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Tommy Dorsey: The Sentimental Gentleman of Swing, The Essential Frank Sinatra & Tommy Dorsey

By Andrew Velez
November 11, 2005
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Tommy Dorsey's efforts paid off. He was intense, combative and relentless in pursuit of the excellence he demanded of his orchestras. As George T. Simon observed in his definitive opus The Big Bands, "... Dorsey's band...must be recognized as the greatest dance band of them all... and capable of "doing more things better than any other band. Dorsey's famously smooth, long and beautiful legato trombone lines are abundantly evident here, especially on the later recordings with his own bands.

Tommy Dorsey
The Sentimental Gentleman of Swing
Columbia-Legacy
2005

Spanning four decades, this tribute includes a generous selection of '20s sides by the many greats with whom he worked in various bands, including Ethel Waters, Jimmy McPartland, Joe Venuti, the Boswell Sisters and the scrumptious Mildred Bailey. And of course, his brother Jimmy (clarinet, sax, trumpet), with whom he famously feuded. A previously unissued 1928 side, "Cherry , shows just how hot the brothers could blow with the likes of Don Redman, Frank Teschemacher and Jack Teagarden.

Among dozens of choice sides, the swinging, synchronized ease of "Blues , with Bunny Berigan, Fats Waller and George Wettling and "Hawaiian War Chant with Buddy Morrow and Max Kaminsky remain as smoothly irresistible as they must have once been to bobbysoxers. Dorsey's easy banter on-air checks with Sinatra, Jo Stafford, Dick Haymes and Duke Ellington have an appealing informality. The very last song on the set marks the end of one musical era and the beginning of another. It's a 1956 appearance by Elvis Presley just weeks before Dorsey died suddenly in his sleep at only 51.

Frank Sinatra/Tommy Dorsey
The Essential Frank Sinatra & Tommy Dorsey
Columbia-Legacy
2005

The Essential Frank Sinatra & Tommy Dorsey documents almost three years together (1940-1942) before Sinatra went solo, presaging when singers would eclipse the popularity of the Swing Era's big bands. Except for the occasional sentimental goop ("Light A Candle In The Chapel ), many of the songs are stalwarts such as "Stardust , "I'll Never Smile Again and "How About You? or engaging reminders of a more innocent time in popular music such as "I Guess I'll Have to Dream the Rest .

Sinatra's emergence as a gifted swing singer is already evident here. Inspired by Sy Oliver's orchestrations, he zooms along on "I'll Take Tallulah and "The One I Love Belongs to Somebody Else . With the delightful Connie Haines and The Pied Pipers, on a playful air check performance of "Oh! Look At Me Now , he climaxes with an outburst, Jack, I'm ready! And clearly he was.

In the '50s, Sinatra was to record some of these songs again, like "Violets For Your Furs and "The Night We Called It A Day , imbuing them with darker emotional texture. But here, with a gem like "Polka Dots and Moonbeams , he's at his dreamboat creamiest, exuding an appealing mixture of high spirits and vulnerability. Blended with that so-mellow Dorsey sound, it's easy to imagine how this upbeat, romantic music comforted a nation at war.

