Time for Two Loves : Versatile Tim Russ plans to continue playing jazz guitar while joining the new ‘Star Trek: Voyager’ series.

Look to Woody Allen for inspiration. The actor-director and funnyman is the winner of more Academy Awards than he cares to pick up, recognized around the world. And yet every Monday night he’s just another clarinet player with a club gig, his fame at least temporarily irrelevant, forgotten.

For actor-musician Tim Russ, that escape must be paradise.

Not that Russ is a celebrity. At least not until Jan. 16, when he debuts as a Vulcan crew member in the new “Star Trek: Voyager” television series.

Then, if the show is successful, Russ and the rest of the cast may become the targets of mountains of letters, E-mail, interview requests and other demands on their time. Still, Russ also wants to be sure to get out with his guitar every now and then.

Which brings up the example of Allen, and his love of jazz. “If he can do it with a schedule like he’s got, on a regular basis, then I have all the hope in the world that I can do it at least on a semi-regular basis,” Russ says. “I do enjoy the playing.”

To that end, Russ brings his mix of jazz and pop standards Sunday night to Common Grounds coffeehouse in Northridge. Performing material from sources as varied as Duke Ellington and James Taylor, singer-guitarist Russ will be joined by drummer Jim Martin and keyboardist Claude Voisy, a former music director for Cirque du Soleil. Singer Rita Wolf will also join the trio for selected songs.

Now that his income seems--at least temporarily--secure with the new series, Russ sees his music primarily as a personal release. He’s been playing professionally since he was 16, years before he became an actor. He arrived in Los Angeles in 1981 after attending college in the Midwest, and quickly began playing Westside clubs as part of a band called From the Hip.

By 1983, he was mixing music with acting through a role in the Los Angeles production of “Dream Girls,” starring Jennifer Holliday.

“Subsequently, I haven’t played full time since I started working full time as an actor,” Russ says.

He appeared in a modern version of “Romeo and Juliet” performed in 1993 on the CBS Studio Center lot in Studio City.

Most of his work, however, has been in television, although largely in short-lived series. In 1986, he played the sidekick in the futuristic action series “Highwayman.” The next year he was in a sitcom called “The People Next Door.” He also appeared in several pilots that never made the jump to series.

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All along, Russ flirted with the “Star Trek” universe. He considers himself a major fan of the original series, and in the mid-’80s he read for the role that went to LeVar Burton in “Star Trek: The Next Generation.” Russ also read for a part on “Deep Space Nine” that was ultimately written out of the show.

He finally won a guest spot on “The Next Generation” (after several tries), and appears in the opening segment of the new “Star Trek Generations” movie.

His TV role as a Vulcan tactical officer on a lost starship has kept him busy since September. By the time he arrives at Common Grounds on Sunday, Russ will have filmed Episode 4 of the new series, which is set to air locally on KCOP-TV (Channel 13).

But Russ is determined to find time for his music. “I could put all this stuff in mothballs, sell all my equipment and never play again,” he says. “Or I can do this, and go on and keep it alive.

“Every time I go to hear someone playing, I want to play. I just can’t see myself saying ‘Oh, I used to play’ 10 years from now. ‘I used to have a band.’ ”

Russ understands that his participation in the new series may attract hard-core fans of “Star Trek” who might not otherwise come to hear him play. “As long as they can appreciate something that we’re doing up there, I think I’ll be happy,” he says. “Even if they are into ‘Star Trek,’ I know they listen to music sometimes.”

Where and When

What: Singer-guitarist Tim Russ and band.

Location: Common Grounds, 9250 Reseda Blvd., Northridge.

Hours: 8 p.m. Sunday.

Price: Free admission; $2.50 minimum.

Call: (818) 882-3666.