Louis Prima: Pennies from Heaven

I’m not sure that Louis Prima was capable of singing a song without getting goofy with it, but that’s especially true of his recording of “Pennies from Heaven”. I especially like the mid-section where he gets into a kind of contest with his bandleader, Sam Butera. Prima scats a phrase, and Butera echoes it on trumpet, back and forth, until finally Butera flubs it and Prima crows, “I knew I’d get ya, I knew I’d get ya” as they move into the finale. Lots of fun, even if Keely Smith is missing.