Biography
A contest to identify the tenor saxophonist with the greatest number of recording sessions and live performances would likely crown someone along the lines of Babe Russin, a figure about whom even seasoned jazz fans might reply with a puzzled “who?” Born Irving Russin in Pittsburgh during the first decade of the twentieth century, he launched his professional career at fifteen by joining the California Ramblers in 1926. After a European tour in 1928 he settled in New York, performing in ensembles directed by trumpeter Red Nichols—an association interrupted only briefly when he spent time with Ben Pollack’s group. During the 1930s he served as a staff musician for the CBC radio network, yet he soon sought opportunities for improvisation and accepted an invitation to join Benny Goodman’s orchestra. Three months later the engagement ended when Goodman loosened the bulb above Russin’s stand; a bass drum accent extinguished the light, leaving him unable to read his part and providing the leader with the pretext to dismiss him that same night. Russin next entered Tommy Dorsey’s band, then fronted his own ensemble in the early 1940s, basing the group in both Florida and New York. From 1942 to 1944 he performed with Jimmy Dorsey’s orchestra before serving in a military band throughout World War II. In the late 1940s he mended relations with Goodman and appeared in two Hollywood depictions of jazz life, The Glenn Miller Story and The Benny Goodman Story.
As years passed he gravitated toward the steady work of a Los Angeles studio musician, although periodic reunions of the Goodman orchestra continued to place him in the saxophone section with his music stand properly illuminated. Producers continued to seek his warm, full-toned jazz saxophone sound for countless sessions. Coleman Hawkins, renowned for generating an overwhelming column of air, formed his primary early influence; Russin retained that foundational approach while incorporating fresh harmonic and rhythmic ideas drawn from evolving styles. Some of his most compelling jazz work was captured alongside bandleader Bunny Berigan, yet his discography also encompasses dates with Frank Sinatra, Lionel Hampton, Dean Martin, Frankie Laine, Sarah Vaughan, and Dinah Washington. Two other musicians completed the Russin family circle: brother Jack Russin, who played piano with Red Nichols, and sister Sunny Russo, a professional pianist who shared her sibling’s fondness for nicknames.
As years passed he gravitated toward the steady work of a Los Angeles studio musician, although periodic reunions of the Goodman orchestra continued to place him in the saxophone section with his music stand properly illuminated. Producers continued to seek his warm, full-toned jazz saxophone sound for countless sessions. Coleman Hawkins, renowned for generating an overwhelming column of air, formed his primary early influence; Russin retained that foundational approach while incorporating fresh harmonic and rhythmic ideas drawn from evolving styles. Some of his most compelling jazz work was captured alongside bandleader Bunny Berigan, yet his discography also encompasses dates with Frank Sinatra, Lionel Hampton, Dean Martin, Frankie Laine, Sarah Vaughan, and Dinah Washington. Two other musicians completed the Russin family circle: brother Jack Russin, who played piano with Red Nichols, and sister Sunny Russo, a professional pianist who shared her sibling’s fondness for nicknames.