Luis Carl Russell (August 5, 1902 – December 11, 1963)[1] was a pioneering Panamanian jazz pianist, orchestra leader, composer, and arranger.

Luis Carl Russell was born on Careening Cay, near Bocas del Toro, Panama,[2] in a family of African-Caribbean ancestry.

In 1919, he won $3,000 in a lottery and used it to move to the United States, with his mother and sister, settling in New Orleans, Louisiana, where he worked as a pianist.

Performers in his band included trumpeter Red Allen, trombonist J. C. Higginbotham, and alto saxophonist Albert Nicholas.

After the OKeh contract ended in September 1930, Russell recorded a handful of sessions for Melotone, Brunswick and Victor.