L'Italo-Americano

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 12, 2015 www.italoamericano.org 16 L'Italo-Americano ITALIAN SECTION | R e c e n t l y m y d a u g h t e r s h a v e b e c o m e f i x a t e d with Walt Disney's 1967 a n i m a t e d m o v i e T h e J u n g l e B o o k , s t a r r i n g L o u i s P r i m a . Now, before I continue, I need to explain that being a parent is unparalleled to any ebullient experience you will ever have in life, and like many parents today, my wife and I are torn between the amount of time and exposure our daughters have to technology. P a r e n t s o f f e r t h e i r u n c o n d i t i o n a l l o v e a n d attention to their offspring. This also means limiting a child's television and video interests, and ultimately running the risk o f a c h i l d ' s m e l t d o w n e s p e c i a l l y w h e n a m o t h e r a n d / o r f a t h e r d e c l a r e s , " I t ' s t i m e f o r d i n n e r , n o m o r e television." One night, I decided with t r e p i d a t i o n , t o g i v e i n a n d change the routine, sometimes giving in to a child's demands is the right decision. I must confess, however, what sparked my interest and decision was t h a t I h a v e n e v e r s e e n T h e Jungle Book, even when I was their age. I was therefore, very c u r i o u s w h e n m y o l d e r daughter requested to watch it f o r w h a t a p p e a r e d t o b e t h e hundredth time in a week. The f i l m i s b a s e d o n R u d y a r d Kipling's collection of stories p u b l i s h e d i n 1 8 9 4 w h i l e h e journeyed through India. The other reason why I did n o t r e s i s t t o m y d a u g h t e r ' s usual defiance when she replies in her excited voice, "Please D a d d y c a n I s e e T h e J u n g l e B o o k o n e m o r e t i m e , P l e a s e D a d d y ! " w a s t h a t I a d o r e d w a t c h i n g h e r r o l e - p l a y h e r f a v o r i t e c h a r a c t e r s f r o m t h e movie, Mowgli, the orphaned b o y w h o i s b e i n g r a i s e d b y animals in the jungle, and King Louie, an orangutan. I n t h e p a s t , w h i l e m y daughters watched the animated movie, I would overhear the raspy voice of the orangutan in t h e b a c k g r o u n d w h i l e I w a s m u l t i - t a s k i n g . T h e v o i c e ALFONSO GUERRIERO JR. My Daughters and the Louis Prima Connection Singer, actor, songwriter, and trumpeter Louis Prima sounded familiar (almost like Louis Armstrong) but I was too involved with my own work to pay any real attention. T h i s t i m e w h i l e m y daughters and I took our spots o n t h e c o u c h t o w a t c h t h e movie, the film credits showed the actors name and their roles i n t h e m o v i e . I i m m e d i a t e l y noticed the orangutan's voice w a s n o n e o t h e r t h a n L o u i s Prima. It was predestined for Louis Prima to be crowned the sobriquet The King of Swing a n d b e c o m e a j a z z / b l u e s musician. His mother Angelina valued m u s i c a n d s h e w a n t e d h e r children to play an instrument. Although he did not enjoy it, young Louis learned to play the v i o l i n a n d f o r h i m t h e woodwind instrument was too r i g i d . H i s m o t h e r e n j o y e d Italian opera so he went along and played the instrument until he heard a new sound. L o u i s w a s b o r n i n N e w Orleans in 1910 and by the age of ten he had experienced the g e n e s i s o f t h e J a z z A g e i n A m e r i c a . H i s p a r e n t s w e r e immigrants from Italy living in a n e i g h b o r h o o d d e n s e l y populated not only by Italians but African Americans. W h e n y o u n g L o u i s h e a r d o n e o f t h e p i o n e e r s o f J a z z , Louis Armstrong, perform his magic on the brass instrument he was hooked. He started to p l a y t h e c o r n e t a n d b e f o r e dropping out of high school in 1928, he formed his own band with some of his local Italian buddies who were also drawn to t h i s n e w m u s i c a l p h e n o m e n o n . T h e R o a r i n g Twenties decade was defined by music and young Louis wanted to be part of this monumental moment in music history. As the Jazz Age waned, the Great Depression arrived and Louis toured the country with o t h e r b a n d m e m b e r s . H e e v e n t u a l l y t r a v e l e d t o e v e r y Jazz musician's dream The Big Apple. It is alleged that New York City received its moniker because of a jazz club called the Big Apple Restaurant & Jazz Club in Harlem and hence the name became synonymous with Jazz musicians when playing in New York City. Prior to arriving to the Big A p p l e i n t h e 1 9 3 0 s , L o u i s b e g a n m a k i n g a n a m e f o r himself in some of the popular jazz clubs in New Orleans and e v e n t u a l l y h e w e n t t o N e w York City. Unfortunately while in NYC he was confronted with the vitriolic treatment that so o f t e n a c c o s t e d I t a l i a n Americans as well as African Americans during the 1930s. Although the Jim Crow laws were part of Southern culture, the North did not escape from its own prejudices. Writer Gary B o u l a r d e x p l a i n s t h a t w h i l e Louis was in New York City, he w a s t o p e r f o r m a t L e o n a n d Eddie's on West 52 nd Street, but one of the owners of the jazz club thought Louis was African American and did not hire him for the gig. The trumpeter had already e x p e r i e n c e d s e g r e g a t i o n between Black and White as he grew up in New Orleans. For Louis some of his friends were A f r i c a n A m e r i c a n s a n d although they could not perform together publicly, he jammed w i t h m a n y B l a c k m u s i c i a n s privately. The experience in N e w Y o r k C i t y w a s n o t a setback for Louis because he knew eventually music brings all groups of people together including fathers and daughters. I r o n i c a l l y , P r i m a ' s popularity as well as his band the Witnesses increased despite anti-Italian sentiment during pre and post-World War II. Some of his hits songs were Angelina, Please No Squeeza Da Banana, Bacci Galupe (Made Love on t h e S t o o p ) , J u s t a G i g o l o , I Ain't Got Nobody and I Wanna Be Like You from The Jungle Book movie. As my daughters and I heard Prima's I Wanna be Like You, I attempted to lead and imitate the orangutan's moves, much to my daughters laughter. I later l e a r n e d t h a t t h e a n i m a t o r s mimicked Louis moves while he was in the recording studio. Prima, like so many great jazz musicians, used improvisation while he recorded I Wanna Be Like You, and the producers and a n i m a t o r s u s e d m o s t o f h i s m o v e s a n d g e s t u r e s i n t h e a n i m a t e d m o v i e f r o m t h e recording studio. M y d a u g h t e r s a n d I h a d created a special moment as we bonded to the music of King Louie. I also realized that it's not just the sound of the music that brings everyone together b u t t h e p e r s o n a l i t y w h o i s behind the music that becomes everlasting. As radio host and s i n g e r R o n C a n n a t e l l a s a i d , "When you think of the Mount Rushmore of Italians, Sinatra, M a r i o L a n z a , C a r u s o , T o n y Bennet and Louis Prima…he made us proud." These days when I ask my older daughter if she wants to watch The Jungle Book, her response is usually, "No Daddy, we have already seen enough of that." LA VITA ITALIANA TRADITIONS HISTORY CULTURE

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