Jump, Jive AnÂ’ Wail: The Essential Louis Prima Manhattan KS

Jump, Jive An' Wail: The Essential Louis Prima

Louis Prima

Capitol, 2007

REVIEW BY: David Bowling

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED: 07/28/2007

Who is Louis Prima? Think Ricky Ricardo with an Italian accent.

Jump, Jive An’ Wail: The Essential Louis Prima is a companion CD to The Essential Keely Smith. Both CDs will be released July 17^th.

Louis Prima (1910-1978) was a bandleader, trumpeter, singer, songwriter and actor. Prima formed a New Orleans jazz band in the early 1930s and then progressed to a swing combo and big band in the 1940s. His greatest claim to fame was as a major Las Vegas act with fourth wife Keely Smith in the 1950s. He and Smith won a Grammy together in 1959.

Jump, Jive An’ Wail: The Essential Louis Prima is not pop or easy listening music as defined in the modern sense of the word. It can be defined as big band swing with some dixieland jazz thrown in for good measure. I don’t know how many people this CD will appeal to, though; Prima has been gone for almost 30 years and his type of music is not in vogue.