Louis Prima Live From Las Vegas CD

This includes 13 previously unreleased tracks.
Personnel: Louis Prima; Keely Smith; Sam Butera & the Witnesses.
Liner Note Author: James Ritz.
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. ~ Thom Jurek
Talented, comic, lovable, and zany, Louis Prima and Keely Smith were one of several acts who became virtually synonymous with Las Vegas. They knew how to work as a team (their rapport was legendary), and they also knew how to put on a show that mirrored the freewheeling nightlife of Sin City. Backed by the hard-swinging, sax-dominated sounds of Sam Butera & the Witnesses (who appear here), Prima and Smith were legendary for having "the wildest show on the Strip."
All of those qualities and more are revealed on this excellent live document, recorded at the Sahara. Like many of the recordings in the LIVE FROM LAS VEGAS series, this set boasts crystalline sound and a warm, intimate quality that gives the listener the impression of being stage-side. In addition to the excellent vocal performances (Smith's "Nothing Can Replace a Man" and Prima's "Too Marvelous for Words," among others), the duo's comic banter makes the experience complete. Of particular interest--and Prima completists should take note here--is that of the album's 19 tracks, 13 are previously unreleased, making LIVE FROM LAS VEGAS a rare and unique recording, in addition to its value as a rollicking good time.JazzTimes (p.111) - "[I]t remains impossible to top the free-wheeling antics of Louis Prima, then-wife Keely Smith and saxophonist pal Sam Butera."