Jim Bailey: Unmasked

By JULIO MARTINEZ

Jim Bailey: Unmasked (Cinegrill, Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel; 200 capacity; $ 15) Presented inhouse.
 
Band: Jim Bailey, Jules Vogel, John Smith, Jack LeCompte.
 

Opened andreviewed Nov. 12, 1996; runs until Nov. 16. Having made a career of interpreting music as contemporary divas Judy Garland, Barbra Streisand and Peggy Lee, Jim Bailey as himself lacks any distinct point of view or characterization in any of the material. Bailey's 15 musical offerings eschew complicated arrangements or medleys, preferring to present straight-ahead renditions of standards ("The Best Is Yet to Come," "By Myself"), pop, bossa nova and a Broadway sampling of "As if We Never Said Goodbye" ("Sunset Boulevard") "Old Man River" ("Show Boat") and "All I Ask of You" ("Phantom of the Opera"). Bailey's voice is so clear and unadorned that the effect is more like hearing an instrument than a vocal artist. He also receives less than solid support from his accompanying trio led by pianist Jules Vogel. The singer is so retiring on stage that it is a welcome relief to hear him do a short, impromptu takeoff on Phyllis Diller, tell a couple of jokes and occasionally offer suggestions to the technical crew on how they might adjust the sound, the lights and the room temperature. These glimpses of personality, unfortunately, do not find their way into the music. Julio Martinez