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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