Buddy Greco - Buddy Greco At Mister Kelly's (1956)

Recorded live in Chicago on July 24, 1955, Buddy Greco at Mister Kelly's remains the singer/pianist's most nuanced and appealing effort. Backed only by bassist Johnny Frigo, Greco eschews the overbaked theatrics that hinder his later work, paring his music to its essentials in an admirable show of respect for his audience, his collaborator, and his material. Nor can one discount the influence of Mister Kelly's, a historic nightclub that once loomed large on Chicago's Rush Street. The intimacy of the setting clearly shapes the smoky, neon-lit ambience of Greco's performance, wringing uncommon poignancy and jazzy élan from familiar compositions like "They Can't Take That Away from Me" and "One for My Baby (And One More for the Road)."