Bands

Cocobilli

The power and imaginative exploration of the group will leave you slack-jawed in unanticipated amazement. Good-naturedly fielding requests and rendering each one uniquely as an original incarnate, this band is a delight to observe. Teresa is joined by Bill Breland (bassist from Mississippi) and Coco Roussel (drummer from France) to challenge blues/rock riffs with an aggressive, international, all-genre musical consciousness that makes each offering a cruise into unexpected pleasure. This band performs original material as well as recognizable, accessible material with an improvisational attitude- and what an attitude! The woven interplay produced by these musicians is a true musical treasure.

Featured Musicians

Stephen Geyer – Guitarist

L.A.’s session guitarist and songwriter best known for his work in television including “Drive” and “Back To Back” for Hardcastle & McCormick, “My Opinionation” for Blossom, and “Believe It Or Not” for The Greatest American Hero,

Geyer has the distinction of being the original songwriter (music & lyrics) for all 30 of the original episodic songs recorded for The Greatest American Hero. He also has written other material for a variety of Stephen J. Cannell productions, including The A-Team, Riptide and Stingray. Geyer and Post penned songs for a number of TV movies, including “Harvest” from the 1974’s Locusts, starring Ron Howard, as well as several songs for the Tommy Lee Jones independent film The River Rat.

Other noted Geyer songs include, “Hot Rod Hearts”, co-written with Bill LaBounty (#15 Billboard Hot 100 hit by Robbie Dupree), “Bloodline” (title song of Glen Campbell’s #1 country album), “Love Brought Us Here Tonight” (gold album by Smokey Robinson), “You Turn The Light On” (#1 platinum album by Kenny Rogers), and “Dreams” (gold album by John Denver).

Aviva Maloney – Saxophone

Aviva Maloney is a reed player, keyboardist, vocalist, recording artist and multi-instrumentalist. She is best known for her long-time association with The Monkees. Starting in the 1980s, she played saxophone, keyboards, and harmony vocals on their international and national reunion tours. She also was a primary musician on Davy Jones’s solo shows from the 1990s until he passed in 2012. Additionally, she has performed with Peter Tork (solo), Big Brother & The Holding Company, Marty Balin, and various spin-off projects associated with Jefferson Airplane/Starship. Her solo album, REED MY MIND, was a smooth jazz project, released to critical acclaim in 1999. She was backed by members of The Monkees’s road band and heavyweight musicians from the San Francisco Bay Area.

Coco Roussel – Drums/Percussion

Coco came to the USA in 1980 from Paris, France. Establishing residence in Washington, D.C., he performed with such acts as Clearlight Symphony, Happy the Man, Michael Manring, and David Arkenstone, among others. Coco moved to Los Angeles in 1990, playing with such R & B acts as Jeannie Tatum and Carol Diamond. After searching for a more improvisational attitude, he found a musical home with Teresa Russell & Cocobilli.

When Coco teamed up with me and Billi 25 years ago, we found our aggressive blues rock sound. Believe me, with Cocobilli, once the gate is open, you have to hang on… no fear! You never know where you’ll end up.

Coco calls his latest percussion/drum experience_experiment PERCUDEX. You’ll be amazed!

Billi Breland – Bass

Billi moved to LA in 1982 from the Mississippi Delta. Playing bass and contributing vocals, he has since toured, recorded, and performed on live TV and radio with such artists as Helen Reddy, Alan Thicke, and jazz group, Pocket Change. He produced the top-40 Euro hit, Tear Down The Wall, for Joe Esposito.

Billi joined Teresa to perform, co-write, and co-produce music in thepursuit of an aggressive blues rock sound.

I met Billi over 30 years at a Helen Reddy audition. We both got the job and have been the best of friends and music partners ever since. He taught me a lot about writing, recording, producing and playing “outside of the box”.

PAT RUSSELL – Vocalist

What can you say about your mama! She is my biggest fan and she gave it all to me along with my dad so I could have a successful career in music. Mom is really the star here. She has a nostalgic bourbon voice like no other. I always tell her that all the whiskey and cigarettes paid off! Lol. She is my best friend! You can catch mama singing with me when ever she feels like it.

Mother/Daughter Duo
Pat Russell is a class act. Influenced by greats like Peggy Lee, Julie London, Ella Fitzgerald and June Christy, mom’s torchy vocal style intimately captures that wonderful nostalgic and romantic era of swingin’ jazz, cool bossanova and sultry ballads.

Pat grew up in a musical family performing with her sisters in a variety of musical combos. Later, she passed her talent and love for music on to her firstborn, Teresa, and helped to guide Teresa to a successful musical career.

CD Summary

After years of occasionally performing together, mother and daughter decided to team up for a jazz CD. Produced by Teresa this CD totally captures the unique whiskey velvet vocal quality of Pat’s voice as well as their superb vocal harmonies and arrangements. What makes this “mother daughter duo” so special is the family love they generate towards their audiences. That is the kind of love you feel on this CD.

Mike Davis – Harmonica

Harmonicas/Band attendant/Recreational Coordinator

Mike occasionally sits in on Harmonica with Teresa and friends. Attending to the musicians is still in his blood. He was Equipment Manager for Eric Clapton, Vanilla Fudge, Strawberry Alarm Clock and Woodstock. He continues to make sure the Green Room is fully stocked, so to speak, and that everybody is having a goodtime.