Gene DiNovi, Today and Yesterday

Gene DiNovi is a gorgeous jazz pianist. One of the early New York players in the mid-1940s who had figured out bop, DiNovi at 15 was pulled up to the bandstand at the Spotlite Club on 52nd Street by Dizzy Gillespie in 1944 to play bop behind him when his pianist went missing. Then Charlie Parker came out to join, and DiNovi held his own.

DiNovi played in some amazing bands with exceptional musicians in the late 1940s and then went on to accompany vocalists such as Tony Bennett in the 1950s. He also recorded in some excellent small groups. By the 1960s and beyond, he worked increasingly as a studio musician and composer for the movies. He also played as house pianist for the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation and worked in Toronto with Don Thompson and other great Canadian jazz musicians.

Born in 1928, DiNovi is still with us today and, like Terry Gibbs, who also is still swinging, they are among the last of the greats who recorded in top bands of the pre-LP era, an extraordinary time in American music.

Let's listen to 10 clips by the elegant Gene DiNovi, starting with his contemporary recordings and back into his fabulous records from the late 1940s:

Here's DiNovi in 2004 in Japan playing It's You Or No One with Neil Swainson on bass and Joe LaBarbera on drums...



Here's DiNovi playing Speak Low in Toronto with Dave Young on bass and Terry Clarke on drums in 1993...



Here's DiNovi in Japan playing Autumn in New York in 2009, with Ichiro Sakai on bass and Kazuaki Yokoyama on drums...



Here's DiNovi in 1946 with Aaron Sachs' Manor Re-Bops playing Aaron's Axe. The Band: Aaron Sachs (cl), Terry Gibbs (vib), Gene Di Novi (p), Clyde Lombardi (b) and Tiny Kahn (d)...



Here's DiNovi with Lester Young and His Quartet in 1947 playing Something to Remember You By. The band: Lester Young (ts), Gene DiNovi (p), Chuck Wayne (el-g), Curly Russell (b) and Tiny Kahn (d)...



Here's DiNovi in Benny Goodman's spectacular bebop septet in 1948 playing Stealin' Apples. One of the rare examples of Benny as a group's minor participant struggling to break the swing thing and play bop. The band: Fats Navarro (tp), Benny Goodman (cl), Wardell Gray (ts), Gene DiNovi (p), Mundell Lowe (g), Clyde Lombardi (b) and Mel Zelnick (d)...



Here's DiNovi with Brew Moore and His Playboys playing Brew Blew in 1948. The band: Brew Moore (ts), Gene Di Novi (p), Jimmy Johnson (b) and Jimmy Dee (d). Nice solo by DiNovi...



Here's DiNovi rehearsing with Gene Roland's Boppers in 1949, playing Oh, Them Saxophones. The band included an insanely great sax section that preceded Woody Herman's recording of Four Brothers. Dig the reed section: Gene Roland (tp,v-tb,p,arr), Danny Blue, Dan Baxter, Jerry Lloyd Hurwitz and Dale Pierce (tp); Al Cohn, Stan Getz, Zoot Sims (ts); Gerry Mulligan (bar); Gene Di Novi (p); Red Kelly (b) and Tiny Kahn (d)...

Oh! Them Saxophones

Here's DiNovi with Chubby Jackson's big band at the Royal Roost in 1949 playing George Wallington's Godchild. Bet you didn't know Tiny Kahn could sing. That's Tiny scatting the vocal. The band: Norman Faye, Al Porcino, and Charlie Walp (tp); Mario Daone and Rob Swope (tb); Frank Socolow (as); Ray Turner and Al Epstein (ts); Marty Flax (bar); Teddy Charles (vib); Gene DiNovi (p); Red Kelly (b); and Tiny Kahn (d,vcl) with Joe Harris (bgo,cga) and Chubby Jackson (cond,vcl)...



And here's DiNovi with Artie Shaw and His New Music String Quartet playing Mood in Question in 1949, arranged by Shaw. The band: Artie Shaw (cl); Alan Shulman (cello), plus two unknown violins, a viola and a harp; Gene Di Novi (p), Arnold Fishkin (b) and Irv Kluger (d)...