L'Italo-Americano

L'Italo-Americano THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 19, 2019 www.italoamericano.org 6 NEWS & FEATURES TOP STORIES PEOPLE EVENTS board Jazz Chart. "The songs are a representation of what Italian Americans grew up with back in the 40s, and that carried on throughout generations. They played this music in their family homes, at Sunday dinners, wed- dings, and they are just beloved songs," explained Lena. For many Italians and Sicil- ians, Prima provided a combina- tion of Dixieland and swing. "Louis Prima was my childhood hero growing up in New Orleans," said Rocco Cardona, a taxi driver and a lifelong resident of the Big Easy. "We loved the guy because he was Sicilian like many of us," Rocco said. Similar to Rocco and his family, Louis Prima's relatives, like most Sicil- ians in New Orleans, emigrated from the island in the late 19th century to find work in the Louisiana fields. Several thousand Sicilian immigrants disembarked along the Mississippi and reached New Orleans. Many lived in the French Quarter and adjoining dis- tricts, and by 1910, there were more than 23,000 Italians living in Louisiana. At one point, the French Quarter was sometimes referred to as Little Palermo. Louis Prima, the second child of Anthony Prima and Angelina Caravella, was born on St. Peter Street in the Tremé neighborhood of the Big Easy. Louis' older brother Leon, a musician, inspired him to play the trumpet as did Louis Satchmo Armstrong. Louis was lucky enough to hear and learn from many of his hometown musi- cians, and that was the secret to his success. Prima's hepcat jive and musi- cal improvisation impressed many in the jazz world, especially because of his Italian American upbringing in New Orleans. The city, as it was typical of most urban centers, was defined by various cultures and allowed Prima to interact with all races and nationalities. "I remember hearing a BBC interview of my dad in the early 1970s where he described growing up in a neigh- borhood with no fences in between houses and the streets were made of mud," said Lena. One of the songs on Prima la Famiglia, which Lena sings, is Darktown Strutters Ball, a direct New Orleans sound that her father first sang in Sicilian and Yiddish. "He would sometimes end his shows singing C'è la Luna Mezz'o Mare and suddenly cross over to Hava Naglia, and the audiences would go into a frenzy," explained Lena. As Lena has grown older, it has gotten closer to her Italo American roots. "My father was very proud of his city and culture and he would always tell me 'be proud of your name, Prima means first.'" In 2011, Lena and her husband decided to move from Las Vegas to her father's hometown. Deter- mined to reconnect with her Louisiana heritage, Lena started a nonprofit organization that recog- nizes Italian American women/men from the state. "I want to work on fun ways to edu- cate others about the rich Italian heritage in Louisiana and perpetu- ate the Italian American legacy and traditions," said the singer/songwriter, who was moti- vated to start CIAO Women by another Italo American. "Actually I was inspired to start CIAO Women because of Charles Marsala who honored me a few years ago during Italian Republic Day," Lena said. Charles, a Louisiana native, is very active in preserving and informing visitors about Italian history in the state. He is the host of AWE News that celebrates local heroes in their communities. He launched a tour app for Little Palermo and was recently elected President of Italian American East Organization. "Lena is amazing for New Orleans. She performs many of her father's hits throughout the state and is truly an inspiration," declared Charles. Just like Charles Marsala, Lena is committed to honoring the strong Italian traditions in New Orleans and, like her father, to bringing joy through the won- derful sounds of jazz. Louis Prima in a promotional picture (1957) (Ⓒ: Hogan Jazz Archive) Courtesy of New Orleans Jazz Museum Continued from page 4

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