It is amazing how some New Orleans music, while still full of the soul and authenticity that is secreted from the pores of the Crescent City, can still sound good in the context of a place full of schmaltz and artifice such as mid 1960s Las Vegas. Recently, Request Records has issued Live Jazz From Club 15, a series of live radio broadcasts of jazz stalwarts such as Maynard Ferguson and Stan Getz. One of these CDs features two great New Orleans players whose music went over superbly in Las Vegas, Louis Prima and Pete Fountain.

The first half of the album showcases Prima’s enthusiastic showmanship as he sings signature pieces such as “Oh Marie” and “Buono Sera.” He’s in excellent form, singing and cutting up with saxophonist Sam Butera and his band, the Witnesses. Prima’s shtick, which could become tiresome in his later years, still contains enough charm to complement the music, not overwhelm it. Butera’s saxophone jumps, jives, and wails the way late period swing music should.

The second half of the disc highlights clarinetist Pete Fountain. Fountain’s tone is clear and pure, and his improvisations are nimble as he does several of his signature songs including “Do You Know What It Means To Miss New Orleans” and a too-short version of “Way Down Yonder In New Orleans.” His playing is exciting, especially during his multiple solos during the 13-minute version of “Struttin’ With Some Barbeque.” Both Fountain and Prima’s performances show that even in the era when Allen Toussaint’s rhythm and blues were surrendering to the Beatles and the British Invasion, New Orleans jazz and swing could still knock them dead.