JAZZ REVIEW : Lounge Wizard : Greco Would Have Sparkled in Vegas, but Was It Appropriate for OCC Theater Opener?

COSTA MESA — If you owned a spacious, recently refurbished theater, would you bring in a lounge singer to kick off your new performing arts season? Orange Coast College apparently would--and did--on Saturday, to inaugurate its ‘93-94 arts series at the recently upgraded Robert B. Moore Theatre.

It might be argued that singer-pianist Buddy Greco is more than a lounge act. But you wouldn’t know that from his set here Saturday. Greco pulled tunes from the standard lounge repertoire--”The More I See You,” “Paper Moon,” “MacArthur Park”--and gave them the standard lounge treatment with deliberately catchy phrasing, spoken asides and dynamic endings. His voice still has that manly ring, but in a range so narrow that sometimes one couldn’t decide whether he was singing or speaking.

Claims that Greco is a jazz performer--he toured with Benny Goodman as a pianist when Greco was only 19--also ring false.

His singing has none of the expression one expects in a jazz delivery, and his keyboard work--devoid of improvisation other than the occasional tinkling decoration--is again the kind of gussied-up playing one expects from a lounge act. Seeing Greco at the Sands in Las Vegas, where he’s been ensconced for a year, has to be much more satisfying than seeing him in a performing arts center.

Beefing up the appearance was a 17-piece big band assembled by onetime “Mike Douglas Show” musical director Joe Massimino, who was absent from the stage when Greco was on.

When backing the singer, the orchestra relied on less-than-ambitious arrangements to add interest and depth to the proceedings, sometimes in a way that overshadowed the headliner. Greco featured saxophonist Kim Richmond on “Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered,” and Richmond’s solo was one of the evening’s highlights. Sadly, though, Greco chose to introduce the saxophonist right at the heart of his solo and the announcement and following applause drowned out its most critical moments.

Before Greco came out, Massimino and company opened with a pair of numbers that were marred by poor sound due mainly to the mix, not the acoustics of the room (the theater’s $1.6-million renovation includes an improved acoustic design that has replaced balcony seats with new wall panels).

The overamplified rhythm section buried the horns on Tom Kubis’ “Saba Dees Godda Do It” and the theme from “Superman” until someone stepped up to the microphone to solo. Then the soloists, so loudly mixed that they tended to overshadow even the rhythm section, sounded harsh and bright. Several in the audience had their fingers in their ears to cut the volume.

Opening act Micki Rhyne got the evening off on the right foot even if the sound of her voice was marred by flat, tinny reproduction. Anyone who has seen Rhyne in a club setting knows she has an inviting, somewhat thick tone, but that was lost here.

Instead Rhyne had to rely on her enthusiasm and scat accents to carry the performance. Pianist Marc LeBrun provided fine support and rich, though brief, improvisations. Compared to Greco’s predictable way at the keyboard, LeBrun’s playing was the night’s high point.

Greco brought out singer and current best pal Leslie Anders to join him on “Our Love Is Here To Stay,” and her presence added some heat to an otherwise cold performance.

That Greco chose to stay at the keyboard and not sing Jimmy Webb’s “MacArthur Park” (which Greco claimed Webb wrote for him) was wise. He doesn’t have the range to cover that kind of song. But, with the big band blowing behind him, Greco made something out of the tune that almost saved the evening.

Almost.