Virtual Victrola - November 19 Edition - Tommy Dorsey Centennial: Happy Birthday TD! (part 1)

(Welcome POWERLINE readers!  I also have posts featuring Tommy Dorsey as a studio sideman and as a jazz trumpeter.  And be sure to check out what else is available in my Virtual Victrola.  Thanks!)

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He was dubbed "The Sentimental Gentleman of Swing."

And at no time during the pre-rock era of American Popular Music, save perhaps for Paul Whiteman's unwitting coronation as "The King of Jazz," was there ever a greater misnomer given to one of its stars.

Tommy Dorsey was a workaholic, a relentless perfectionist in both his musical and business pursuits, an absentee father and delinquent husband to three wives and four children, and a passionate, temperamental man who could be cruel and abusive one minute and generous the next.  But there is no disputing the fact that he led the most consistently popular and artistically flourishing musical group of the Big Band Era.  He was a virtuoso trombonist, a millionaire by the time he was 30 years old, and a starmaker whose influence launched the careers of Jo Stafford, Buddy Rich, and a skinny young kid from Hoboken, NJ named Frank Sinatra.

Tommy Dorsey was anything but sentimental.

November 2005 marks the 100th anniversary of Tommy Dorsey's birth; November 19th to be exact, in the little coal mining hamlet just outside Shenandoah, PA named Mahanoy Plane.  Thomas Francis Dorsey had one older brother, James Francis, who was 21 months his senior.  The boys' father was a music teacher who decided early on that it would not only beneficial for his boys to learn music, it would be a necessity.  He would tell friends and family, "I'll do anything to keep my boys out of the mines."  His wish came true.

Young Tommy and Jimmy were the talk of Shenandoah, energetic teen musicians who could both read and improvise with ease.  Tommy played both trombone and trumpet; Jimmy occasionally played the trumpet but made his reputation on the alto sax and clarinet.  While still in their teens, the brothers joined the Scranton Sirens, a local hot dance and jazz outfit that enjoyed some regional popularity.  Through their association with the Sirens, they caught the attention of Detroit-based bandleader Jean Goldkette, who sent for them in the summer of 1924.

After working in Detroit with Jean Goldkette and other local bands, the Dorsey Brothers headed for New York City and quickly became two of the city's most sought-after freelance musicians.  All of the major radio networks and record companies had studios in New York City, and they kept the Dorsey brothers busy literally all hours of the day and night. Both brothers also joined the Paul Whiteman Orchestra, but left within a year in order to stay in New York and continue to work as freelancers.  (Click here to listen to Jimmy Dorsey play "Sensation Stomp" with the Paul Whiteman Orchestra.)

During this time the Dorsey Brothers began making records under their own name.  "The Dorsey Brothers Orchestra" recorded numerous sides for the OKeH and Brunswick record labels between 1928 and 1934.  The earlier OKeH sides were studio pickup bands assembled by the brothers solely for the purpose of recording.  The sides made during the early 1930's for Brunswick records were also performed by a studio group, but the personnel was fairly steady (including the great Bunny Berigan on trumpet) and the brothers tapped a young arranger named Glenn Miller to write quality original compositions and arrangements for the band.

It was in 1932, while recording for Brunswick Records, that Tommy first recorded "I'm Getting Sentimental Over You."  This Dorsey Brothers Orchestra record differs somewhat from Tommy's later recording, and features a vocal chorus by girl singer Jean Bowes.  But Tommy's opening trombone solo, his signature theme for the next twenty years, had already become a fixture.  This number, probably more than any other, established Tommy as the "sentimental" balladeer playing sweet music on his trombone.
Download dorsey_bros_orch_im_getting_sentimental_over_you.mp3

The records that the Dorsey Brothers made for Brunswick sold fairly well (as well as records could sell in 1932 and 1933) and in 1934 the brothers' booking agent convinced them to assemble a permanent, touring dance orchestra.  Glenn Miller hired the players and put together the band's arrangement book.  The band opened in August 1934 at the Sands Point Casino in Long Island, garnering rave reviews and thrilling the crowds of dancers.  The band also made several dozen good records for the fledgling Decca label beginning in September 1934.

