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 101-112 of 112 records)

Company Matrix No. Size First Recording Date Title Primary Performer Description Role Audio
Victor BS-073509 10-in. 3/6/1942 I look at heaven (when I look at you) Freddy Martin ; Dinah Shore Female vocal solo, with jazz/dance band instrumentalist, piano  
Victor BS-073510 10-in. 3/6/1942 I can't give you anything but love Freddy Martin ; Dinah Shore Female vocal solo, with jazz/dance band instrumentalist, piano  
Victor BS-073511 10-in. 3/6/1942 You can't hold a memory in your arms Freddy Martin Orchestra ; Stuart Wade Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo instrumentalist, piano  
Victor BS-073567 10-in. 3/13/1942 Here you are Freddy Martin Orchestra ; Stuart Wade Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo instrumentalist, piano  
Victor BS-073568 10-in. 3/13/1942 Johnny Doughboy found a rose in Ireland Freddy Martin Orchestra ; Clyde Rogers Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo instrumentalist, piano  
Victor BS-073569 10-in. 3/13/1942 Oh, the pity of it all Freddy Martin Orchestra ; Eddie Stone Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo and male vocal ensemble instrumentalist, piano  
Victor BS-073570 10-in. 3/13/1942 I'll keep the lovelight burning Freddy Martin Orchestra ; Stuart Wade Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo instrumentalist, piano  
Victor D5VB-1140 10-in. 10/2/1945 Rachmaninoff concerto no. 2 Jack Fina ; Freddy Martin Orchestra Jazz/dance band, with piano solo instrumentalist, piano  
Victor D6VB-2020 10-in. 2/7/1946 Cornish rhapsody theme Jack Fina ; Freddy Martin Orchestra Piano, with instrumental ensemble instrumentalist, piano  
Victor D6VB-2021 10-in. 2/7/1946 Bumble boogie Jack Fina ; Freddy Martin Orchestra Piano, with instrumental ensemble composer, instrumentalist, piano  
Victor D6VB-3141 10-in. 12/16/1946 Piano portrait Murray Arnold ; Freddy Martin Orchestra Piano solo, with jazz/dance band composer  
Columbia CO41850 10-in. November 1949 A cowboy's serenade Gene Autry Male vocal solo, with orchestra songwriter  
(Results 101-112 of 112 records)

Citation

Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Fina, Jack," accessed March 28, 2024, https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/110096.

Fina, Jack. (2024). In Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved March 28, 2024, from https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/110096.

"Fina, Jack." Discography of American Historical Recordings. UC Santa Barbara Library, 2024. Web. 28 March 2024.

DAHR Persistent Identifier

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

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