The Sentimental Gentleman of Swing

Tracks: CD1. Tracks: 01. Dusting the Donkey - 03:01; 02. Ten Little Miles From Town - 03:14; 03. It Won't Be Long Now - 03:15; 04. Add A Little Wiggle - 03:02; 05. Cherry - 03:13; 06. It's Right Here For You - 03:10; 07. My Melancholy Baby - 03:01; 08. Mean To Me - 03:28; 09. Bugle Call Rag - 02:59; 10. Breakaway - 02:49; 11. Hallelujah - 02:57; 12. Dust - 03:12; 13. My Kind of Man - 03:01; 14. I Got Rhythm - 03:15; 15. Cinderella Brown - 03:31; 16. Bend Down Sister - 03:02; 17. Who Stole the Lock (On the Hen-House Door) - 02:42; 18. Goodbye Blues - 03:19; 19. Sentimental Gentleman From Georgia - 03:05; 20. Lullaby of the Leaves - 03:09; 21. Bugle Call Rag - 02:56; 22. How Deep Is the Ocean - 03:13; 23. Shoutin' In That Amen Corner -02:47 ; 24. Moon Country - 03:15; 25. Sing (It's Good For You) - 02:48 CD2. Tracks: 01. I'm Getting Sentimental Over You - 03:37; 02. One Night in Monte Carlo - 03:03; 03. Marie - 03:17; 04. Head Over Heels In Love - 02:44; 05. Song of India - 03:07; 06. After You - 03:22; 07. Twilight in Turkey - 03:21; 08. Melody in F - 02:56; 09. Stop; Look and Listen - 05:17; 10. Blues - 02:59; 11. Boogie Woogie - 03:10; 12. Hawaiian War Chant - 03:10; 13. Vol Vistu Gaily Star - 02:40 ; 14. Imagination - 03:14; 15. Yes Indeed! - 03:30; 16. Opus #1 - 02:56; 17. On The Sunny Side of the Street - 03:14; 18. At The Fat Man's - 03:10; 19. Tonight I Shall Sleep - 02:57; 20. The Minor goes Muggin' - 03:02; 21. Trombonology - 03:00; 22. Pussy Willow - 03:15; 23. Flagler Drive - 03:14; 24. Dippermouth Blues - 02:54 CD3. Tracks: 01. March of the Toys - 03:32; 02. Our Love Affair - 03:04; 03. Easy Does It - 03:59; 04. I Could Make You Care - 02:51; 05. Rhumboogie - 03:11; 06. Stardust - 03:06; 07. Liebestraum - 03:27; 08. East of the Sun - 04:23; 09. Put On Your Old Grey Bonnet - 02:19; 10. Every Night About This Time - 03:52; 11. Oh! Look At Me Now - 03:45; 12. Jimtown Blues - 03:53; 13. I'll Never Smile Again -03:12 ; 14. Do I Worry? - 03:13; 15. Goin' Home - 03:20; 16. The Song Is You - 04:26; 17. Daybreak - 02:49; 18. There's Good Blues Tonight -03:43 ; 19. Manhattan Serenade - 04:36; 20. Take The "A" Train - 05:06; 21. Heartbreak Hotel - 03:00

Personnel: Tommy Dorsey: trombone & orchestra

The Essential Frank Sinatra & Tommy Dorsey

Tracks: CD1. Tracks: 01. I'll Be Seeing You - 03:03; 02. Say It - 03:23; 03. Polka Dots and Moonbeams - 03:19; 04. Fools Rush In - 03:11; 05. Imagination - 03:13; 06. You're Lonely and I'm Lonely - 03:10; 07. East of the Sun (and West of the Moon) - 03:19; 08. It's A Lovely Day Tomorrow - 02:27; 09. I'll Never Smile Again - 03:10; 10. All This and Heaven Too - 03:36; 11. Trade Winds - 02:58; 12. The One I Love Belongs to Somebody Else - 03:31; 13. The Call of the Canyon - 03:07; 14. Love Lies - 03:22; 15. I Could Make You Care - 03:09; 16. Our Love Affair - 03:01; 17. We Three (My Echo; My Shadow and Me) - 03:02; 18. Stardust- 03:11; 19. Oh! Look At Me Now - 03:15; 20. You Might Have Belonged to Another - 02:45; 21. It's Always You - 03:13; 22. I Tried - 03:15; 23. Dolores - 02:55 CD2. Tracks: 01. Do I Worry? - 03:12; 02. Everything Happens To Me -03:11; 03. This Love of Mine - 03:42; 04. I Guess I'll Have To Dream the Rest - 03:30; 05. You and I - 02:42; 06. Blue Skies - 03:15; 07. I Think of You - 02:53; 08. Violets for Your Furs - 03:04; 09. How About You? - 02:52; 10. The Night We Called It A Day - 03:20; 11. The Song Is You - 03:20; 12. I'll Take Tallulah - 03:13; 13. The Last Call For Love - 02:29; 14. Just As Though You Were Here - 03:12; 15. Street of Dreams - 02:40; 16. Take Me - 03:00; 17. Be Careful It's My Heart - 02:47; 18. In The Blue of Evening - 02:54; 19. There Are Such Things - 02:42; 20. Daybreak - 03:11; 21. Light A Candle in the Chapel - 03:04

Personnel: Frank Sinatra: vocals; Tommy Dorsey: trombone & orchestra

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