“Like his father, Prima, Jr. is a talented entertainer whose jocular vocals led much of the action… it catapulted the sound into the present. These stunning Witnesses enjoyed numerous featured spots as vocal and instrumentalists. Tireless doesn’t begin to describe each perspiration-filled moment.”- New York City Jazz Record.
Louis Prima Jr. and The Witnesses are a boisterous, horn-driven, 10-piece New Orleans-style band known for their energetic performances that raise the roof and bring audiences to their feet. Their eclectic and rowdy style crosses several genres, from big band and swing to rock and blues, combining original music from their two albums with tail-shakin’ and foot stompin’ favorites from the five-decade career of Louis Prima Sr. With the band’s collective talents and diverse musical tastes, their shows have a sound that is unique while staying true to the vintage Prima style!
Music critics have described Louis Prima Jr. and The Witnesses as “changing the face of ‘big band’ music by combining facets of swing, rock, and soul and packing it into one giant punch,” “unafraid to breach the vast divide between the golden age of jazz and big band music and hard-hitting rock and roll” and taking “the robust, swinging jump-blues style of his father and [driving] it up a notch with a contemporary energy of his own.”
Prima Jr. is the son of legendary entertainer Louis Prima, known for his New Orleans-flavored music and lively performances. Prima had a career that spanned five decades and included record-breaking contracts to perform in Las Vegas, where legends such as Frank Sinatra, Elvis Presley, and Louis Armstrong would regularly jump on stage with the entertainer and his band. His popularity was so great at one point that he was asked to perform at the inauguration of John F. Kennedy. His classic “Sing, Sing, Sing” was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame, he won the first-ever Music Group Grammy for “That Old Black Magic,” and his classic “Jump, Jive ‘an Wail” went on to start a swing revolution in the 90s.