William N. Law Blog: Gus Bivona: Music for Swingers

Arcuiso "Gus" Bivona was never a household-name clarinetist like Artie Shaw or Buddy DeFranco, but during the big band era and throughout the 1950s, he was one of the finest and most relaxed swing studio clarinetists in the business. He also was a rock-solid alto saxophonist. Bivona came up in the late 1930s in Will Hudson's band before joining Bunny Berigan in 1938 and '39. By 1940, he was a member of the Benny Goodman Orchestra for two years, joining Jan Savitt's band briefly. During World War II, he was in the Naval Air Force Band. [Photo above courtesy of the Bivona family]

After the war, Bivona settled in Hollywood and worked with Tommy Dorsey, Les Brown and Bob Crosby before re-joining Benny Goodman. Next came Woody Herman in 1947 and then the West Coast studios, where he recorded on MGM movie soundtracks and on albums with June Christy, Buddy DeFranco, Ray Anthony, Jack Teagarden and many others.

By the mid-1950s, Bivona landed on TV's Steve Allen Show as part of the band and as Allen's foil. Bivona's first leadership album was Hey! Dig That Crazy Band for Mercury in 1956. His second one in 1957 was Music for Swingers: Gus Bivona Plays the Music of Steve Allen, a superb recording, also for Mercury. Bivona not only pulled together a stellar band but also crack arrangers, and his playing on there is sensational.

As the title implies, all of the albums songs were composed by Allen. What's more, Bivona contracted top talent playing arrangements by Henry Mancini and Skip Martin. Here's the band (dig that trumpet section!): Conrad Gozzo, Pete Candoli, Mannie Klein and John Best (tp); Si Zentner, Joe Howard, Nick Di Maio and George Roberts (tb); Gus Bivona (cl,as, conductor);, Les Robinson and Mahlon Clark (as); Georgie Auld and Don Lodice (ts); Pete Terry (bar); Jimmy Rowles (p); Vince Terry (g); Joe Mondragon and Mike Rubin (b) and Alvin Stoller (d).

The results were terrific. The music on the album is in the dance-band sphere but the writing is so good it's really a listening album. I'm guessing the softer, more inventive arrangements for Selfish Love, Marvelous, Lazy Rhapsody, Conversation and Mr. Moon were by Mancini while the hard-chargers were by Martin. I have no way of knowing for sure, since the album's reverse side doesn't say.

All in all, Bivona's clarinet is as cool as can be, and the band and arrangers he put together in 1957 were sensational. He also deserves credit for the concept of recording Steve Allen tunes. Each and every song on the album has a melodic, snappy feel without drifting into commercial territory.

Gus Bivona died in 1996. A special thanks to Steve Schindler, who informed me that Gus Bivona's wife, Ruth Robin, a big band singer, survived him. Bivona's son, Gary, is a trumpet player, and his grandchildren are members of The Interrupters, a California ska punk band. The group is comprised of Aimee Interrupter on lead vocals, Kevin Bivona on guitar, Justin Bivona on bass and Jesse Bivona on drums.

JazzWax tracks: You're in luck! Music for Swingers: Gus Bivona Plays the Music of Steve Allen is available for download here.

The album also is available at Spotify (type in "Music for Swingers").

JazzWax clips: Here's But You Did...

But You Did

Here's Gus Bivona on alto sax and clarinet with the MGM Studio Orchestra (dig the size of that soundstage!)...