The earliest recordings in the collection, like the 1936 “Beale St. The two‐record set by American RCA, This is Tommy Dorsey, Volume Two (RCA VPM 6064) spans a 14‐year period, from 1936–1950.

The recordings leave no doubt in the listener's mind that Tommy Dorsey's bands were, unquestionably, among the Swing Era's finest. Now three recent reissues, one on American RCA and two on French RCA Victor, give striking testimony to the melodic inventiveness, rhythmic cohesion and arranging and performing virtuosity of the star‐studded, jazz‐oriented Dorsey orchestras. Yet Dorsey loved jazz, and his bands always reflected its driving force. A first‐rate trombon1st, Dorsey never pretended to be an important jazz soloist his forte was the legato approach, and for sheer beauty, purity of tone and complete technical mastery of his instrument, he was unequalled. In fact, at the famous Montreal Jazz Festival, it won the 'Battle of the Bands' in both 20.THE late Tommy Dorsey had a special genius for skillfully translating jazz into popular dance music. The Tommy Dorsey Orchestra repertoire continues to entertain audiences of all ages throughout the world and represents explosive and swinging Big Band entertainment at its best. The music world lost Tommy at an early age, but his legacy of great music has transcended time. Less than two years later, he was fronting a formidable new group. However, it was Tommy Dorsey who, in the years immediately following, fought the case of the big bands with words and action. Essentially, this was the official end of the Big Band Era. In December 1946, eight top bandleaders announced they were calling it quits – Woody Herman, Benny Goodman, Harry James, Les Brown, Jack Teagarden, Benny Carter, Ina Ray Hutton and Tommy Dorsey. In the summer of 1941, it outranked every other band to finish first in one of the most indicative of all popularity polls, Martin Block’s Make Believe Ballroom contest.īy late 1946, it was becoming apparent that the band business was having problems. Their biggest hit of all, the one that established vocal groups forever, was “I’ll Never Smile Again”. There was Sinatra’s “This Love of Mine”, Jo Stafford’s “Embraceable You”, the Pied Pipers’ and Sinatra’s “There Are Such Things”, “Just As Though You Were Here”, “Street Of Dreams”, and “Oh, Look At Me Now”. The vocalists worked both individually and together, turning out several hits of superior quality. He did this with resounding success in such arrangements as “What Can I Say After I Say I’m Sorry? “, “For You”, “Swanee River”, “Mandy”, “Make Up Your Mind”, “Chicago”, and “On The Sunny Side Of The Street”. Oliver also had a unique way of approaching a straight pop tune, injecting a soft, two-beat feeling into. These original tunes included “Easy Does It”, “Quiet Please”, “Sing High”, “Yes, Indeed”, “Swingin’ On Nothing”, “Well, Git It”, and “Opus No 1”. It was a gentler version of the rocking, rhythmic sounds that he had created for Jimmy Lunceford, toned down somewhat and played with more precision by the Dorsey Band. Sy Oliver infused the band with a new musical spirit. Frank had often admitted that listening to Tommy helped him develop his phrasing and breathing, along with his musical taste and knowledge. “Song Of India”, the other side of “Marie”, was also a huge Dorsey hit.įrank Sinatra’s career blossomed with Dorsey, and, with Sinatra’s vocals, the band became more successful than ever. They include “Who”, “Yearning”, and “East Of The Sun”. With the band singing vocal riffs as Jack sang the straight lyric, “Marie” was so successful that he recorded several more standard tunes with the same formula. Jack Leonard sang with the band for about four years, recording such fine sides as “Dedicated To You”, “If It’s The Last Thing I do”, “Little White Lies”, “You Taught Me To Love Again”, “Once In A While”, and, probably the most famous of all, “Marie”.

Tommy dorsey well git it