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James "Jimmy" Dorsey (February 29, 1904 – June 12, 1957) was a prominent American
United States

The United States of America is a Federal government constitutional republic comprising U.S. state and a federal district. The country is situated mostly in central North America, where its Contiguous United States and Washington, D.C., the Capital districts and territories, lie between the Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Oceans, Borders of the U...
 jazz
Jazz

Jazz is a primarily American musical art form which originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States from a confluence of African and European music traditions....
 clarinetist, saxophonist, trumpeter, composer, and big band
Big band

A big band is a type of musical ensemble associated with playing jazz music and which became popular during the swing from the early 1930s until the late 1940s....
 leader.

Overview
Jimmy Dorsey was born in Shenandoah, Pennsylvania
Shenandoah, Pennsylvania

Shenandoah is a borough located in the lower part of the anthracite Coal Region, Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania. It is 105 miles northwest of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania....
, the son of a music teacher and older brother of Tommy Dorsey
Tommy Dorsey

Tommy Dorsey was an United States jazz trombonist, trumpeter, composer, and bandleader of the Big band era. He was the younger brother of Jimmy Dorsey....
 who also became a prominent musician.






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Jimmy Dorsey
James "Jimmy" Dorsey (February 29, 1904 – June 12, 1957) was a prominent American
United States

The United States of America is a Federal government constitutional republic comprising U.S. state and a federal district. The country is situated mostly in central North America, where its Contiguous United States and Washington, D.C., the Capital districts and territories, lie between the Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Oceans, Borders of the U...
 jazz
Jazz

Jazz is a primarily American musical art form which originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States from a confluence of African and European music traditions....
 clarinetist, saxophonist, trumpeter, composer, and big band
Big band

A big band is a type of musical ensemble associated with playing jazz music and which became popular during the swing from the early 1930s until the late 1940s....
 leader.

Overview


Jimmy Dorsey was born in Shenandoah, Pennsylvania
Shenandoah, Pennsylvania

Shenandoah is a borough located in the lower part of the anthracite Coal Region, Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania. It is 105 miles northwest of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania....
, the son of a music teacher and older brother of Tommy Dorsey
Tommy Dorsey

Tommy Dorsey was an United States jazz trombonist, trumpeter, composer, and bandleader of the Big band era. He was the younger brother of Jimmy Dorsey....
 who also became a prominent musician. He played trumpet
Trumpet

The trumpet is a musical instrument with the highest Register in the brass instrument family. Trumpets are among the oldest musical instruments, dating back to at least 1500 BC....
 in his youth, appearing on stage in a Vaudeville
Vaudeville

Vaudeville was a genre of a variety show prevalent on the theatre in the United States and Canada from the early 1880s until the early 1930s. It developed from many sources, including the concert saloon, minstrel show, freak shows, dime museums, and literary burlesque....
 act as early as 1913. He switched to alto saxophone
Alto saxophone

The alto saxophone is a member of the saxophone family of woodwind instruments invented by the Belgian instrument designer Adolphe Sax. The alto, with the Tenor saxophone, is the most common size of saxophone....
 in 1915, and then learned to double on clarinet
Clarinet

The clarinet is a musical instrument in the woodwind family. The name derives from adding the suffix -et meaning little to the Italian word clarino meaning a particular type of trumpet, as the first clarinets had a strident tone similar to that of a trumpet....
. While little-known now, Jimmy Dorsey played on a clarinet outfitted with the Albert system
Albert system

The Albert system refers to a system of clarinet keywork and fingering developed by Eug?ne Albert. In the United Kingdom it is known as the simple system....
 of fingering, as opposed to the more common Boehm system
Boehm System

The Boehm system is a system of keywork for the flute, created by inventor and flautist Theobald Boehm between 1831 and 1847.Prior to this time, flutes were most commonly made of wood, with an inverse conical bore , eight keys, and tone holes which were small in size, and thus easily covered by the fingertips....
 used by most of his contemporaries including Benny Goodman
Benny Goodman

Benjamin David Goodman, was an United States jazz musician, clarinetist and bandleader, known as "King of Swing ", "Patriarch of the Clarinet", "The Professor", and "Swing's Senior Statesman"....
 and Artie Shaw
Artie Shaw

Arthur Jacob Arshawsky , better known as Artie Shaw, was an United States jazz clarinetist, composer, and bandleader. He is widely considered to be one of the greatest jazz clarinetists of his time....
.

