Louis Prima Keely Smith Live from Las Vegas

Louis Prima | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (April 26, 2005)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Capitol
• ASIN: B0007RIYWW
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (18 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #44,403 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

The official soundtrack for the 100th birthday of Las Vegas. This 8 part series features the artists who help put Las Vegas on the map, Louis Prima & Keely Smith being one of some of those artists. Live versions of 'Embraceable you' & 'Come Rain Or Come Shine' are included. Capitol. 2005.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

24 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Truth Comes Out: The Most Manic-Depressive Act in Show Business, August 3, 2006

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Samuel Chell (Kenosha,, WI United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Louis Prima Keely Smith Live from Las Vegas (Audio CD)

I'd heard a couple of their studio albums but never understood the appeal of Louis and Keely until hearing this album. Louis is manic, hyperactive, out of control; Keely is composed, sophisticated, vocally magnificent. The contrast is the key. At times their humor is almost too close for comfort (they would divorce in 3 years): Keely mockingly refers to Louis as her "Italian Stallion," then says he's too old for her; Louis says, "That's a stage joke, folks": Keely, persistent, says, "No, it's not." And all this is inserted in the lyric of a Gershwin tune.

Louis demonstrates his musicianship, his New Orleans roots, and Louis Armstrong influence. And the act makes it clear that neither Sonny and Cher nor all of the neo-swing revival groups of the mid to late 90's could touch them.

The album also reminds the listener of the days when Las Vegas was a cabaret instead of an expensive resort and postmodern theme park. This pair was merely a free lounge act, and even the lounge act had an intermission act, introduced by Louis as the Frank Morocco trio, originally from Waukegan, Illinois. The other day I played with a bass player who revealed that he was a member of that trio when this recording was made. He played 12-6 A.M. each morning and was paid $225 for the week.

21 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars "Wildest show on the Strip," recorded live., June 23, 2005

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Mary Whipple (New England) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Louis Prima Keely Smith Live from Las Vegas (Audio CD)

Released in 2005 to honor the 100th anniversary of the settling of Las Vegas, this Centennial celebration with Louis Prima and Keely Smith features eighteen tracks, twelve of them never before released, and all of them recorded live. With the legendary Sam Butera on sax, as he always was for Prima and Smith during their Vegas "reign" from the mid-1950s through the early 1960s, the group operates as a threesome, consummate musicians who are also full of high energy and wild and wacky humor, devoted to showing the audience a good time.

Prima is outrageous, a jumping jack who operates full throttle every minute he is on, and he takes delight in taking a traditional, serious song and giving it completely new twists and sounds. "White Cliffs of Dover," a sentimental British song during the war, gets the swing treatment, with Prima sometimes singing in a growly Louis Armstrong voice, and finishing with a rock'em, sock'em ending. Smith, while an ostensibly sober foil for Prima onstage, is kooky in her own right, treating "Autumn Leaves" in comic fashion, with heavy drum beats representing the falling leaves as Smith sings jazz and scat and gives the song an upbeat ending, probably the least sentimental version of this song ever recorded.

Butera himself has two solo tracks here--"Greenback Dollar Bill," in which he sings, plays sax, and clowns around, with Prima playing backup for him on trumpet, and "[You Can] Pack Your Clothes [and Go Walking Out My Door]," which is full of humor, his wailing sax, and an insistent drumbeat--ample proof why Butera was such a sought after bandsman during his career.

Though nothing is sacred as Prima and Smith sing old songs in new and often unusual ways, they do so with great care for rhythm, timing, and consummate professionalism. The final two songs are a grand finale: Smith's combination of "Tenderly" and "Can't Help Loving That Man of Mine, starts out "straight," then becomes increasingly wild until she and Louis are singing in triple time with enthusiastic handclapping. The final number, "When the Saints Go Marching In," speaks for itself. Mary Whipple

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars oh to have been there..., July 31, 2005

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smurdge - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Louis Prima Keely Smith Live from Las Vegas (Audio CD)

It's hard to imagine going on 50 tired, cynical years later that you could wander into the Casbar Lounge most any night (or morning) of the week and hear something this musical, this fun & entertaining. This was probably a fairly typical night with Louis Keely & Sam. In-jokes and double-entendres are flying, Keely doesn't hit quite all the notes, Louis is so bored doing "Robin Hood" that he's talking to the band about the next song they're going to do. "Judy" takes 2 or 3 starts to get going, (once it does it's perfect). Someone requests "Tenderly" and Louis has to feed Keely the lyrics. "Autumn Leaves" and "Can't Help Lovin' That Man" are almost totally deconstructed. It's hilarious. And it works because of the music: Prima's almost surreal vocals, combined with his surprisingly thoughtful and melodic trumpet solos, Keely's gorgeous voice, Butera's sax and arrangements and the eternal shuffle beat of The Witnesses. It's all so perfect even with all the imperfections. Or because of them.

Some of this was released in a 1958 Capitol LP called "Las Vegas Prima Style". The stuff that didn't make it to the original LP are the wilder, less polished tunes- the ones that really give you the feeling of being there. It would have been nice if Capitol had given some recording information on this release, like the date(s), or even the names of the band members.(According to the LP sleeve they were: Sam Butera- tenor saxophone, Harvey Lang- drums, Lou Sineaux- trombone, Bob Roberts- guitar, Tony Liuizza- bass, and Willy McCumber- piano.) There were also three tracks on the LP that didn't make it to this CD: "Tiger Rag", "Holiday for Strings" and "Love of My Life", all instrumental tracks featuring members of the Witnesses.

The sound quality is excellent- stereo, in case you were wondering. Capitol had another live Prima LP called "The Wildest Show at Tahoe" which was even better than the Las Vegas LP. I wonder if the tapes of those shows are still around....