Linda Purl - This Could Be The Start (2023)

Musical theater, television, and cabaret star Linda Purl may be best known for her recurring characters on Happy Days and Matlock. A fine singer and interpreter of standards, Linda has a lengthy list of performance credits. At Birdland Theater, she also showed some impressive jazz chops. Linda was backed by three of the best in the business, with musical director Tedd Firth providing outstanding charts and accompaniment, with bassist David Finck and drummer Ray Marchica.

Linda’s voice has a warm tone with excellent control. She has power when she needs it. The star still has a youthful suppleness to her voice. This emboldened her to sometimes sing long, legato phrases with intricate twists and turns. A young Frank Sinatra did this on his jazzy Swing Easy album in 1954. (Perhaps not coincidentally, two of Linda’s songs late in the set can be found on Swing Easy, including “Taking a Chance on Love.”)

A hallmark of Tedd Firth arrangements is a kind of musical restlessness. Ballads will suddenly swing, a 2/4 shuffle may switch to a 6/8 Latin rhythm, and the whole shebang may take additional turns before its denouement. His charts are a veritable master class in creative composition. Linda and company executed them with ease.

The star took Sinatra’s hit “Come Fly with Me” (Jimmy Van Heusen/Sammy Cahn) on a divergent flight path. It was almost otherworldly, with a fascinating rhythm that was quite a trip. It worked, with some bonus miles to boot.

Linda displayed her musical theater bona fides in telling her story of starting a new business (Duffy’s Dough) with her partner, actor Patrick Duffy (Dallas), with zero business experience. This story set up Sondheim’s “Everybody Says Don’t.” We’re glad they did.

A pair of “moon” songs, “How High the Moon” and “Blue Moon,” were opportunities for the trio to shine. Tedd’ s swinging solo on “Blue Moon” wowed the crowd. In what might be described as the “O’Henry surprise ending,” Linda capped the song by literally “howling at the moon.”

Lucky fella Patrick Duffy received a serenade when Linda sang “You Fascinate Me So” to him (Cy Coleman/Carolyn Leigh). “Let’s Get Lost” (Jimmy McHugh/Frank Loesser) was a great choice. This terrific tune is best remembered for Chet Baker’s recording. It has my favorite couplet of all time: “Let’s get lost, in a romantic mist. Let’s get crossed, off everybody’s list.” One could imagine the couple feeling this way when they first found each other.

Linda’s decades of acting experience help inform her choices as a singer and also help her find the truth in the lyrics. Combined with a good voice, excellent instincts, and a warm, engaging stage presence, she has the qualities you want in a performer.

The star sang, rubato, the extremely rare verse to “Taking a Chance on Love.” As the tune progressed along various time signatures, her delivery became quite a thing of rhythmic nimbleness. Mr. Finck and Mr. Marchica had a ball with their sizzling call and response.