With his brother Tommy playing trombone, he formed Dorsey’s Novelty Six, one of the first jazz bands to broadcast. In 1924 he joined the California Ramblers (who were based in New York City
New York City

The City of New York is the List of United States cities by population in the United States, while the New York metropolitan area ranks among the List of urban areas by population....
). He did much free lance radio and recording
Gramophone record

A gramophone record is an analog signal sound storage medium consisting of a flat disc with an inscribed modulated spiral groove usually starting near the periphery and ending near the centre of the disc....
 work throughout the 1920s. The brothers also appeared as session musicians on many jazz recordings. He joined Ted Lewis
Ted Lewis (musician)

Theodore Leopold Friedman, better known as Ted Lewis , was an United States entertainer, bandleader, singer, and musician. He led a band presenting a combination of jazz, hokey comedy, and schmaltzy sentimentality that was a hit with the American public....
's band in 1930, with whom he toured Europe
Europe

Europe is, conventionally, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally divided from Asia to its east by the water divide of the Ural Mountains, the Ural , the Caspian Sea, and by the Caucasus Mountains to the southeast....
.

After returning to the USA
United States

The United States of America is a Federal government constitutional republic comprising U.S. state and a federal district. The country is situated mostly in central North America, where its Contiguous United States and Washington, D.C., the Capital districts and territories, lie between the Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Oceans, Borders of the U...
 he worked briefly with Rudy Vallee
Rudy Vallée

Rudy Vall?e was an United Statesn singer, actor, bandleader, and entertainer. Born Hubert Prior Vall?e in Island Pond, Vermont, Vermont, the son of Charles Alphonse and Catherine Lynch Vall?e....
 and several other bandleaders, in addition to the Dorsey Brothers Orchestra with Tommy. Tommy broke off to form his own band in 1935 after a musical dispute with Jimmy. The Dorsey Brothers Orchestra became the Jimmy Dorsey Orchestra, and included musicians such as Bobby Byrne, Ray McKinley
Ray McKinley

Ray McKinley was an United States Jazz drumming, singer, and bandleader.McKinley got his start working with local bands in the Dallas–Fort Worth area, before joining Smith Ballew in 1929, when he met Glenn Miller....
, and Skeets Herfurt
Skeets Herfurt

Arthur "Skeets" Herfurt was an American jazz saxophonist and clarinetist.Herfurt was raised in Denver and played in bands while attending the University of Colorado at Boulder....
 along with vocalists Bob Eberly
Bob Eberly

Bob Eberly was a big band vocalist. He was born in Mechanicville, New York and was the brother of another well-known big-band singer, Ray Eberle....
 and Kay Weber.

In 1939 Jimmy hired Helen O'Connell
Helen O'Connell

Helen O'Connell was a singer, actress, and dancer.O'Connell joined the Jimmy Dorsey band in 1939 and achieved her best selling records in the early forties with "Green Eyes ", "Amapola ," "Tangerine " and "Yours_." In each of these Latin-influenced numbers, Bob Eberly crooned the song which Helen then reprised in an up-tempo arrangement....
 as his female singer. She and Eberly possessed a "boy and girl next door" charm and their pairing produced several of the band's biggest hits. Many of the Eberly-O'Connell recordings were arranged in an unusual 3-section "a-b-c" format. The three-part format was reportedly developed at the insistence of a record producer
Record producer

In the music industry, a record producer has many roles, among them controlling the recording sessions, coaching and guiding the musicians, organizing and scheduling production budget and resources, and supervising the recording, Audio mixing and audio mastering processes....
 who wanted to feature both singers and the full band in a single 3-minute 78 rpm recording. Eberly sang the first minute, usually as a slow romantic ballad, the next minute featured the full band backing Jimmy's saxophone
Saxophone

The saxophone is a conical-Bore transposing instrument musical instrument considered a member of the woodwind family. Saxophones are usually made of brass and are played with a Single-reed instrument mouthpiece similar to the clarinet....
, and the last minute was sung by O'Connell in a more up-tempo style, sometimes with lyrics in Spanish.

