Tommy Dorsey

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Tommy Dorsey, circa October 1947.
Photograph by William P. Gottlieb .

Tommy Dorsey (actually Thomas Francis Dorsey , born November 19, 1905 in Shenandoah , Pennsylvania , † November 26, 1956 in Greenwich , Connecticut ) was an American jazz musician ( trombonist and trumpeter ).

Live and act

Together with his brother Jimmy Dorsey founded Tommy already in the twenties in Shenandoah that Dorsey's Novelty Six ; they both played with the California Ramblers and in the derived studio band The Little Ramblers . In New York, the brothers parted ways at first; Tommy Dorsey played in the orchestra of Paul Whiteman from 1927 to 1928 . From 1934 to 1935 he led the very successful Dorsey Brother Band together with his brother , in which successful band leaders such as Glenn Miller and Bob Crosby were later active as musicians. In 1935, Tommy formed his own big band , which became one of the most popular and successful orchestras of the big band era. In terms of style, somewhere between dance music and jazz , well-known jazz musicians of the era such as Gene Krupa , Buddy Rich , Charlie Shavers , Bunny Berigan and Buddy DeFranco played at Dorsey . Sy Oliver and Paul Weston were among the arrangers for Dorsey, while Jack Leonard , Frank Sinatra , Edythe Wright , Connie Haines and Jo Stafford were singers . One of his greatest hits was I'll Never Smile Again with Sinatra in 1940, which Sinatra also sang in the musical film Las Vegas Nights (1941). Shortly thereafter, Matt Dennis provided the composition for the hit Everything Happens to Me .

In addition to his big band, he also had a Dixieland band, Clambake Seven, from 1935 .

Tommy Dorsey, who mastered his instrument with virtuosity, was nicknamed The Sentimental Gentleman of Swing . The theme song (signature tune) of his orchestra was I'm Getting Sentimental Over You .

His brother Jimmy Dorsey rejoined his orchestra in 1953, which subsequently operated under the name The Fabulous Dorsey Brothers and their Orchestra and in which the trumpeter Charlie Shavers and the drummer Louis Bellson played an outstanding role. After Jimmy Dorsey's entry, the orchestra increasingly oriented itself towards Count Basie . Dorsey employed two Basie arrangers, Neal Hefti and Ernie Wilkins ; In addition, he took over arrangements that the basie band played, completely. In the mid-fifties, the band experienced an enormous response, which also resulted from the joint TV show and the collaboration there with Elvis Presley .

In November 1956, Tommy Dorsey choked to death in his sleep after consuming excessive amounts of alcohol and taking sleeping pills at the same time. After his sudden death, his brother Jimmy Dorsey continued to lead the band until the spring of 1957. During this time it achieved another worldwide success with the title So rare , before Jimmy Dorsey gave the band to the multi-instrumentalist Sam Donahue for health reasons . Donahue fulfilled the obligations entered into by the Dorseys and then reduced the band to a sextet.

Discography

  • 1961: The One And Only Tommy Dorsey (RCA Camden)
  • 1966: Tommy Dorsey's Dance Party ( Vocalion )
  • 1971: This Is Tommy Dorsey ( RCA Victor )
  • 1976: Tommy Dorsey (1937-1941) ( Amiga )
  • 1988: All-Time Greatest Dorsey / Sinatra Hits, Vol. 1-4 (RCA)
  • 1982: The Dorsey / Sinatra Sessions (RCA)
  • 1990: Yes, Indeed! ( Bluebird / RCA )
  • 1991: Music Goes Round and Round (Bluebird / RCA)
  • 1994: Stop, Look and Listen (ASV Records | ASV / Living Era)
  • 1999: The V-Disc Recordings (Collectors' Choice)
  • 1999: 1937, Vol. 3
  • 2001: This Is Tommy Dorsey & His Orchestra, Vol. 1 (Collectables)
  • 2004: 1939, Vol. 3
  • 2004: Tommy Dorsey: The Early Jazz Sides: 1932–1937 (Jazz Legends)
  • 2004: It's D'Lovely 1947–1950 ( Hep )

Filmography

  • Segar Ellis and His Embassy Club Orchestra (1929)
  • Alice Bolden and Her Orchestra (1929)

Tommy Dorsey and his orchestra appear in the following films for Studios Paramount , MGM , Samuel Goldwyn , Allied Artists and United Artists :

  • Las Vegas Nights (1941)
  • Ship Ahoy (1942)
  • Presenting Lily Mars (1943)
  • Girl Crazy (1943)
  • DuBarry Was a Lady (1943)
  • Broadway Rhythm (1944)
  • Thrill of a Romance (1945)
  • The Great Morgan (1946)
  • The Fabulous Dorseys (1947)
  • A Song Is Born (1948)
  • Disc Jockey (1951)

The Dorsey brothers star in the 16-minute film The Dorsey Brothers Encore in 1953 .

literature

  • George T. Simon: The Big Bands . Foreword by Frank Sinatra. 4th edition. New York: Schirmer Books / London: Collier Macmillan Publishers, 1981, pp. 142-146 and pp. 158-177

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. Tommy Dorsey | Album Discography | AllMusic. Retrieved June 19, 2018 .
  2. ^ The Dorsey Brothers Encore (1953) , IMDB. n. d ..