Jude Russell enjoyed playing piano at a very young age and lessons followed at the age of 10. As a teenager she began playing in pop/rock bands and went on to do a classical degree in piano at Melbourne Uni. After hearing Tony Gould play Chick Corea’s “500 miles high” she knew Jazz was her path and began heading in that direction, while still completing the degree. She was doing jazz gigs around Melbourne and Central Victoria and had another change of direction when she had the opportunity to play with avant-garde/free improv/sax player Kris Wanders at a Punctum event at Castlemaine, circa 2013. He then invited her to work in the bands he put together, which included other highly-accomplished jazz musicians also wanting to stretch the boundaries.
Jude Russell