Jerry Lewis
Jerry Lewis

Jerry Lewis is an American comedian, actor, producer, writer, director and singer. He is best-known for his slapstick humor on stage, screen and television, his singing ability in a string of music album recordings and his charity fund-raising telethons for the Muscular Dystrophy Association ....
' first wife Patti Palmer (birth name Esther Calonico) was a singer with his orchestra for less than a year, starting about 1944.

Jimmy continued leading his own band until the early 1950s. In 1953 he joined Tommy's Orchestra, renamed "The Fabulous Dorseys". On December 26, 1953, the brothers and their orchestra appeared on Jackie Gleason
Jackie Gleason

Herbert Walton Gleason, Jr. , whose birth name was John Herbert "Jackie" Gleason, was an American comedian, actor and musician.He was known for his brash visual and verbal comedy styling, especially as delivered by his character Ralph Kramden on the sitcom The Honeymooners....
's CBS television program. The success of that television appearance led Gleason to produce a weekly variety program, Stage Show, hosted by the brothers on CBS from 1954 to 1956. Elvis Presley
Elvis Presley

Elvis Aaron Presley was an United Statesn singer, actor, and musician. A cultural icon, he is commonly known simply as "Elvis", and is also sometimes referred to as "List of honorific titles in popular music" or "The King"....
 appeared on several of the telecasts.

Jimmy took over leadership of the orchestra after Tommy's death. Jimmy survived his brother by only a few months and died of throat cancer
Throat cancer

Throat cancer may refer to:*Head and neck cancer, a group of biologically similar cancers originating from the upper aerodigestive tract, including the lip, oral cavity , nasal cavity, paranasal sinuses, pharynx, and larynx...
, aged 53, in New York City. Broadcasts of Jimmy Dorsey and The Fabulous Dorsey Orchestra on NBC Bandstand survive from December 25, and December 31, 1956. At least two other extant broadcasts from the month of December 1956 are available as well. It is hoped that recordings of the band from their winter 1957 tour will surface eventually, as they would provide the last aural evidence of Dorsey's work. It is thought that Dorsey's last appearance was in Joplin, Missouri, on March 12, 1957.

Shortly before his death, he was awarded a gold record for "So Rare," which was recorded on November 11, 1956. Dick Stabile did not have the alto solo on "So Rare," it was Dorsey. In fact, Tommy Dorsey was so incensed by Jimmy's uncharacteristic solo that he believed that it would count against the Dorsey name. That track also has the distinction of reaching the number-two spot in Billboard Magazines popularity rankings, becoming the highest-rated song by a big band during the first decade of the rock-and-roll era.

Jimmy Dorsey is considered one of the most important and influential alto saxophone players of the Big Band and Swing era.

Movie Appearances


Jimmy Dorsey appeared in a number of Hollywood motion pictures
Film

Film encompasses individual motion pictures, the field of film as an art form, and the film industry. Films are produced by recording images from the world with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or special effects....
, including That Girl From Paris, Shall We Dance?
Shall We Dance?

Shall We Dance? is a reality dance competition TV program in Associated Broadcasting Company hosted by Lucy Torres Gomez ...
, The Fleet's In
The Fleet's In

The Fleet's In is a movie musical produced by Paramount Pictures, directed by Victor Schertzinger, and starring Dorothy Lamour and William Holden....
, Lost in a Harem
Lost in a Harem

Lost in a Harem is a 1944 in film film starring the comedy team of Abbott and Costello....
 with Abbot and Costello , I Dood It
I Dood It

I Dood It is a MGM musical film-comedy film starring Red Skelton and Eleanor Powell, and directed by Vincente Minnelli. The screenplay is by Fred Saidy and Sig Herzig and the film features Richard Ainley, Patricia Dane, Lena Horne and Hazel Scott....
, and the bio-pic with his brother Tommy, The Fabulous Dorseys
The Fabulous Dorseys

The Fabulous Dorseys is a 1947 fictionalized biography film which tells the story of Tommy Dorsey and Jimmy Dorsey, from their boyhood in Shenandoah, Pennsylvania through their rise, their breakup, and their personal reunion....
 in 1947.

