teaching mark s a *LESSON* response four: LOUIS PRIMA

cf also obv Frank Kogan’s idea of "Free Lunch" and Manny Farber’s idea of "Termite Art"

I'm delighted to see this, Mark, even though I was a bit bemused by the opening for a moment or two. I think the story of Louis Armstrong's mob-manager asking him if he wanted to be a great artist or rich (apocryphal or not) is a key moment in musical history. Prima had abandoned any interest in Great Art by this point if he ever had any, and was certainly aware of the musical trends going on - he felt his young audience was turning to the developing rock 'n' roll, and therefore he made his music faster and punchier. But really, I love this because nothing sounds more like ectasy condensed into music, no music makes me happier than this, or makes me laugh more.

David Lee Roth to thread!

Lou Bega gave it a stab as well. wait, was that his name? Keely Smith is infinitely more interesting to me than Louis. Someone should write a book about what she did with HER voice. Her early solo records break my heart a hundred different ways.

'Lou Bega gave it a stab as well'
Spade Cooley gave it a shovel!

Martin, in the box of assorted LP's I got last week were 6 copies of Hot News and Rhythm record review from 1935. I'll be posting some stuff about it elsehwere as it's interesting that the dialogue which takes place in Hot News is little different to what goes on on ILM 70 years later.

Anyway, there's a review of the first Louis Prima disc Breakin' the ice - Jamaica shout, "a grand and glorious noise". If you're interested I'll scan it and mail to you.

Only vaguely, Billy, so don't go to the trouble for me.

post it to the board, Billy!

Yeah, go for it Billy!

As a jazzbo snob, I'm more than happy to accept that Prima is the king of gd-time estatic showbiz-jazz joyfulness, and can happily enjoy his recs on that basis ("he's got good tunes and he swings", to paraphrase Gil Evans on Ornette Coleman) but the total LACK of any shade to his light makes me equally 'comfortable' w/ the fact that Prima's recs are filed under 'Easy' rather than jazz. I mean, Armstrong's 'West End Blues' seems a world away from "ectasy condensed into music", or the blues as a music of ANGER, as Fahey insisted. Armstrong is the 'greater' artist because his music could incorporate (overrated!) sheer joyfulness AND blues misery/melancholy - not to mention space for improvisational thinking and plentiful demonstrations of superior technical chops.

I think Mark's original post is real rich meat, but I'd say he slightly overstates the case abt Prima's DIFFERENCE to today's pop - haven't Eminem's osmotic tongue talents made him a rich man? - and 'obv' I can't agree that "the entire history of jazz [is] the story of people foolishly attempting to improve on Armstrong when he SO DOESN’T NEED IMPROVING ON?" I'm sorta shamefaced abt how little I know abt Armstrong's recordings/career, but in a lot of ways I find his style/idiom/sound to be far more alien and unreachable NOW than most recs by Prima and Keely and dear old Sam Butera, let alone Miles Davis, Don Cherry, Woody Shaw, Dave Douglas blah blah. And I'd like to know the date for that anecdote abt Armstrong and his manager.

OK folks, enjoy...

"Breakin' the Ice"-"Jamaica Shout" by Louis Prima and his New Orleans Gang. DECCA F 5459

Here is a newcomer to the lists, but I hope he is going to stay, for his first record is amongst the best things of the month.
Louis Prima hails from New Orleans, the home town of that other Louis, and he has got together a gang of old-timers who play in an old-time way, but for all that they are as modern as most other bands. That fact ought to prove something, but I don't quite know what.

Louis plays trumpet - a whole lot of trumpet. he starts in right from the beginning. then he puts down his instrument for a chorus and sings. His phrasing, both instrumental and vocal is somwhat reminiscent of Louis Armstrong, but sufficiently different to be his own; while his tone is very definitely his own. After the vocal there is a swell clarinet passage by Sidney Arodin of the Dixieland Jazz band; some good piano by a man I don't know; and some trombone, also swell, by George Brunies, of the New Orleans Rhythm Kngs. yes these boys are really old-timers, After Brunies is through, friend Louis decides it's time for some more trumpet and carries on to the end with the band playing all-in for the last bars.

He is a crazy player, and a crazier singer, but he and his gang all march along the right road, so what does it matter?

"Jamaica Shout" is, I think, the craziest record I have ever heard: but I love it. i don't think that any one of the gang has a very clear idea of what he is doing, and I am sure that nobody cares anyway.

There is first all-in. Then Arodin, Brunies, the pianist, the drummer, the banjo player, Prima, and the bass player, all take it in turns to get away, more or less i that order. And they are all swell, particularly Prima, who goes completely mad in his last chorus.

I don't know whether or not it is usually considered complimentary to accuse a man of being insane, but from me it is the highest form of flattery - where musicians are concerned that is. If I say aman is crazy, you may be sure that I think he is very, very good. (All musicians please note, and American papers please copy)

Seriously though; "Jamaica Shout" is not jazz in it's highest form I know, but it is a grand and glorious noise. I should hardly think that Horace Henderson ever intended it to be played that way when he wrote the number, but I have no doubt that he enjoyed it when heard it. I did, and you will too, I hope.

That is what all the reviews I will write from now on will read like.

it's like the girl in strangers to paradise (or whatever that jarmusch film is called), talking about screamin jay hawkins: "he is a wild man, so bug off!"

Prototype of all Jandek reviews or of all Robbie Williams ones?