(b Mahanoy Plane, PA, 27 Nov 1905; d Greenwich, CT, 26 Nov 1956). American popular and jazz trombonist and bandleader, brother of Jimmy Dorsey. He studied the alto horn, baritone horn and cornet with his father, a part-time musician, and later changed to the trombone. From 1926 he worked with such prominent dance orchestras as those led by Jean Goldkette and Paul Whiteman. He then moved to New York, where he was in demand as a player in studio and pit orchestras. In 1934 he founded with Jimmy the successful but short-lived Dorsey Brothers Orchestra. After a public argument in 1935 the two separated, and Tommy organized a dance band of his own which quickly became one of the most popular of the swing era. The band’s music was characterized by smooth, well-crafted arrangements, notably lively swing versions of Marie and Song of India (both 1937, Vic.), both with brilliant solos by Bunny Berigan. However, Dorsey’s orchestra was known primarily for its dance music, frequently with singers such as Jack Leonard, Frank Sinatra and Jo Stafford. Its biggest hits were dreamy romantic ballads such as I’ll Never Smile Again (1940, Vic.), in which Sinatra was joined by a vocal group, the Pied Pipers. After the collapse of the swing-band movement in the late 1940s Dorsey struggled to keep his band intact. Eventually he brought in his brother Jimmy and the two ran another version of the Dorsey Brothers Orchestra (1953–6) which had some success, particularly in its television appearances.
Dorsey was vastly admired as a trombonist by other musicians for his technical skill. His tone was pure, his phrasing was elegant and he was able to play an almost seamless legato line; as a player of ballads, exemplified by his rendition of his big band’s theme song I’m gettin’ sentimental over you (1935, Vic.), he has rarely been surpassed.
GroveJ
A. McCarthy: Big Band Jazz (London, 1974)
H. Sanford: Tommy and Jimmy Dorsey: the Dorsey Years (New Rochelle, NY, 1972)
G. Schuller: The Swing Era: the Development of Jazz, 1930–1945 (New York, 1989)
C. Garrod: The Dorsey Brothers and their Orchestra (Zephyrhills, FL, 1992) [discography]
R.L. Stockdale: Tommy Dorsey: on the Side (Metuchen, NJ, 1995) [discography]
JAMES LINCOLN COLLIER