The Three Optimists at the Old Mill in Bloomington, MN

Gene DiNovi
is a historical
jazz
pianist. Active in the 52nd Street scene during its later years, he worked with the likes of
Boyd Raeburn
,
Chubby Jackson
Benny Goodman
Milt Jackson
Lester Young
, and
Buddy DeFranco
in the 1940s. Although part of the
bop
era,
DiNovi
had a love for
show tunes
and for caressing the melodies of
swing standards
which served him well during periods working as an accompanist for
Peggy Lee
Tony Bennett
Carmen McRae
Lena Horne
. He has lived in Toronto since 1972, had a longtime association with
Benny Carter
, and become as well known in
cabaret
settings as in
. Fortunately
has not lost his
chops, and has been heard more often in
settings since the early '90s. On
The Three Optimists at the Old Mill
, he revives the piano-guitar-bass trio format which was popular in the '40s and '50s thanks to
Nat King Cole
Art Tatum
Oscar Peterson
Ahmad Jamal
. Guitarist
Andrew Scott
contributes many fine boppish solos while bassist
Dave Young
offers steady support and is showcased as a soloist on
"The Song Is You."
digs into some of his favorite songs including three by
Cole Porter
, the obscure
"A Cock-Eyed Optimist,"
and an exploration of
"I Got Rhythm"
that hints at three later
tunes based on the same chord changes, showing on the latter that he has not forgotten his roots in
bebop
. Most of the music (other than the
medley) is taken at a relaxed pace with the pianist's solos being consistently melodic. A tasteful effort. ~
Scott
Yanow