Musical Offerings ⦁ 2026 ⦁ Volume 17 ⦁ Number 1 43 Example 4: Louis Prima, “I Don’t Wanna Marry the Girl from Napoli,” mm. 33–36 (transcription by the author). When Prima performed his Italian novelties, he would affect an Italian American dialect with an exaggerated Italian accent. Additionally, he would sing with a more belted and nasal tone, which was commonly how vocal tarantellas were traditionally sung, especially by women.31 Prima also incorporated the rhythms of the tarantella into his arrangements of jazz standards. One example is his arrangement of “Just a Gigolo/I Ain’t Got Nobody” (see Example 5). This piece is a medley of the Austrian tango “Schöner Gigolo, armer Gigolo,” written by Italian composer Leonello Casucci, and Spencer Williams’s pop standard “I Ain’t Got Nobody.” Prima’s arrangement set the medley to more of a 31 Youngblood, personal interview, February 15, 2024.
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