One of the distinguishing qualities of the short-lived 1934-35 Dorsey Brothers orchestra was its arrangements, which made its 12 pieces sound like a much larger band.  Glenn Miller was largely responsible for the sound and style of the band, and his arrangements were immediate hits with listeners.  One of the best jazz-influenced recordings made by this band was their performance of Miller's arrangement of "St. Louis Blues."  This version is the lesser-known "take B," which was released in England in 1935.
Download dorsey_bros_orch_st_louis_blues_take_b.mp3

Here is an example of what the '34-'35 Dorsey Brothers orchestra could do with a good pop tune.  Glenn Miller probably penned this lively arrangement of one of 1935's biggest hit songs, "I'll Never Say ‘Never Again' Again."  Good solos, precision ensemble playing, and the pleasing vocal trio of Roc Hillman, Skeets Hurfurt, and Don Mattison make this an outstanding example of the caliber of music that the Dorsey Brothers orchestra was playing.
Download dorsey_brothers_orchvocal_trio_ill_never_say_never_again_again.mp3

Even though the Dorsey Brothers Orchestra was successful, Tommy and Jimmy's personal relationship was continually deteriorating.  The brothers' fights (sometimes ending in fisticuffs) were well-known among musicians, and members of their band knew to stay out of the way when the brothers went after each other.  On the bandstand, the brothers were civil, with Jimmy sitting in the sax section and Tommy out in front, leading the band as well as managing the band's bookings and finances.  Tommy began driving himself and the band relentlessly, alienating fellow bandmates and growing more and more unhappy.

Jimmy, on the other hand, was content to play sax in the band and leave all the hard work to Tommy.  He became a pal and drinking buddy with the other members of the band, and he constantly heckled Tommy with one liners and jokes during the band's shows.  In June 1935, Tommy had enough, and walked off the stage during a performance at the Glen Island Casino.  He took a few weeks off, put his financial and business affairs in order, and went looking for a new band.

In the fall of 1935, Tommy Dorsey approached his old friend and bandleader Joe Haymes with an interesting proposition: Tommy would hire any of Haymes' players who wanted to leave the Haymes band, and he would give Haymes remuneration for any players that left.  In all, 12 of Haymes' 14 men chose to go with Tommy, and he quickly shaped them into a swinging ensemble with a solid jazz foundation that would immediately go head-to-head with Benny Goodman, the "King of Swing."  Tommy also began competing with Goodman on records, waxing several sides for Goodman's record label, RCA Victor, in September 1935.

Tommy Dorsey's orchestra immediately began cranking out hits, and within a year it was second only to Benny Goodman's orchestra in popularity.  In fact, RCA Victor turned this popularity into an advantage, releasing a number of 78 rpm records with one side by Benny Goodman and one side by Tommy Dorsey.  Pairings such as "Jingle Bells" by Goodman and "Santa Claus Is Comin' To Town" by Dorsey, "Stardust" by both bands, and "Bugle Call Rag" by Goodman and "After You've Gone" by Dorsey became best-sellers for RCA Victor.

Comments

[Douglas]

Your site most indisputably rocks! I found your site from Power Line

[MPJC]

Like Douglas I came over from Power Line. Great site. Tommy Dorsey. The cream of the crop. When you hear the trombone of Tommy you know immediately who it is. Some of the Sinatra cuts with Dorsey, such as I Hear a Rhapsody, can be listened to over and over. Thanks for the TD Happy Birthday.

[David]

Great stuff! I also came over from Power Line.

As a trombone player since 6th grade (that was over 35 years ago no) whose Dad introduced him to TD early on, I'm thankful for the reminder.

When I was a kid in HS band, every bone player worth his salt learned to play the beginning riff to "I'm Getting Sentimental ..."