Gene DiNovi - Live At The Montreal Bistro, Toronto (1993)

I first heard an excerpt of this album on a radio Jazz program. I had too look hard to get this CD but it was worth the wait. Gene's hands are ever so light on the keys, effortlessly releasing complex, expressive and flawlessly played melodies.
The impeccable production of this album belies the fact that it is actually a live recording. It has only one downside, it is too short! I usually find myself pressing the repeat button, as there is not much else that is a worthy follow on after playing this.
Review by Scott Yanow
Pianist Gene DiNovi, who was just old enough to be part of the bebop era, mostly worked with singers after the mid-1950s until 30 years later when he began re-emerging on an occasional basis in jazz again. This 1993 recording finds DiNovi (at 63) still in prime form and playing a similar boppish style as he had in the early 1950s. Teamed with bassist Dave Young and drummer Terry Clarke, DiNovi (who dedicated the album to the late drummer-composer Tiny Kahn) performs several swinging originals, two of Kahn's songs ("T.N.T." and "Tiny's Blues") and several standard ballads. It is a joy to hear a bebop veteran still in such top form many decades later. DiNovi's time off of the jazz scene led to him being quite enthusiastic when he returned, leading to this easily recommended CD.