Keely Smith Essentials

Keely Smith Essentials

Keely Smith had what husband Louis Prima called the gleeby rhythm. The singer, born in 1932, could take the daring intensity and madcap playfulness of swing jazz instrumentals and express them in her cool, strong vocals. In "The Lip", a collaboration with Prima (who literally and figuratively toots his own horn in the background), she reminisces about a trumpet player she once heard at a dive bar in Mississippi. On "What Is This Thing Called Love", a solo cut, she nimbly tiptoes between orchestral blasts, crooning the standard with her usual combination of mystery and whimsy.

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