Major influences: Teddy Wilson, Mel Powell, Ellis Larkins, and Duke Ellington. As a precocious 15-year-old, Gene DiNovi worked in 1943 with bandleader Henry Jerome, who was at that time preparing to convert his Hal Kemp-styled dance band into a modern bop ensemble. DiNovi's transition from swing to bop manifested itself in recordings with Chicago-style clarinetist Joe Marsala and progressive clarinet/tenor man Aaron Sachs. In December of 1947, while working at the Three Deuces with guitarist Chuck Wayne, DiNovi was suddenly asked to back Lester Young on what was to be Prez's v...