JAZZ REVIEW : Vinnie’s Adds Music to the Weekend Menu : Barbara Morrison sings at the Laguna Hills eatery, where duos and vocalists are served in an intimate indoor setting and on the patio.

LAGUNA HILLS — On a recent Sunday afternoon on the L-shaped patio that enwraps Vinnie’s Ristorante, Barbara Morrison stood in brilliant sunshine singing “Here’s That Rainy Day.” There was a bit of Sarah Vaughn in her voice as she emphasized the irony of doing the tune under such perfect skies. Her audience--in shorts and sun dresses, sipping wine, twirling forks in plates of pasta and sampling pizzas--gave her a rousing ovation.

Earlier at Vinnie’s, where the Johnny Otis veteran and a tight piano trio were doing their first set ever, she’d delivered a deliciously slow “Cry Me a River” followed by a down-and-dirty version of Stix Hooper’s “Don’t Make Your Move Too Soon.” When keyboard player Rob Mullins, bassist Luther Hughes and drummer John Perett struck up the familiar pattern of a slow blues, the audience reaction was such that Morrison was prompted to ask, “Does B.B. King live down here?”

And later, after Hughes, Mullins and Perett showed their stuff with an upbeat version of “On Green Dolphin Street,” singer Otis Brown (who works at the nearby Holiday Inn) came out of the audience to sing “Stormy Monday.” The weather still couldn’t have been better.

Variations on this idyllic scene are due to be repeated every Sunday at Vinnie’s now that the restaurant-bar has added music to the weekend menu. Booked by bassist Hughes (who’d been the mastermind behind the popular music series at El Matador restaurant in Huntington Beach before it closed), the Italian eatery will offer duos and vocalists in its dining room on Friday and Saturdays in addition to the Sunday afternoon performances outdoors.

“The room inside is small,” Hughes noted, “so what we want to do is fill it with soft, up-close, intimate jazz. It reminds me of the close-up room in the Magic Castle, where the guy is practically in your lap doing magic. That’s what we’ll try to do.”

The duo concept, Hughes feels, can make for captivating moments. “With just two people playing, you’re really exposed, and every little nuance of the music is on display. Without a drummer, the time really has to be there.”

Friday, Hughes will team with guitarist and longtime friend Ron Eschete, a fellow member of pianist Gene Harris’ quartet.

(Hughes and Eschete can be heard on Harris’ latest Concord recording, “Like a Lover,” and on his 1991 “Black and Blue,” which spent several weeks on the Billboard jazz chart. A new album with Harris, Hughes and Eschete is scheduled for release later this year.)

This and next Saturday, guitarist Frank Potenza will join singer Dewey Erney. And Morrison will be back this and next Sunday, singing more blues and ballads with Hughes, Mullins and Perett. Pianist Mark Davidson is set for April 30 and May 1. Next month, Stephanie Haynes will sing and guitarist Doug MacDonald will join singer Jack Wood. Hughes said he also has a saxophonist or two in mind.

* Vinnie’s Ristorante and Bar is at 25292 McIntyre in Laguna Hills. Music begins at 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays and at 3 p.m. Sundays. No cover. (714) 588-8171.