With her satiny, three-octave voice, her sexy sense of humor and her trademark elbow-length gloves and beaded gowns that would fill Julie London with envy, Laura Ainsworth ushers audiences into her own enchanting world, a cocktail that combines the elegant retro style of lounge jazz chanteuses of the ‘40s and '50s with sophisticated modern musical twists. She's released three CDs and a best-of vinyl LP (and is currently recording her fourth) of her musical style that she calls "New Vintage." It’s an intoxicating blend of past and present that has attracted some of the top jazz players in Texas to her side, including longtime partner Brian Piper, one of the most sought-after pianists/arrangers in the Southwest. It’s also earned her critical raves and industry honors, including a profile in Downbeat magazine; performances at Manhattan’s famed Metropolitan Room, L.A.’s Whiskey A-Go-Go, resorts in India and Dubai, and Mike Huckabee’s national TV variety show on TBN; three Global Music Awards Bronze Medals; prominent places on popular compilation albums such as "Goa Chill-Out Zone" and "This Is Vintage Now, Vol. 2;" a Clousine Music Magazine “Best Jazz Album” award; multiple nominations in the Josie Music Awards and a number of nominations and wins in the Artists Music Guild Heritage Awards, including an unprecedented sweep of Album, Video and Female Vocalist of the Year for her third album, "New Vintage." Rave reviews in the Japanese jazz press led to her catalogue also being picked up for distribution across Japan.
Big band and lounge jazz are in Laura's DNA. Her late father, Bill Ainsworth, was a renowned sax and clarinet master, vocalist and arranger who played with Freddy Martin, Tex Beneke, Ernie Felice and other top bandleaders, and at age 17, was possibly the youngest member ever of the Tommy Dorsey Orchestra. As a young girl, Laura watched enraptured as her dad accompanied such idols as Ella Fitzgerald, Tony Bennett and Mel Torme, all of whom formed her musical style. Other major influences include Bea Wain, Keely Smith, Frank Sinatra, Julie London, the Mills Brothers, Lena Horne, Peggy Lee and Dinah Shore.
Jazz Inside magazine raved, "You can keep those pop divas, the only one for me is Laura Ainsworth... a wonderful modern interpreter of the Great American Songbook, as well as thoroughly modern styles." Robert Sutton of JazzCorner.com wrote that she "weaves past and present with stunning power." All About Jazz said, "Gifted with a sultry, swoon-inducing croon, Ainsworth can sing any words and command attention." Arnold Wayne Jones of the Dallas Voice wrote, "When Dallas lounge singer Laura Ainsworth releases an album…you have to sit at home imagining the tinkling of ice cubes in a highball (or, just as legitimately, make a cocktail yourself and create your own ambiance)…Her voice, a satiny ribbon that seems to flow as an uninterrupted river of downbeats, is rich and distinctive, but it’s her sense of humor that catches you note after note." And Kev Rowland of Gonzo Weekly said, “A voice and style that don't belong to this century, let alone this decade…Close your eyes, and drift into a different world.”
Laura has performed in a variety of venues, including jazz clubs, historic theaters, elegant showrooms, major corporate and convention shows, and two state galas at the Arkansas Governor's Mansion. Her albums have received worldwide airplay and she has appeared on various TV and radio programs, her own special on Dallas Comcast Cable, and a number of top lounge music podcasts, including "Lounging with Lombardi" in New York City and Buddies Lounge, where she was the first contemporary artist ever played or interviewed. She's also a favorite on the internationally-known "Cocktail Nation" podcast from Australia. Host Koop Kooper, dean of all things swank, has ranked her albums in his annual top 10 and said her of her second release, the film noir-inspired "Necessary Evil," "My goodness, it is brilliant."
“It took the world years to discover that the DFW Metroplex is home to lots of great jazz. But there’s a fast-rising new sub-genre of jazz – vintage revival (lounge, exotica, bachelor pad music of the ‘40s-‘60s) – and with the release of her third album, 'New Vintage,' and a best-of audiophile vinyl LP titled 'Top Shelf,' DFW vocalist Laura Ainsworth is already being recognized worldwide as a leader of the movement." - Downtown Business News, Dallas
