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 76-100 of 112 records)

Company Matrix No. Size First Recording Date Title Primary Performer Description Role Audio
Victor PBS-061546 10-in. 8/25/1941 Rose O'Day (The filla-ga-dusha song) Freddy Martin Orchestra ; Eddie Stone Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo and vocal ensemble instrumentalist, piano  
Victor PBS-061547 10-in. 8/25/1941 So shy Freddy Martin Orchestra ; Eddie Stone Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo instrumentalist, piano  
Victor PBS-061548 10-in. 8/25/1941 By-u by-o (The Lou'siana lullaby) Freddy Martin Orchestra ; Clyde Rogers Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo and vocal quartet instrumentalist, piano  
Victor PBS-061549 10-in. 8/25/1941 Miss you Freddy Martin Orchestra ; Clyde Rogers Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo instrumentalist, piano  
Victor PBS-061663 10-in. 9/17/1941 Carmen Carmela Freddy Martin Orchestra ; Clyde Rogers Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo instrumentalist, piano  
Victor PBS-061664 10-in. 9/17/1941 Whistling in the night Freddy Martin Orchestra ; Eddie Stone Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo instrumentalist, piano  
Victor PBS-061665 10-in. 9/17/1941 Symphonie moderne Jack Fina ; Freddy Martin Orchestra Jazz/dance band, with piano solo instrumentalist, piano  
Victor PBS-061666 10-in. 9/17/1941 Tonight we love Freddy Martin Orchestra ; Clyde Rogers Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo instrumentalist, piano  
Victor PBS-061667 10-in. 9/17/1941 Who are you? Freddy Martin Orchestra ; Clyde Rogers Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo and vocal quartet instrumentalist, piano  
Victor PBS-061668 10-in. 9/17/1941 The anniversary waltz Freddy Martin Orchestra ; Clyde Rogers Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo instrumentalist, piano  
Victor PBS-061948 10-in. 12/3/1941 I'll never forget Freddy Martin Orchestra ; Clyde Rogers Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo instrumentalist, piano  
Victor PBS-061949 10-in. 12/3/1941 Until the stars fall down Freddy Martin Orchestra ; Clyde Rogers Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo instrumentalist, piano  
Victor PBS-061950 10-in. 12/3/1941 'Tis autumn Freddy Martin Orchestra ; Clyde Rogers Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo instrumentalist, piano  
Victor PBS-061951 10-in. 12/3/1941 Popocatepetl Freddy Martin Orchestra Jazz/dance band, with vocal quartet instrumentalist, piano  
Victor BS-066551 10-in. 4/9/1942 Who wouldn't love you Freddy Martin Orchestra ; Stuart Wade Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo and male vocal quartet instrumentalist, piano  
Victor BS-066552 10-in. 4/9/1942 The penny arcade Freddy Martin Orchestra ; Stuart Wade Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo and vocal quartet instrumentalist, piano  
Victor BS-066553 10-in. 4/9/1942 Just plain lonesome Freddy Martin Orchestra ; Stuart Wade Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo and vocal quartet instrumentalist, piano  
Victor BS-066554 10-in. 4/9/1942 One red rose forever Freddy Martin Orchestra ; Stuart Wade Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo instrumentalist, piano  
Victor BS-071696 10-in. 1/30/1942 How do I know it's real? Freddy Martin Orchestra Jazz/dance band, with vocal instrumentalist, piano  
Victor BS-071697 10-in. 1/30/1942 If you build a better mousetrap Freddy Martin Orchestra ; Eddie Stone Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo instrumentalist, piano  
Victor BS-071698 10-in. 1/30/1942 Wherever you are Freddy Martin Orchestra Jazz/dance band, with male vocal ensemble instrumentalist, piano  
Victor BS-071699 10-in. 1/30/1942 What does a soldier dream of? Freddy Martin Orchestra Jazz/dance band, with male vocal ensemble instrumentalist, piano  
Victor PBS-072002 10-in. 12/27/1941 Grieg piano concerto Jack Fina ; Freddy Martin Orchestra Jazz/dance band, with piano solo instrumentalist, piano  
Victor PBS-072433 10-in. 7/31/1942 (Theme from the) Warsaw concerto Jack Fina ; Freddy Martin Orchestra Jazz/dance band, with piano solo instrumentalist, piano  
Victor BS-073508 10-in. 3/6/1942 The last call for love Freddy Martin Orchestra ; Clyde Rogers Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo instrumentalist, piano  
(Results 76-100 of 112 records)

Citation

Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Fina, Jack," accessed March 29, 2024, https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/110096.

Fina, Jack. (2024). In Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved March 29, 2024, from https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/110096.

"Fina, Jack." Discography of American Historical Recordings. UC Santa Barbara Library, 2024. Web. 29 March 2024.

DAHR Persistent Identifier

URI: https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/110096

Wikipedia content provided under the terms of the Creative Commons BY-SA license

Feedback

Send the Editors a message about this record.