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those first Boogie-woogie sounds coming out of the piano that had mesmerized and excited me as a
five-year-old. I feel like I’ve come full circle. As far as influences go, I would say, Ella Fitzgerald, Billie
Holiday, James Booker, Dr. John, Marcia Ball, and Fats Domino lead the way.

LL: How about an overview of your career path please.

JP: After I left college, I sang Jazz with a small combo in nightclubs and bars. In the meantime, I had
started a theater company with my husband, Dana Packard (and artistic partner, drummer, manager,
and tour van driver!). We found a permanent residence at The Saco River Theatre in Buxton, Maine
in 1990 and are about to begin our 34th season! When you can sing, you’re always asked to try out
for musicals. When I would perform in them, I found that I enjoyed the acting as much as the music,
and it opened up a whole new avenue for artistic expression. I began acting in films and television
commercials as well, eventually becoming a member of SAG/AFTRA and Actors Equity Association,
the unions that cover film, TV and stage actors in the United States. After a while, I got a bit tired of
the music scene and began writing screenplays. I eventually became a member of the Writers Guild
of America for a while. Dana and I started a film company and were able to produce two of those
full-length feature films, “Mr. Barrington” and “40 West.” I wrote the screenplays, starred in the films,
and composed and performed the film scores. Dana produced, directed, and edited. Both films went
on to win multiple international awards and offered us
fun opportunities to travel to various film festivals. “Mr.
Barrington” is about to have its 20th Anniversary digital
release this summer.

When our movies were being produced, music (other than
composing and recording the film scores, of course!) took
a back seat for a while. When I’d grown tired of the film
scene, I went back to music and recorded three Jazz
albums. This was a very happy time for me. In the
meantime, I continued to write songs that were more in
the Roots/Blues style. In 2017, I recorded my first Roots
album with producer Jay Newland. The album was called
“These Years.” I went on tour to the Benelux region to
promote it in 2019 and had an amazing time! In 2020, with
the pandemic raging and the country in lockdown, I sent
some songs to legendary drummer Bernard Purdie. I
wanted the drums on these songs to sound like Bernard Purdie, so I thought, “Why not try to get the
man himself?”. Bernard loved the songs and wanted to play on the album. He insisted that I use his
band and record at his favorite studio, Jankland, in New Jersey -- and he didn’t want to wait. We all
worked together to put COVID safety protocols in place and got down to recording the album, which
would become “Sun Come And Shine.” I met some amazing musicians recording that album. I went
on tour to The EU again in 2022 to promote the album, and as before, had such a great time.

I worked with a few of the musicians I met through Bernard on this new album, “Yes, I Do!”. As I
answer your question, I’m sure it is becoming apparent that I have the same restlessness as my parents
and like to have continual new challenges! I’m very glad you encouraged me to talk about the acting
side of my life. When talking to music reporters, I often feel that I need to downplay it or make excuses
for having two separate full-time vocations. I suppose I’m afraid people might think I’m a dabbling
dilettante for splitting my focus between the two, but I honestly couldn’t give one of them up. I’d miss
each far too much!
LL: Let’s talk about your new release “Yes, I Do”. What was your vision and concept for the
album, both from your pianist perspective and from your vocalist perspective please?

JP: Well, a cool part of getting older is knowing what you want and knowing what you don’t and
gaining the strength (or maybe the audacity!) to stand your ground. I knew I wanted this album to be
more deeply rooted in Blues and Roots music than my previous two albums, especially in the piano
parts. Jay and Bernard were amazing and are incredibly talented and I’m very happy with the way
my albums with them came out, but I felt that I was pulled away from those styles more than I wanted