{"id":39,"date":"2016-01-25T22:07:48","date_gmt":"2016-01-25T22:07:48","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.mwpfoot.com\/mytrombones\/?p=39"},"modified":"2016-01-25T23:48:46","modified_gmt":"2016-01-25T23:48:46","slug":"louis-prima","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.mwpfoot.com\/mytrombones\/2016\/01\/25\/louis-prima\/","title":{"rendered":"Louis Prima"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Louis Prima is the best.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-41\" src=\"http:\/\/www.mwpfoot.com\/mytrombones\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/prima_photo-260x300.jpg\" alt=\"prima_photo\" width=\"260\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"http:\/\/www.mwpfoot.com\/mytrombones\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/prima_photo-260x300.jpg 260w, http:\/\/www.mwpfoot.com\/mytrombones\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/prima_photo.jpg 346w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 260px) 100vw, 260px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Not the fastest, not the highest, not the most technical, maybe the loudest, but definitely the best. A big ol&#8217; bowl of the best spaghetti you ever ate.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-42\" src=\"http:\/\/www.mwpfoot.com\/mytrombones\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/spaghetti-300x188.jpg\" alt=\"spaghetti\" width=\"300\" height=\"188\" srcset=\"http:\/\/www.mwpfoot.com\/mytrombones\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/spaghetti-300x188.jpg 300w, http:\/\/www.mwpfoot.com\/mytrombones\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/spaghetti-768x480.jpg 768w, http:\/\/www.mwpfoot.com\/mytrombones\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/spaghetti-1024x640.jpg 1024w, http:\/\/www.mwpfoot.com\/mytrombones\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/spaghetti-676x423.jpg 676w, http:\/\/www.mwpfoot.com\/mytrombones\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/spaghetti.jpg 1600w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Who else would write &#8220;Sing, Sing, Sing (With A Swing)&#8221; (1936), let alone make\u00a0it an instant hit?<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"676\" height=\"507\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/WGM2HPM6BDc?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>I mean, what is he doing with this? Who cares! It&#8217;s great!<\/p>\n<p>The\u00a0Benny Goodman band quickly arranged their own version, inserting <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=RW9aSec1Pjw\" target=\"_blank\">some other popular tunes<\/a> where Prima was quoting earlier stuff. Their <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=3mJ4dpNal_k\" target=\"_blank\">1937 studio recording<\/a>\u00a0and famous 1938 live recording in Carnegie Hall practically launched the swing era.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"676\" height=\"380\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/qUbgwADLFPM?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>These were rare extended recordings from that era, with an arrangement that gave the soloists some space. The result was 20-something year old musicians widely disseminating some game changing stuff. Who wouldn&#8217;t want to be Gene Krupa after hearing that?<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-43\" src=\"http:\/\/www.mwpfoot.com\/mytrombones\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/Krupa.jpg\" alt=\"Krupa\" width=\"266\" height=\"257\" \/><\/p>\n<p>We&#8217;ve digressed.<\/p>\n<p>Louis&#8217; personal life and business dealings were\u00a0as out of control as his stage persona. He pressed forward through the war years with a string of goofy Italian pasta-face caricatures that payed for bands, boats, horses, and divorces.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"676\" height=\"507\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/vGvFpbaXoSw?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>When I confess my love for Louis Prima, I imagine many think I&#8217;m talking about these Italiano\u00a0songs, which is fine, they are fun songs and Louis always sells it, but\u00a0I&#8217;m mostly talking about the magic that resulted from the introduction of young Keely Smith into his act in the early 50&#8217;s.<\/p>\n<p>Now Louis&#8217; stage antics had the perfect deadpan romantic counterpoint.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"676\" height=\"507\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/ofFfYrFqn4Q?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>At this point he&#8217;s in danger of becoming a relic, allegedly contemplating retirement, but suddenly the old standards he never stopped playing had a fresh setting and new life: Louis and the boys make a strong push, but Keely has heard it all before and knows the score.<\/p>\n<p>They married &#8211; his fourth &#8211; and had a steady gig in Vegas through the 50&#8217;s. Saxophonist Sam Butera and his band The Witnesses gave the music youthful energy.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"676\" height=\"507\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/q4V8pbg3rNU?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>They wrote that together. It&#8217;s swing, but it&#8217;s also early rock and roll. Old meets new.<\/p>\n<p>His New Orleans origins were in there throughout. All hail the Louis Prima tag ending!<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"676\" height=\"507\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/Z8Qk4khPEEY?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>The\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=lN-4lX0QyZc\" target=\"_blank\">David Lee Roth<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=aHWcN5YxuYc\" target=\"_blank\">Brian Setzer<\/a>\u00a0revivals of his songs are perhaps better\u00a0known today, but I suggest future Prima revivalists take his charts somewhere else, like Goodman did. You are not going to top Louis Prima at the Louis Prima thing.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"676\" height=\"507\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/O-a8kLtJSJ4?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>Louis and Keely got divorced, because of course they did, and his life and career went on from there.<\/p>\n<p>New wife Gia was much more straightforward and adoring\u00a0on stage.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"676\" height=\"507\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/YrpAZzrmWH0?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>There was another revival of sorts with the Disney movie.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"676\" height=\"507\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/9JDzlhW3XTM?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>And now life goes on without him.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-40\" src=\"http:\/\/www.mwpfoot.com\/mytrombones\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/prima_grave-200x300.jpg\" alt=\"prima_grave\" width=\"200\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"http:\/\/www.mwpfoot.com\/mytrombones\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/prima_grave-200x300.jpg 200w, http:\/\/www.mwpfoot.com\/mytrombones\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/prima_grave.jpg 333w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 200px) 100vw, 200px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Louis Prima is the best.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Louis Prima is the best. Not the fastest, not the highest, not the most technical, maybe the loudest, but definitely the best. A big ol&#8217; bowl of the best spaghetti you ever ate. Who else would write &#8220;Sing, Sing, Sing (With A Swing)&#8221; (1936), let alone make\u00a0it an instant hit? I mean, what is he [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":47,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4,5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-39","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-swing","category-the-best"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.mwpfoot.com\/mytrombones\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/39","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.mwpfoot.com\/mytrombones\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.mwpfoot.com\/mytrombones\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.mwpfoot.com\/mytrombones\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.mwpfoot.com\/mytrombones\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=39"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"http:\/\/www.mwpfoot.com\/mytrombones\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/39\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":62,"href":"http:\/\/www.mwpfoot.com\/mytrombones\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/39\/revisions\/62"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.mwpfoot.com\/mytrombones\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/47"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.mwpfoot.com\/mytrombones\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=39"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.mwpfoot.com\/mytrombones\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=39"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.mwpfoot.com\/mytrombones\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=39"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}