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 1-25 of 112 records)
Company | Matrix No. | Size | First Recording Date | Title | Primary Performer | Description | Role | Audio |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Victor | PBS-019406 | 10-in. | 7/7/1938 | So help me (If I don't love you) | Elmer Feldkamp ; Freddy Martin Orchestra | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo | instrumentalist, piano | |
Victor | PBS-019407 | 10-in. | 7/7/1938 | Confidentially | Elmer Feldkamp ; Freddy Martin Orchestra | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo | instrumentalist, piano | |
Victor | PBS-019408 | 10-in. | 7/7/1938 | Love is where you find it | Freddy Martin Orchestra ; Gene Walsh | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo | instrumentalist, piano | |
Victor | PBS-019409 | 10-in. | 7/7/1938 | There's a brand new picture in my picture frame | Freddy Martin Orchestra ; Gene Walsh | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo | instrumentalist, piano | |
Victor | PBS-019410 | 10-in. | 7/7/1938 | Wolverine blues | Freddy Martin Orchestra | Jazz/dance band | instrumentalist, piano | |
Victor | PBS-019411 | 10-in. | 7/7/1938 | Milenberg joys | Freddy Martin Orchestra | Jazz/dance band | instrumentalist, piano | |
Victor | PBS-026229 | 10-in. | 11/6/1938 | Jaywalk | Freddy Martin Orchestra | Jazz/dance band | instrumentalist, piano, electric organ | |
Victor | PBS-026230 | 10-in. | 11/6/1938 | These funny old hills | Freddy Martin Orchestra ; Bill Stoker | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo | instrumentalist, piano, electric organ | |
Victor | PBS-026231 | 10-in. | 11/6/1938 | Joobalai | Freddy Martin Orchestra ; Gene Walsh | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo | instrumentalist, piano, electric organ | |
Victor | PBS-026232 | 10-in. | 11/6/1938 | Bye-lo-bye lullaby | Freddy Martin Orchestra ; Bill Stoker | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo | instrumentalist, piano, electric organ | |
Victor | BS-034965 | 10-in. | 6/9/1939 | Let's make memories tonight | Freddy Martin Orchestra ; Bill Stoker | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo | instrumentalist, piano, electric organ | |
Victor | BS-034966 | 10-in. | 6/9/1939 | A boy named Lem (And a girl named Sue) | Freddy Martin Orchestra ; Fran Rogers | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo | instrumentalist, piano, electric organ | |
Victor | BS-034967 | 10-in. | 6/9/1939 | There's only one in love (And yet there should be two) | Freddy Martin Orchestra ; Bill Stoker | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo | instrumentalist, piano, electric organ | |
Victor | BS-034968 | 10-in. | 6/9/1939 | An old fashioned tune always is new | Freddy Martin Orchestra ; Bill Stoker | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo | instrumentalist, piano, electric organ | |
Victor | BS-034969 | 10-in. | 6/9/1939 | It seems like old times | Freddy Martin Orchestra ; Bill Stoker | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo | instrumentalist, piano, electric organ | |
Victor | BS-034970 | 10-in. | 6/9/1939 | Cuba-duba-doo | Freddy Martin Orchestra ; Fran Rogers | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo | instrumentalist, piano, electric organ | |
Victor | BS-040237 | 10-in. | 7/3/1939 | Let's disappear | Freddy Martin Orchestra ; Bill Stoker | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo | instrumentalist, piano, electric organ | |
Victor | BS-040238 | 10-in. | 7/3/1939 | Running through my mind | Freddy Martin Orchestra ; Bill Stoker | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo | instrumentalist, piano, electric organ | |
Victor | BS-040239 | 10-in. | 7/3/1939 | Let's trade a diamond for a heart | Freddy Martin Orchestra ; Fran Rogers | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo | instrumentalist, piano, electric organ | |
Victor | BS-040240 | 10-in. | 7/3/1939 | The thrill of a new romance | Freddy Martin Orchestra ; Bill Stoker | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo | instrumentalist, piano, electric organ | |
Victor | BS-040241 | 10-in. | 7/3/1939 | You're the moment in my life | Freddy Martin Orchestra ; Bill Stoker | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo | instrumentalist, piano, electric organ | |
Victor | BS-040242 | 10-in. | 7/3/1939 | Winter blossoms | Freddy Martin Orchestra ; Bill Stoker | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo | instrumentalist, piano, electric organ | |
Victor | PBS-042125 | 10-in. | 9/18/1939 | Mama's gone, good bye | Freddy Martin Orchestra ; Glenn Hughes | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo and vocal trio | instrumentalist, piano, electric organ | |
Victor | PBS-042126 | 10-in. | 9/18/1939 | Violets | Freddy Martin Orchestra | Jazz/dance band | instrumentalist, piano, electric organ | |
Victor | PBS-042127 | 10-in. | 9/18/1939 | The sweetheart of Sigma Chi | Freddy Martin Orchestra ; Bill Stoker | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo | instrumentalist, piano, electric organ |
Citation
Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Fina, Jack," accessed November 4, 2024, https://adpprod2.library.ucsb.edu/names/110096.
Fina, Jack. (2024). In Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved November 4, 2024, from https://adpprod2.library.ucsb.edu/names/110096.
"Fina, Jack." Discography of American Historical Recordings. UC Santa Barbara Library, 2024. Web. 4 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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