Musical Offerings ⦁ 2026 ⦁ Volume 17 ⦁ Number 1 45 Continuing this trend, Prima’s arrangement of George Gershwin’s “Embraceable You” comes in the form of a duet with his fourth wife, Keely Smith. The song opens with Smith singing the melody in a traditional jazz ballad style, accompanied by lush piano chords underneath. However, when Prima takes over the melody, the accompaniment changes to a more rhythmic triplet feel, again in the rigid, non-swinging manner of a tarantella (see Example 6). Example 6: Louis Prima, “Embraceable You/I Got It Bad and That Ain’t Good,” mm. 7–12 (transcription by the author). Note the transition from the less restrictive ballad style in the piano to the more rigid triplet feel.
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