By Andrew Poretz . . .

Back in April, the sensational Nicolas King made his 54 Below solo debut with Behind the Mike: Celebrating the Memory and Iconic Arrangements of Mike Renzi, which this writer reviewed here. Nearly seven months later, King returned to the venue in celebration of his live album recorded at that show: No Bad Chords: Live in New York City – A Tribute to Mike Renzi.

Renzi was one of the best pianists and arrangers in the business, who worked with (and mentored) King for some 14 years and worked with the likes of Frank Sinatra, Tony Bennett, Mel Tormé and Peggy Lee. King and Renzi also created 69 weeks of intimate Zoom concerts during the pandemic, which were a delight and a salve during that challenging time.

The show for the most part replicated the album and previous show, skipping the April duet with Gabrielle Stravelli and a song written for that show, both of which are on the album. Listening to the album now brings the listener right back into the moment. To borrow from a song title, you’ll remember April, and be glad.

King is a consummate professional, performing since the age of 4, and has appeared on Broadway and in nightclubs. In addition to Renzi, he was mentored from childhood by Liza Minnelli, whose influence can be heard in his performances. Now in his 30s, he is a seasoned, dynamic performer with pizzazz and flawless pitch. King is also warm and funny, especially when he does a spot-on impression of Renzi. He is one of only a handful of performers this writer will happily see any time he’s playing New York City.

As previously, King was accompanied by pianist/music director Tedd Firth, bassist Alan Bernstein, and drummer Mark McLean. Every chart in the concert was written by Renzi.

King again opened with a medley of “Yes I Can” (Charles Strouse/Lee Adams) and “I Can See It” from The Fantasticks (Harvey Schmidt/Tom Jones). The first song, introduced by Sammy Davis Jr. in Golden Boy, is especially apt for a performer who shares some of the same qualities as Davis.

An early highlight came with “I’ve Got the World On a String” (Harold Arlen/Ted Koehler), including the obscure verse. It gradually morphed into a bluesy number and featured an Erroll Garner-like solo by Firth.

A mashup of “Where Is Love?” from Oliver! (Lionel Bart) and “Blame It on My Youth” (Oscar Levant/Edward Heyman), with King singing with only Firth, was simply gorgeous.

King dusted off the number he used as a childhood audition song, “Johnny One Note” (Richard Rodgers/Lorenz Hart), which Renzi had updated for the grownup King. Renzi initially protested, “Don’t you think it’s a little chippa?” (chipper, with a Rhode Island accent). One can especially detect Minnelli’s influence in this number.

A stunning medley of “Spring Can Really Hang You Up the Most” (Tommy Wolf/Fran Landesman) and “Just One of Those Things” (Cole Porter) revealed the surprising poignancy of the latter tune, which is best known as an upbeat jazz standard. Stripped of the jazz playfulness and devil-may-care attitude made famous by Sinatra in his 1954 recording, the song felt more like a lament for a lost love than a lost weekend.

King said he initially resisted performing “(Ah, the Apple Trees) When the World Was Young” (Philippe-Gérard/Johnny Mercer), feeling he didn’t have enough “miles in the tank” to portray the older protagonist looking back on his younger life as the ‘boulevardier, the toast of Paris.’ But he pulled it off beautifully.

The biggest highlight of the set came with King’s recreation of the dazzling arrangement Renzi created for Mel Tormé of “Pick Yourself Up” (Jerome Kern/Dorothy Fields), which King performed regularly with Renzi but retired after his death. The intricate arrangement, which manages to incorporate references to Bach both musically and lyrically, is a showstopper and one King would not dare to attempt now without Firth.

For an especially touching encore, King, alone on stage, sang “I Remember You” (Victor Schertzinger/Johnny Mercer) to a track of Renzi playing. This was not in the April show or the album, and was the perfect capper to this beautiful show.

For more information about Nicolas King, visit https://officialnicolasking.com.

Nicolas King: No Bad Chords: Live in New York City – A Tribute to Mike Renzi took place on November 3 at 54 Below, 254 West 54th Street between Broadway and Eighth Avenue (https://54below.org/).

Photos: Conor Weiss