In 1938, Jimmy Dorsey and His Orchestra also appeared in a movie short performing many of his hits including "It's the Dreamer in Me", "I Love You in Technicolor", and "Parade of the Milk Bottle Caps".

Compositions by Jimmy Dorsey


Jimmy Dorsey composed "Mood Hollywood", "Shim Sham Shimmy", "So Many Times", recorded by Glenn Miller and his Orchestra and Jack Teagarden and his Orchestra, "Beebe", "Oodles of Noodles", "John Silver", "Parade of the Milk Bottle Caps", "Dusk in Upper Sandusky" with Larry Clinton, "Shoot the Meatballs to Me Dominick Boy" with Toots Camarata, "A Man and his Drums", "Mutiny in the Brass Section", "Praying the Blues", "Contrasts", his theme song, "Major and Minor Stomp", "Tailspin", the classic jazz standard "I'm Glad There is You (In This World of Ordinary People)", "Clarinet Polka", "I Love You in Technicolor", "The Champ", "All The Things You Ain't", "Jumpin' Jehosaphat", "I'll Do Anything For You", "Dorsey Stomp", "Grand Central Getaway" with Dizzy Gillespie, "Sunset Strip" with Sonny Burke, "Town Hall Tonight", "Outer Drive" with Herb Ellis, the jazz standard "It's the Dreamer in Me", recorded by Duke Ellington, Benny Goodman, Paul Whiteman, Count Basie, Bing Crosby, and Harry James, and other songs during the Big Band Era.

Jimmy Dorsey co-wrote the jazz and pop standard "I'm Glad There is You (In This World of Ordinary People)" with Paul Madeira, who is also known as Paul Madeira Mertz, in 1941 and released the song on Decca as Decca 18799 with Dee Parker on vocals. "I'm Glad There is You" is a song that has been covered by Frank Sinatra, Carmen McRae, Ella Fitzgerald, Lena Horne, Adam Jackson, Mel Torme, Tony Bennett, Grover Washington, Jr., Jamie Cullum, Lillie Kae, Chet Baker, Sarah Vaughan, Mildred Bailey, Ray Anthony, Shirley Bassey, Jack Jones, Smokey Robinson, Johnny Mathis, Connie Francis, Natalie Cole, Julie London, Jackie Gleason, Cannonball Adderley, Rosemary Clooney, The Temptations, Toni Tennille, Chris Montez, Boots Randolph, Nancy LaMott, Wesla Whitfield, Matt Monro, The Four Freshmen, Sammy Davis, Jr., Dorothy Dandridge, Hazel Scott, Art Garfunkel, Stan Kenton, Oscar Peterson, Barney Kessel, Kenny Burrell, Rahsaan Roland Kirk, Stan Getz, Peggy Lee, Gloria Lynne, Vic Damone, and Freddy Cole.

Number One Hits


Jimmy Dorsey had eleven number one hits with his orchestra in the 1930s and the 1940s: "Is It True What They Say About Dixie?", "Change Partners", "The Breeze and I", "Amapola", "My Sister and I", "Maria Elena", "Green Eyes", "Blue Champagne", "Tangerine", "Besame Mucho", and "Pennies from Heaven" with Bing Crosby. In 1935, he had two more number ones as part of the Dorsey Brothers Orchestra: "Lullaby of Broadway" and "Chasing Shadows". His biggest hit was "Amapola", which was number one for ten weeks in 1941 on the Billboard pop singles chart. On August 17, 1936, Bing Crosby recorded "Pennies from Heaven" with the Jimmy Dorsey Orchestra, a recording that went number one for ten weeks and became the top record of 1936.

