Artist: Louis Prima & Keely Smith
Album: Live from Las Vegas
Genre: Swing, Vocal Jazz
Label: Capitol Records
Released: 2005
Quality: FLAC (tracks+.cue)
Tracklist:
- Louis Prima - Them There Eyes/Honeysuckle Rose (4:54)
- Keely Smith - I've Got You Under My Skin (2:11)
- Louis Prima - Should I/I Can't Believe That You're in Love with Me (5:55)
- Keely Smith - Don't Take Your Love from Me (2:54)
- Sam Butera - Greenback Dollar Bill (3:20)
- Keely Smith - Autumn Leaves (2:40)
- Louis Prima - The White Cliffs of Dover (5:18)
- Keely Smith - Nothing Can Replace a Man (2:40)
- Louis Prima - Robin Hood (2:28)
- Louis Prima - Judy (3:55)
- Louis Prima & Keely Smith - Somebody Loves Me/Nothing's Too Good for My Baby (2:46)
- Sam Butera - Pack Your Clothes (3:13)
- Keely Smith - Come Rain or Come Shine (2:24)
- Louis Prima - Too Marvelous for Words (1:54)
- Louis Prima & Keely Smith - Embraceable You/I Got It Bad (And That Ain't Good) (2:56)
- Louis Prima - Buona Sera (3:40)
- Keely Smith - Tenderly/Can't Help Lovin' That Man (4:04)
- Louis Prima & Sam Butera - When the Saints Go Marching In (1:53)
- Louis Prima & Keely Smith - Closing (1:18)
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Of all the recordings in Capitol's Live from Las Vegas series, this set by Louis Prima and Keely Smith with Sam Butera & the Witnesses is a standout. For Prima fans, it's a treasure trove since only six of the disc's 19 tracks have been previously issued in any form. Recorded in 1958 during the act's long-running stint at the Sahara's Casbah Theater and featuring superb editing that retains much of the stage banter and the pair's often humorous antics, it offers listeners the spontaneity and feel of a single live set in the moment. The sound is simply stellar; warm, full, and immediate, its presence gives one the impression of being in the room. As evidenced here, Prima and Smith often worked out new material in front of their nightly audiences. Mistakes are left in, making this all the more prescient. The track list ranges from the familiar, like "Buona Sera" (Prima), "Robin Hood" (Prima), "Autumn Leaves" (Smith), and "Greenback Dollar Bill" (Butera), to a debut recording of "Nothing Can Replace My Man" (Smith) and killer renditions of "White Cliffs of Dover" (Prima), "Too Marvelous for Words" (Prima), and "Don't Take Your Love from Me" (Smith). These collaborative performances are one of a kind. They underscore that while the studio recordings were of high merit artistically, it is as a live act that the pair established their legendary reputation. In fact, what is presented here lends a lot of weight to the claim that Prima and Smith virtually invented the Vegas lounge act. Live from Las Vegas is a hip and unceasing swingfest from top to bottom, with great humor, inspired singing and musicianship, and hipster vibes. For those who checked out Prima during the lounge revival, this is one for your next bash. For those who have been longtime disciples, this is the Holy Grail.
Review by Thom Jurek