Jack Fina
Jack Fina (August 13, 1913 – May 14, 1970) was a bandleader, songwriter, and pianist. Fina was born in Passaic, New Jersey, and educated at the New York College of Music and was a student of August Fraemcke and Elsa Nicilini. He started out playing piano in Clyde McCoy's band sometime in the 1930s, but it wasn't until he joined Freddy Martin’s band in 1936 that he gained real fame, when he was featured on Martin’s famous recording of "Tonight We Love". In 1946, Jack Fina formed his own 16-piece band, with Freddy Martin's blessing and financial backing. His first appearance was at the Claremont Hotel. The vocals were handled by Harry Prime and Gil Lewis. With good air time and good recordings, Fina became a national figure. Following up on the success of "Tonight We Love," Fina again turned to the classics and composed a boogie-woogie variation on Rimsky-Korsakov's "Flight of the Bumblebee." Fina's version, "Bumble Boogie", became a huge hit; Fina performed it as a solo piano specialty in the 1946 Columbia Pictures musical It's Great to Be Young. Fina appeared at some of the top venues in the country, including the Waldorf-Astoria, the Aragon Ballroom, and the famous illegal gambling casino/night club in Galveston, the Balinese Room. He also appeared in several films, including Melody Time (Bumble Boogie sequence, 1948) and Disc Jockey (1951). A noted songwriter, his credits included Dream Sonata (his theme song), Chango and Piano Portraits. In the 1950s, he reduced the size of his band and settled in San Francisco. He also operated a talent agency called the Concerto Music & Entertainment Agency with his manager Al King. In the early 1960s he appeared as a single on Dick Sinclair’s television show. In 1962 Fina joined the staff of the Beverly Hills Hotel in Sherman Oaks, California, where he led a small band for eight successful years. The engagement was curtailed by his death at age 56, from a heart attack. He is buried at Forest Lawn Cemetery, Hollywood Hills. |
Birth and Death Data: Born August 13, 1913 (Passaic), Died May 14, 1970 (California)
Date Range of DAHR Recordings: 1938 - 1949
Roles Represented in DAHR: piano, electric organ, songwriter, composer, arranger
= Recordings are available for online listening.
= Recordings were issued from this master. No recordings issued from other masters.
Recordings (Results 51-75 of 112 records)
Company | Matrix No. | Size | First Recording Date | Title | Primary Performer | Description | Role | Audio |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Victor | PBS-055265 | 10-in. | 1/27/1941 | Boa noite | Freddy Martin Orchestra ; Clyde Rogers | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo | instrumentalist, piano | |
Victor | PBS-055266 | 10-in. | 1/27/1941 | Too beautiful to last | Freddy Martin Orchestra ; Eddie Stone | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo | instrumentalist, piano | |
Victor | PBS-055267 | 10-in. | 1/27/1941 | They met in Rio (A midnight serenade) | Freddy Martin Orchestra ; Clyde Rogers | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo | instrumentalist, piano | |
Victor | PBS-055489 | 10-in. | 3/26/1941 | Beneath the lights of home (in a little old sleepy town) | Freddy Martin Orchestra ; Clyde Rogers | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo | instrumentalist, piano | |
Victor | PBS-055490 | 10-in. | 3/26/1941 | Intermezzo | Jack Fina ; Freddy Martin Orchestra ; Clyde Rogers | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo and piano solo | instrumentalist, piano | |
Victor | PBS-055491 | 10-in. | 3/26/1941 | Sing a song of spring | Freddy Martin Orchestra ; Eddie Stone | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo | instrumentalist, piano | |
Victor | PBS-055492 | 10-in. | 3/26/1941 | You mean so much to me | Freddy Martin Orchestra ; Eddie Stone | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo | instrumentalist, piano | |
