Pianist and Singer Make Likable Pair

Stride pianist Judy Carmichael and cabaret singer Steve Ross would seem to be an unlikely combination, different in genre and style. But unusual pairings have been a staple of the entertainment world reaching from George Burns and Gracie Allen to Sonny and Cher.

Carmichael and Ross didn’t rise to that level of interaction on Wednesday night at the Cinegrill in the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel, nor did they really intend to. A bit of patter at the beginning, a brief vocal duet and some lighthearted between-numbers conversation pretty well covered the paired segments of the program. The bulk of the evening consisted of solo performances by each, doing what they do best.

Carmichael, her blond tresses piled high in Edwardian style, swan-like neck arched as she leaned toward the piano keyboard, offered a dramatic visual contrast from the image one usually associates with the stride piano style of Fats Waller, James P. Johnson and others. But her technical mastery was impressive, executed with verve and enthusiasm in pieces such as Waller’s classic “Handful of Keys.”

There were times, however, when Carmichael’s interpretations had a prepackaged quality, emphasizing set patterns and appearing to offer little room for spontaneous expression. The exception was a lovely, intimately understated rendering of Eubie Blake’s “Memories of You,” in which Carmichael lowered her polished shell of technique to allow subtle colorations of feeling to emerge.

Ross, however, had no difficulties in reaching the emotional center of his material. Not blessed with a particularly versatile voice, he more than compensated with the quality of his interpretations and the supporting embrace of his piano playing.

Familiar songs such as “I’ve Got You Under My Skin” found new life in his readings, as did less familiar items such as the appropriately paired “Two for the Road” and “99 Miles From L.A.” In each case, Ross illuminated the lyrics by emphasizing their stories, messages and fine-tuned rhymes. And, curiously, by lowering his presence, by becoming--so to speak--the filter through which the songs passed, he was infinitely more affecting than singers with far bigger voices and far more omnipresent personalities.

So Carmichael and Ross turned out to be a pretty good pairing after all. Not, perhaps, as witty as Nick and Nora Charles nor as tabloid-worthy as Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman, they were appealing for the more fundamental qualities of talent and likability.

*

Judy Carmichael and Steve Ross at the Cinegrill in the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel, 7000 Hollywood Blvd., Hollywood. Tonight and Saturday at 8 p.m. $20 admission. Two-drink minimum. (323) 466-7000.