Vocalist Jerry Grillo and pianist Joe Kral’s Music Box is a four-song collection of ballads that have entered the jazz repertoire or—in the case of Grillo’s “Lonely”—should have become standards. The duo wanders through reminiscence and ruefulness. Grillo even invests Willie Nelson’s “Always on My Mind,” generally the lame afterthought of a negligent lover, with more than its share of genuine sadness. Betty Comden’s “Some Other Time” concludes the disc on an appropriately resigned note.
Jerry Grillo and Joe Kral perform Dec. 20, Dec. 27, Dec. 28 and Dec. 31 at Angelo’s Piano Lounge, 1686 N. Van Buren.
