalk Empire, and her sixth solo album, “Harlem on My Mind,” received a Grammy nomination for Best Jazz Vocal Album.Joining Russell for the Thomasville performance will be Mark Shane, piano; Tal Ronen, bass; and musical director Matt Munisteri on guitar.

Shane plays classic jazz piano and his spirited “striding and tickling” combines ragtime feeling, blues, infectious humor, virtuosic technique and a time honored repertoire drawn from the golden age of jazz and swing. He served as house pianist in New York’s Eddie Condon’s jazz club and has played with Benny Goodman and many all-star alumni from the bands of Louis Armstrong, Count Basie, Duke Ellington, Tommy Dorsey and Glenn Miller. Mark has toured and recorded with Russell since 2007, appearing on her last five albums.

Displaying a style described as warm, swinging and lyrical, Ronen is a highly sought-after side man and leads his own group featuring his original compositions. Ronen has played at many prominent New York venues, most notably Jazz at Lincoln Center, Village Vanguard and Iridium, and he is a frequent presence on the world stage, participating in various international festivals around the globe.

Munisteri’s varied experiences include lead guitarist on several chart-topping jazz CDs; critically lauded songwriter and nimble lyricist; urban banjo-warrior and a sometime session musician; a selfless and devoted sideman; a wry-yet-honest singer; an engaging and winning front-man; and an arranger whose ear-pulling re-inventions of well-traveled songs have contributed to Grammy winning CDs for many artists, including Catherine Russell.

Seats are still available for the upcoming concert online at www.TEFconcerts.com or by calling (229) 226-7404. Tickets are $38 for adults, $15 for students, and a limited number of free Tickets for Teens are available through a grant from the Thomasville Antiques Show Foundation.

Established in 1937, Thomasville Entertainment Foundation is a volunteer-powered, non-profit organization celebrating more than 80 years of entertaining the community. In addition to presenting concerts by acclaimed artists, TEF offers a dedicated family series of performances geared to families and younger children, provides educational outreach programs for students and awards performing arts scholarships and grants to promising young artists.