Dorsey, Jimmy

Dorsey, Jimmy

▪ American musician
byname of  James Francis Dorsey  
born Feb. 29, 1904, Shenandoah, Pa., U.S.
died June 12, 1957, New York, N.Y.
 American musician who—both independently and with his brother Tommy (Dorsey, Tommy)—led one of the most popular big bands of the swing era. He was also a highly talented saxophone and clarinet player.

      Along with his brother, Dorsey received his first musical training from his father, who was a music teacher and marching band director. He played both clarinet and alto saxophone and began playing in several bands with Tommy when they were both teenagers. In 1920 they formed their own combo, Dorsey's Novelty Six. By 1922 the group, now known as Dorsey's Wild Canaries, was well-known in the Baltimore, Md., area and was among the first jazz bands to broadcast on the radio. During this time Jimmy played—sometimes alone, sometimes with Tommy—in jazz groups, in big bands, and even in pit bands for Broadway musicals. In 1927 the Dorsey Brothers Orchestra began recording with an ever-changing group of musicians. Their hits included such songs as "Coquette" (1928) and "Let's Do It" (1929), the latter featuring singer Bing Crosby (Crosby, Bing). Their recordings from the late 1920s and early '30s reveal their mastery of both the smooth popular styles that dominated their output and the more raucous Dixieland style appreciated by jazz fans.

      By 1934 the Dorsey Brothers Orchestra had become a stable, full-time band, and the following year they recorded an impressive list of hit songs (including "I Believe in Miracles," "Tiny Little Fingerprints," and "Lullaby of Broadway" ), many of them featuring Bob Crosby (Bing's younger brother) on vocals. However, the band broke up in May 1935 after Tommy left the bandstand during a live performance because he and his brother disagreed over the tempo of a song.

      Dorsey stayed with the remains of the Dorsey Brothers Orchestra, forming the Jimmy Dorsey Orchestra in late 1935. Within a few years he emerged as one of the top bandleaders of the day. The band's most distinctive sound was established with their 1940 hit "The Breeze and I," which initiated a series of Latin-tinged recordings arranged by Tutti Camarata. Jimmy's other hits included "Change Partners," "I Hear a Rhapsody," "Amapola," and "Tangerine." Singers Bob Eberly and Helen O'Connell figured prominently in the band's success, as did such noted sidemen as trumpeters Shorty Sherock and Ralph Muzillo, trombonist Bobby Byrne, tenor saxophonist Herbie Haymer, and drummer Ray McKinley. Throughout its existence, the Jimmy Dorsey Orchestra played mostly mainstream popular music, although such numbers as "Major & Minor Stomp," "Mutiny in the Brass Section," and "Waddlin' at the Waldorf" revealed that the group had mastered the swing style. Dorsey's band broke up in 1953, a casualty of changing popular taste in the postwar years.

      In addition to being a very successful bandleader, Dorsey was a highly respected jazz musician, in demand as a soloist from his earliest professional years. He was one of the top reed players of the era, and latter-day saxophone greats, including Lester Young (Young, Lester) and Coleman Hawkins (Hawkins, Coleman), readily acknowledged his influence.

      In 1947 Jimmy and Tommy reunited to play themselves in the fictionalized autobiographical film The Fabulous Dorseys. Tommy then hired Jimmy to be a soloist and band member in his own band in 1953, after Jimmy's band had broken up. For a few months the band called itself The Tommy Dorsey Orchestra, featuring Jimmy Dorsey, but then returned to its original name, the Dorsey Brothers Orchestra. From 1954 to 1956 the brothers successfully hosted the television program Stage Show (on which Elvis Presley (Presley, Elvis) made his TV debut). After Tommy's death in 1956, Jimmy continued to lead the band until his own death in 1957.

* * *


Universalium. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Нужно решить контрольную?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Jimmy Dorsey — en The Fabulous Dorseys (1947) Nombre real James Francis Dorsey Nacimiento 29 de febrero de 1904 …   Wikipedia Español

  • Dorsey, Tommy — orig. Thomas Dorsey born Nov. 19, 1905, Shenandoah, Pa., U.S. died Nov. 26, 1956, Greenwich, Conn. U.S. trombonist and band leader. Dorsey led the Dorsey Brothers Orchestra from 1934 with his brother, saxophonist and clarinetist Jimmy Dorsey… …   Universalium

  • Jimmy Dorsey — Pour les articles homonymes, voir Dorsey. Jimmy Dorsey dans le film The Fabulous Dorseys (1947) James « Jimmy » Dorsey, né à Shenandoah ( …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Jimmy Dorsey — im Film The Fabulous Dorseys (1947) James „Jimmy“ Dorsey (* 29. Februar 1904 in Shenandoah, Pennsylvania, USA; † 12. Juni 1957 in New York) war ein US amerikanischer Jazzmusiker und Big Band Leiter. Er spielte …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Dorsey Burnette — Birth name Dorsey Burnett Born December 28, 1932 Origin Memphis, Tennessee, U.S. Died August 19, 1979 (aged 46) Genres …   Wikipedia

  • Dorsey Burnette — (* 28. Dezember 1932 in Memphis, Tennessee; † 19. August 1979 in Canoga Park, Kalifornien) war ein US amerikanischer Country und Rockabilly Musiker, Gitarrist und Songwriter. Dorsey Burnette ist der ältere Bruder von Johnny Burnette, mit dem er… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Dorsey — is a surname, and may refer to several people, including: Anne Hanson Dorsey, American novelist Arnold George Dorsey, birth name of British American singer Engelbert Humperdinck Candas Jane Dorsey, Canadian poet and science fiction novelist… …   Wikipedia

  • Dorsey — bezeichnet folgende Dinge bzw. Personen: als ein englisch amerikanischer Familienname: Arnold George Dorsey (* 1936), britischer Schlagersänger (Engelbert) Candas Jane Dorsey (* 1952), kanadische Schriftstellerin Clement Dorsey (1778−1848), US… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Dorsey Burnette — (né le 28 décembre 1932 à Memphis mort le 19 août 1979) était un chanteur de Rockabilly et le frère ainé de Johnny Burnette. Biographie Dorsey Burnette, avec son frère Johnny Burnette et un ami Paul Burlison, forme le groupe… …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Jimmy Henderson — (born May 20, 1921, Wichita Falls, Texas – died June 1988, New York City) was an American jazz trombonist and bandleader.Henderson began playing piano at age six and picked up trombone a few years later. By age 13 he had joined a musicians union… …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”