Gus Bivona

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Gus Peter Bivona (born November 25, 1915 in North London (Connecticut) , † January 5, 1996 in Woodland Hills (Los Angeles) ) was an American jazz clarinetist, alto saxophonist and band leader.

Gus Bivona

Bivona's parents were musicians, his mother played the piano, and his father was a guitarist. Bivona first learned the violin and then switched to the clarinet and alto saxophone . He began playing professionally in Spider Johnson's band, played in the Brunswick Orchestra of Leo Scalzi, the Jimmy Monaco Orchestra in New York City, the Hudson-DeLange Orchestra, in 1938 with Bunny Berigan (with whom he recorded) and at the end of the decade with Will Hudson and Teddy Powell , who promoted him as a soloist. In 1940 he briefly led his own band and stayed with Benny Goodman at the end of the year until spring 1941 . He played with Jan Savitt and Les Brown before joining the Naval Air Force Band during World War II. In 1945 he played with Tommy Dorsey and in 1946 with Bob Crosby .

From 1947 he was a studio musician at MGM . In the 1950s he began working with Steve Allen , including in the Roundtable in New York City (album At the Roundtable 1958) and recorded with him (including Music for Swingers 1957). He had his own (big) band in the late 1950s and early 1960s, with whom he performed in California and recorded several albums with Mercury and Warner. In the 1970s he recorded with Terry Gibbs and guitarist Geoff Muldaur, among others .

In addition to the clarinet and alto saxophone, he played the flute.

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SURNAME Bivona, Gus
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Bivona, Gus Peter
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American jazz clarinetist and alto saxophonist
DATE OF BIRTH November 25, 1915
PLACE OF BIRTH North London, Connecticut
DATE OF DEATH 5th January 1996
Place of death los Angeles