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Major influences:
Teddy Wilson,
Mel Powell,
Ellis Larkins, and
Duke Ellington. As a precocious 15-year-old,
Gene DiNovi worked in 1943 with bandleader
Henry Jerome, who was at that time preparing to convert his
Hal Kemp-styled dance band into a modern bop ensemble.
DiNovi's transition from swing to bop manifested itself in recordings with Chicago-style clarinetist
Joe Marsala and progressive clarinet/tenor man
Aaron Sachs. In December of 1947, while working at the Three Deuces with guitarist
Chuck Wayne,
DiNovi was suddenly asked to back
Lester Young on what was to be
Prez's very last session for the Aladdin record label.
Wayne was also invited, as were bassist
Curly Russell and drummer
Norman "Tiny" Kahn. The four titles recorded with
Lester Young on December 29, 1947 give us what are perhaps the best examples of
DiNovi's sound during these formative years. On September 9, 1948
DiNovi sat in with Benny Goodman & His Septet alongside
Fats Navarro and
Wardell Gray. What resulted was a lively version of
Fats Waller's "Stealin' Apples."
DiNovi stayed busy, gigging with tenor saxophonist
Brew Moore and with clarinetists
Buddy DeFranco and
Artie Shaw. He also wrote the orchestral arrangement for bassist
Chubby Jackson's "So Wrong." Beginning in 1950,
DiNovi evolved into an accomplished accompanist for popular vocalists. If his presence behind
Una Mae Carlisle with the
Bob Chester band is historically interesting, the work he did with
Peggy Lee,
Tony Bennett,
Thelma Carpenter,
Lena Horne,
Dinah Shore, and
Carmen McRae shows him adapting to the times. Without compromising anybody's integrity,
DiNovi solidified his ties to show business while continuing to play a vital supporting role in the evolution of jazz. Upon request, he wrote an arrangement for
Lena Horne's version of
Harold Arlen's "Out of This World" and it was
Horne who introduced
DiNovi to
Billy Strayhorn, who eventually hooked him up with
Duke Ellington. Since
DiNovi became a predominately solo act during the '70s, he has distinguished himself as a gifted interpreter of the
Ellington/
Strayhorn songbook. During the late '90s
DiNovi established an annual seven-day birthday tribute to
Ellington in Toronto. Exceptionally adept and sensitive enough to handle music of great subtlety and depth, he deserves more honor and recognition than the world has given him over the years. ~ arwulf arwulf