Songwriter/pianist/vocalist Dave Frishberg is not the household name he should be, even in jazz households. The list of vocalists covering his tunes is daunting: Anita O’Day, Bette Midler, Shirley Horn, Blossom Dearie.

A quick web search shows that “Peel Me A Grape,” for instance, has been covered 24 times, most recently by vocalist of the moment Diane Krall. His tunes have qualities prized by jazzers: propulsive melodies, intriguing harmonies, clever and often funny lyrics.

Looking Good, a two-CD set reissue of two Concord LPs from 1977 and 1989, shows what a gifted instrumentalist Frishberg is as well. With a piano style rooted in the swing era, he conjures comparisons to Bob Zurke, Jess Stacy and fellow Minnesotan Butch Thompson.

At the same time he’s flexible enough to bend back and encompass earlier trad masters like Jelly Roll Morton and Bix Beiderbecke, and to stretch forward enough to accommodate bop masters like Al Cohn. Frishberg’s vocal style is an acquired taste, but then so are the vocal styles of many great songwriters: Randy Newman, Tom Lehrer, Tom Waits. If you’re not hip to Frishberg, this is a great place to start.