Please welcome to our show one of the most dynamic jazz performers of our time,
Lena Prima, daughter of jazz great Louis Prima, who has clearly carved out a name for
herself in New Orleans and around the globe for her electrifying stage performances
and albums.

I grew up with Louis Prima’s music playing in our Italian household. My parents, aunts,
and uncles would dance to his music late into the evening on many weekends. So I
was thrilled to meet Lena at the Italian American Museum in LA where she performed
a few months ago, celebrating the Louis Prima exhibit currently on display there.
Lena is a one-of-a-kind of jazz singer and performer, much like her dad. Her energy is
the kind that comes around once in a generation, and watching her perform with her
band, I can only imagine what it was like for her on stage with her dad when she was a
kid. Sadly, Louis Prima died when Lena was 11, complications from a benign brain
tumor. But everything about him in those eleven years made a permanent impression
on Lena to this day.

Lena grew up in Vegas but frequented New Orleans where her dad grew up. And her
mom, Gia Malone, was also a singer and performer. Lena started her career in rock,
but got the calling to perform jazz, and eventually plant roots in New Orleans, where
she performs to this day.

There’s a lot to talk about with Lena. Please join our conversation on all video and
audio platforms of my #LittleItalyPodcast, #LittleItalyOfLAPodcast, &
#DeborahKobyltLIVE. I’m your host, #DeborahZaraKobylt, and I thank you for being
here. Please invite your friends, too! We’re so excited to have Lena Prima joining us󰏢