Victor | PBS-055493 | 10-in. | 3/26/1941 | Do you believe in fairy tales? | Freddy Martin Orchestra ; Clyde Rogers | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo | instrumentalist, piano | |
Victor | PBS-055494 | 10-in. | 3/26/1941 | Nice dreamin' baby | Freddy Martin Orchestra ; Eddie Stone | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo | instrumentalist, piano | |
Victor | PBS-061193 | 10-in. | 4/24/1941 | Til reveille | Freddy Martin Orchestra ; Clyde Rogers | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo | instrumentalist, piano | |
Victor | PBS-061194 | 10-in. | 4/24/1941 | The Swiss bellringer | Freddy Martin Orchestra ; Eddie Stone | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo | instrumentalist, piano | |
Victor | PBS-061195 | 10-in. | 4/24/1941 | The Karlstad Ball | Freddy Martin Orchestra | Jazz/dance band | instrumentalist, piano | |
Victor | PBS-061196 | 10-in. | 4/24/1941 | Where in the world | Freddy Martin Orchestra ; Clyde Rogers | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo | instrumentalist, piano | |
Victor | PBS-061197 | 10-in. | 4/24/1941 | Flamingo | Freddy Martin Orchestra | Jazz/dance band | instrumentalist, piano | |
Victor | PBS-061198 | 10-in. | 4/24/1941 | The hut-sut song (A Swedish serenade) | Freddy Martin Orchestra ; Eddie Stone | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo | instrumentalist, piano | |
Victor | PBS-061300 | 10-in. | 6/16/1941 | Why don't we do this more often | Freddy Martin Orchestra ; Eddie Stone | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo | instrumentalist, piano | |
Victor | PBS-061301 | 10-in. | 6/16/1941 | Piano concerto in B flat | Jack Fina ; Freddy Martin Orchestra | Jazz/dance band | arranger, instrumentalist, piano | |
Victor | PBS-061302 | 10-in. | 6/16/1941 | Rancho pillow | Freddy Martin Orchestra | Jazz/dance band, with vocal quartet | instrumentalist, piano | |
Victor | PBS-061303 | 10-in. | 6/16/1941 | You'll never remember | Freddy Martin Orchestra ; Jack Owens | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo | instrumentalist, piano | |
Victor | PBS-061374 | 10-in. | 7/23/1941 | Blue champagne | Freddy Martin Orchestra | Jazz/dance band | instrumentalist, piano | |
Victor | PBS-061375 | 10-in. | 7/23/1941 | Let's put two and two together | Freddy Martin Orchestra ; Clyde Rogers | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo | instrumentalist, piano | |
Victor | PBS-061376 | 10-in. | 7/23/1941 | I'll wait for you | Freddy Martin Orchestra ; Eddie Stone | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo | instrumentalist, piano | |
Victor | PBS-061377 | 10-in. | 7/23/1941 | Have you Changed? | Freddy Martin Orchestra ; Clyde Rogers | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo | instrumentalist, piano | |
Victor | PBS-061378 | 10-in. | 7/23/1941 | Is it taboo? (To fall in love with you) | Freddy Martin Orchestra ; Clyde Rogers | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo | instrumentalist, piano | |
Victor | PBS-061379 | 10-in. | 7/23/1941 | Be honest with me | Freddy Martin Orchestra ; Clyde Rogers ; Eddie Stone | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal duet and vocal ensemble | instrumentalist, piano |
Citation
Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Fina, Jack," accessed November 21, 2024, https://adpprod1.library.ucsb.edu/names/110096.
Fina, Jack. (2024). In Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved November 21, 2024, from https://adpprod1.library.ucsb.edu/names/110096.
"Fina, Jack." Discography of American Historical Recordings. UC Santa Barbara Library, 2024. Web. 21 November 2024.
DAHR Persistent Identifier
Linked Open Data Sources
LCNAR: Fina, Jack, 1913-1970 - http://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/no95047238
Wikidata: Jack Fina - http://www.wikidata.org/entity/Q1677037
VIAF: http://viaf.org/viaf/86864688
MusicBrainz: Jack Fina - https://musicbrainz.org/artist/d8219e84-28fa-44d0-9c9c-020d2008911b
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