Inara George Celebrates the Achievements of L.A. Theater Veterans

Inara George reflects on her past with the nostalgia of someone recalling a cherished romance. “It was at this tiny theater on Pico near LaBrea, next to a barbecue place,” she reminisces. “Our backstage was behind the theater, so we’d sit out there wearing these crazy corseted outfits while the guy next door was smoking brisket.”

A prominent figure in the Los Angeles music scene, known for her solo work and as half of the duo the Bird and the Bee, George recalls her summer in her twenties spent performing in “The Wandering Whore,” a musical by composer Eliot Douglass and lyricist Philip Littell that debuted at L.A.’s Playwrights’ Arena in August 1997. “There was a scene where I die,” she notes, “and then I get reanimated by a ghost and someone pays — I don’t know if you need to put this in the article — someone pays to have relations with me.” She sighs, reflecting on the memories. “It was just such a rich time.”

Three decades later, these fond memories have inspired George’s latest album, “Songs of Douglass & Littell.” In this project, she steps away from her own songwriting to reinterpret nine tracks by these lesser-known figures of West Coast musical theater, featuring emotionally resonant songs like “Tired Butterfly” and “The Extra Nipple.”

George likens the album to Ella Fitzgerald’s classic “Song Book” albums from the late 1950s and early 1960s, during which the jazz icon celebrated the works of great American composers like Cole Porter and Irving Berlin. “These men deserve to have some attention,” she asserts about Douglass and Littell, the latter having known her since childhood when she performed at Topanga Canyon’s Theatricum Botanicum. “I want to give them their flowers.”

While the album draws from George’s youthful creative awakenings, it also signifies her embrace of middle age. Influenced by vocalists like Helen Merrill and Chet Baker, as well as the duo album “Elis & Tom” by Elis Regina and Antônio Carlos Jobim, George shifts from the electronica of the Bird and the Bee to a jazzier sound that showcases her cool, breathy vocals backed by piano, strings, and horns. “This is a grown-up record,” she remarks. “I don’t want to be making music that makes me feel like I’m trying to be younger — I wanted to make something that makes me feel my age.”

On a recent afternoon, George sits at home near Griffith Park, the quiet punctuated by signs of music: a drum set, a grand piano, and a guitar once owned by her late father, Lowell George, founder of the band Little Feat. “As a woman, it’s a weird time in life — there’s something in-between about it,” she observes, reflecting on the changes in her life. “Even the question of what do you wear. When you’re younger, you’re like, I’m gonna wear a dress — is it sexy, is it cute? Now, all of a sudden, all I want to do is wear suits.”

Douglass, who plays piano on the new album, acknowledges a “groundedness” in George’s singing that he finds remarkable. “I was wondering how she would approach it, and she’s done it with such aplomb and wisdom,” he remarks.

This Friday, Douglass will join George and over a dozen other musicians for a record-release concert at Largo at the Coronet, with proceeds benefiting the nonprofit LA Voice, which focuses on voter issues regarding immigration and affordable housing. George describes “Songs of Douglass & Littell” as a passion project, emphasizing that selling a million records was never her goal. “I’m just about the experience,” she adds. “This has been an amazing experience.”

The journey began a few years ago when George hosted a reunion of performers who had collaborated with Douglass and Littell in the ’90s, prompting her to think about how to honor their music for a modern audience. After a return to L.A. from studying acting at Emerson College in Boston, where she ultimately found her path in music, George sought to preserve Douglass and Littell’s works.

In 2024, George rounded up a trio for a small performance at Pasadena’s Healing Force of the Universe record store. Encouraged by producer Mike Andrews to record, she collaborated with Douglass and Littell, who wrote new uptempo tracks for the album, including the lively “La Lune S’en Va.” When asked if she speaks French, George laughs, “Not at all. But Philip does. It’s so fun — I was like, ‘Yeah, I’ll take it.’ I think the pronunciation’s OK.”

Recording the album over three days, George aimed to capture a raw energy while acknowledging economic realities. “Is music just a hobby for me now? Yeah, it is,” she admits. “I mean, I’m spending money to do it.” Despite concerns about the diminishing music middle class, she highlights the recent success of her song “Again & Again” on TikTok, the duo’s most popular track with 86 million streams on Spotify.

Ultimately, George emphasizes the importance of honoring Douglass and Littell, saying, “Their songs just mean so much to me. More than ever, this is the music I want to listen to.”