Search - Louis Prima, Keely Smith :: Louis and Keely!

Louis and Keely!
Louis Prima, Keely Smith
Louis and Keely!
Genres: Blues, Jazz, Pop, Broadway & Vocalists
 
  •  Track Listings (12) - Disc #1

Louis Prima and wife Keely Smith released several collaborations, but this 1960 import reissue showcases one of their very best. Recorded for Dot Records in 1960, Louis & Keely features the duo performing swinging roma...  more »

     
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Amazon.com essential recording
Louis Prima and wife Keely Smith released several collaborations, but this 1960 import reissue showcases one of their very best. Recorded for Dot Records in 1960, Louis & Keely features the duo performing swinging romantic tunes such as "Night and Day," "I'm Confessin' (That I Love You)," and "And the Angels Sing." Smith's vocal talents are at their peak (she overpowers Prima on several numbers), and the band is in top form. Prima was a master at transforming tried-and-true vocal standards into powerful jazzy numbers; this disc is no exception. The album closer "Bei Mir Bist Du Schon" is one of the pair's finest moments. Though the remastering isn't the greatest, these tunes sound far from dated. One of Prima's best. --Jason Verlinde

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CD Reviews

Dig Louis and Keely
10/26/1998
(5 out of 5 stars)

"The first Dot installment from 1960, this is without a doubt the BEST Louis and Keely collaboration. I was expecting much less from this album, and was pleasantly surprised. Some of the outstanding work can be found on "All I do is Dream of You," in which Keely sings to Louis' trumpet playing. Fantastic!! Their vocal blend on "Bei Mir Bist Du Schon" is fantastic, the arrangement sounds similar to Prima's old duet with Lily Ann Carol on "Hitsum Kitsum Bumpity Itsum" (I believe that's right). The duo is just outstanding, even Butera and his boys do their best. Bobby Morris shines in backing up Louis on "You're My Everything," while Sam and Lou Sino do their beeps and bops to fill out the sound, when the band still featured Les Paul guitarist Bobby Roberts. An outstanding CD, anyway it's looked at. There is even sentimental bliss in their version of "Cheek to Cheek." Check it out!!"
Delightful, slightly weird, but a little staid
madamemusico | Cincinnati, Ohio USA | 07/06/2002
(4 out of 5 stars)

"Louis and Keely were one of the hottest acts in show business during the 1950s and very early '60s, and this is one of their last (and best) collaborations together. As usual, Prima's weird energy and hot jazz inflections spice up the gorgeous but otherwise slightly bland singing of Smith. I especially love the double-time riffs, Prima's rhythmic energy and the use of "Things Ain't What they Used to Be" as a riff in "Make Love to Me" and "I Don't Know Why" (and, in the latter song, a strange sort of New Orleans-styled Italianish pig latin), but I would have enjoyed him playing trumpet obbligato on more than just two tunes, and I miss the hot, mad tenor sax of Sam Butera so evident on the Capitol recordings. Still, for what it is this is a delightful album, and I guarantee that at least half of the tracks will remain in your memory a long time after this disc has finished."
Amazing talent - a great collection for Louis and Keely fans
glassgirl10 | Missouri | 02/19/2000
(4 out of 5 stars)

"I saw the movie 'Hey Girl, Hey Boy' and was bowled over by the movie. I picked this CD because it seemed to emulate the movie's music the best. I was not disappointed.Keely Smith has got to have one of the best voices ever. Add the contrast of Louis Armstrong's...I mean, Prima's and you've got a winning combination. New Orleans style jazz with cool, hip vocals. Their style is fun and funny. What's more...you can get a sense of their personalities in the music. You also will hear their artistic interpretation of the standards they've selected to perform.Night and Day and Bie Mier Bist Du Schon were among the highlights. Also features Sam Butera and the Whipsers....a big plus right there."