Honors


In 1996, the U.S. Postal Service issued a Jimmy Dorsey and Tommy Dorsey commemorative postage stamp.

In 2008, the Recording Academy added the recording of "Brazil (Aquarela Do Brasil)", Decca 18460B, by Jimmy Dorsey & His Orchestra from 1942 to the Grammy Hall of Fame.

Selected Recordings


  • "Jay Dee's Boogie Woogie" - composed by Jimmy Dorsey
    Jimmy Dorsey

    James "Jimmy" Dorsey was a prominent United States jazz clarinetist, saxophonist, trumpeter, composer, and big band leader....
     & Marvin Wright
  • "Contrasts" (theme song) - composed by Jimmy Dorsey
  • "Parade of the Milk Bottle Caps"
  • "On a Little Street in Singapore"
  • "John Silver"
  • "So Many Times" - composed by Jimmy Dorsey
  • "Amapola
    Amapola (song)

    "Amapola" is a popular music song, written by Spanish people composer Joseph LaCalle with Spanish language lyrics although the English language lyrics were written by Albert Gamse....
    ", no.1 for 10 weeks on the Billboard pop singles chart in 1941
  • "Green Eyes
    Green Eyes (Aquellos Ojos Verdes)

    "Green Eyes" is a popular music song, originally written in Spanish language under the title "Aquellos Ojos Verdes" by Adolfo Utrera and Nilo Men?ndez....
    ", no.1 for 4 weeks on Billboard in 1941
  • "I Love You in Technicolor"
  • "Tangerine
    Tangerine (1941 song)

    "Tangerine" is a popular music song.The music was written by Victor Schertzinger, the lyrics by Johnny Mercer. The song was published in 1941 in music....
    ", no.1 for 6 weeks on Billboard charts in 1942
  • "Bésame Mucho
    Bésame Mucho

    "B?same Mucho" is a Spanish language song written in 1940 in music by Mexican Consuelo Vel?zquez before her sixteenth birthday. The phrase "b?same mucho" can be translated into English as "kiss me a lot"....
    ", no.1 for 7 weeks in 1944 on Billboard
  • "Dusk in Upper Sandusky" - composed by Jimmy Dorsey with Larry Clinton
  • "Jumpin' Jehosaphat"
  • "Maria Elena", no.1 for 2 weeks on Billboard in 1941
  • "My Sister and I", no.1 for 2 weeks on Billboard in 1941
  • "I'm Stepping Out With A Memory Tonight"
  • "Rubber Dolly"
  • "Blue Champagne", no.1 for 1 week in 1941 on Billboard
  • "Major and Minor Stomp"
  • "Outer Drive"
  • "Just For a Thrill"
  • "Grand Central Getaway" - composed by Jimmy Dorsey with Dizzy Gillespie
  • "It's the Dreamer in Me" - composed by Jimmy Dorsey with lyricist Jimmy Van Heusen, recorded by Benny Goodman with Martha Tilton on vocals, Count Basie, Helen Humes, Duke Ellington with Ivie Anderson on vocals, Bing Crosby, Paul Whiteman and His Orchestra, and Harry James
  • "Sunset Strip" - composed by Jimmy Dorsey with Sonny Burke
  • "So Rare"
  • "I'm Glad There is You (In This World of Ordinary People)" - music written by Jimmy Dorsey, lyrics by Paul Madeira, recorded by Frank Sinatra, Ella Fitzgerald, Lena Horne, Tony Bennett, Connie Francis, Johnny Mathis, Grover Washington, Jr., Smokey Robinson, and Freddy Cole.


Filmography

  • The Fabulous Dorseys
    The Fabulous Dorseys

    The Fabulous Dorseys is a 1947 fictionalized biography film which tells the story of Tommy Dorsey and Jimmy Dorsey, from their boyhood in Shenandoah, Pennsylvania through their rise, their breakup, and their personal reunion....


External links

  • Robert L. Stockdale, "Jimmy Dorsey: A Study In Contrasts", Lanham, MD, The Scarecrow Press, c1999 (ISBN 0810835363 )