Legendary Chicago jazz bass guitarist Frank Russell has recorded or performed live with Ramsey Lewis, Freddie Hubbard, Robert Irving III, The Headhunters with Mike Clark, Bill Summers and Donald Harrison, Wallace Rooney, Michael Wolff, Peter Erskine, Alphonse Mouzon, Willie Pickens, Henry Johnson, Ken Chaney, Art Hoyle, Rahmlee Michael Davis, Ari Brown, Darryl Jones, and many others. Most recently, he was invited by the Herbie Hancock Institute of Jazz to perform as a part of the 2026 International Jazz Day program in Chicago. He has released three acclaimed albums under his name and is currently working on an album featuring the legendary South African a cappella group, Ladysmith Black Mambazo, who burst onto the scene when they collaborated with Paul Simon on the iconic 1986 Graceland album. 

Russell first performed in the play Nomathemba with Ladysmith at the legendary Steppenwolf Theatre in 1995; they traveled all over the country, including to a three-month stint at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. In 2019, he was called again to work with Ladysmith at the Steppenwolf on a play called Lindiwe. This time, he was appointed musical director and helped write some of the music for the play, which eventually won the 2020 Jeff Award for Original Music in a Play. 

Russell’s current project features three songs that were written by and sung with the legendary group. The title of the album, You Have Come Home: A Tribute to Ladysmith Black Mambazo, was inspired by a conversation Russell had with Dr. Joseph Shabalala, the ensemble’s late, great founder and leader. When Russell told him how blessed he felt to be performing with the group, Shabalala said, “Frank, you have come home.” Russell took Ladysmith vocals and wrote and recorded instrumentation around them. The album will also feature some of Chicago’s finest jazz musicians, including Grammy winners Robert Irving III, Paul Wertico, Howard Levy, and Bobby Broom.