The late, great Dinah Washington

I found this great clip (with fantastic live crowd footage) of Dinah Washington singing "All of Me". This is one of the first tunes I learned from the Great American Songbook and I rarely do it now because ... well, it's just so overdone. However, listening to Dinah swing it, it all sounds new again...
">Dinah Washington sings "All of Me"

Great night at the Oyster House

I had a really fun (and interesting!) gig at the Oyster House Saloon in Studio City on Monday night. My partners in crime were Adam Cohen on bass, Jamie Findlay on guitar, and Tim McIntyre on drums. Great band...! It was my first night at this place, so I was a little worried about getting people to come out on Monday night at 10 pm. I didn't need to worry...all my dog-walking pals at Beeman Park showed up, family members came out, and a few old friends I haven't seen in a long while. Musicians Ron King, Dori Amarilio, and Oskar Cartaya also dropped by.

The Oyster House is a very casual local hang, great oysters (thus the name, right?) and a wide selection of cold beer on tap as well as any drink you can imagine. The bartender (Chris) is a very colorful and warm character, and you just never know who is going to walk in the door.

A week before, Al Jarreau was eating dinner at the front, and on Monday, Snoop Dogg's buddy Donald Smith (aka "Lil Half Dead") ran up to me, gave me a huge hug, and asked me if I would like to sing on some hip hop tracks!! Dori said he would pay to see me do this. Maybe I'll take him up on it....!

New recording on Doug MacDonald's "Fourth Stream"

My incredibly talented friend, guitarist Doug MacDonald, gave me the honor of singing a track on his latest release, "Fourth Stream". This was recorded early this summer and I just got a copy of the CD. The CD is an incredible complilation of original material with jazz and blues standards. A jazz rhythm section (formed by Doug, Jack LeCompte, Harvey Neumark, and Jimmy Dykes) is surrounded by a horn section and a 15-member string section.

I was asked to sing on the jazz standard "Invitation" (one of my favorite tunes since I heard Rosemarie Clooney's version on a Nelson Riddle arrangement). Doug arranged the tune as a bossa, and he left out the strings for this cut. Enjoy...

Click here to listen to "Invitation"

Performing in CA Wine Country

Dad and I took to the road with Mom and David and headed up north to CA wine country, where we sang at the Alchemy Wine Bar, in the charming town of Murphys. We met some wonderful locals, the owners of Tanner Winery across the street, and a few fellow travelers. We were treated to fabulous wine and food, and it was the perfect warm-up for our show at Vitello's in LA on July 28. The restaurant and bar were completely full 1/2 hour into our set, and the owner said we are welcome back any time we like. Enjoy the photos!

Laura and Dad (Bill Pursell) at Vitello's - July 28

Ok, guys and gals, it's definitely happening, so save the date! Those of you who have seen my dad on piano know what I'm talking about...we do this show once every one or 2 years, and I can proudly say that my Dad still has the killer chops of someone 40 years younger. We've surrounded ourselves with a band of some of the best players around, at a great venue....I'm really excited and hope you can make it...!

Tuesday, July 28
7 pm - 10 pm
Upstairs at Vitello's
4349 Tujunga
Studio City, CA 91604

Piano: Bill Pursell
Bass: Lou Shock
Drums: Frank Wilson
Guitar: Doug MacDonald
and yours truly (Laura Pursell) on vocals

And musician friends are invited to sit in, sing and play....this is going to be a great night of music!
$10 cover, parking available, stay for dinner or just hang out and have drinks

Important: Please call for reservations: 818-769-0905

See you there!

Alan's Birthday!

L-R: (in back) Dr. Cathy Lassiter, Laura (Pursell) Byrnes, David Byrnes, (in front) Alan Priven

The gang headed out to Barone's again on Friday night to surprise Alan Priven on his birthday. Jelsa Palao was singing - what a voice! Alan and Cheryl were their with their family, and a huge chocolate mousse cake was brought out by Tom Monteleone. Jelsa sang Happy Birthday, with Paul Gormley on bass, Dave Mosko on piano and a drummer (whose name escapes me). It was a great band.

We crashed Tony and Rosemarie Russell's table, and then we were joined by Mel Kohl. The 5 of us got into a VERY spirited conversation on politics, Obama and the situation in Iran, and I hope the volume at our table didn't irritate Jelsa. I truly didn't want to get into politics on a night of such great music, but I guess that's not realistic with so much going on.

At any rate, a great time was had by all. Despite our differences, we can still appreciate a great night of music and friendship!


L-R: David Byrnes, Laura (Pursell) Byrnes, Tony Russell, Rosemarie Russell, Mel Kohl

Summer is here...

What better way to usher in the summer season, than a trip to the Sierras. A group of 4 of us (my husband David, my sister Margaret and her husband Jess) drove up to Kernville and camped out on the Kern River for three nights. The weather was hot during the day and cool at night, and each night we made a campfire and gazed at the thousands of stars in the sky (in LA you never get to see the stars!) David and I kayaked (in our inflatable kayaks) but I opted out before attempting the "Ewings Rapid" (class 3, but certain to flip my boat). On Sunday, we took a trip up to the Sequoia Grove and marveled at the trees....over 1000 years old. It was like an outdoor cathedral. Very humbling to stare at those trees and realize that some were standing there before the Roman Empire. And they'll be standing there long after we're gone. Now, back to reality...I'm preparing for the three weddings I'll be singing in this summer, and a huge show with my dad at Vitello's on July 28. Stay posted!