In 1954, at the dawn of the 12-inch LP era and hi-fidelity sound, Tommy Dorsey and his brother, Jimmy, joined forces. Billed as the Fabulous Dorseys, the two bands were combined and great songwriters and arrangers were called in to compose for the superband.
Both orchestras were enormously elegant, largely because the brothers had spent a lifetime playing and recording hot jazz and swing and had a smart sense of taste. By the 1950s, they had their bands' sounds down to refined perfection.
In 1954, Tommy Dorsey paid for studio time and arrangements that would produce tracks for a future album. After Tommy's death in 1956, Columbia bought the tapes and produced The Fabulous Dorseys in Hi-Fi, released in 1958, and Tommy Dorsey & His Orchestra, Featuring Jimmy Dorsey: Sentimental and Swinging, which came out in 1959. For a deeper dive into the history of these albums, go here.
One of the songs on the latter album was Just Swingin', composed and arranged by Ernie Wilkins and recorded in 1955.
Here it is. Dig how it builds perfectly in layers...
Both orchestras were enormously elegant, largely because the brothers had spent a lifetime playing and recording hot jazz and swing and had a smart sense of taste. By the 1950s, they had their bands' sounds down to refined perfection.
In 1954, Tommy Dorsey paid for studio time and arrangements that would produce tracks for a future album. After Tommy's death in 1956, Columbia bought the tapes and produced The Fabulous Dorseys in Hi-Fi, released in 1958, and Tommy Dorsey & His Orchestra, Featuring Jimmy Dorsey: Sentimental and Swinging, which came out in 1959. For a deeper dive into the history of these albums, go here.
One of the songs on the latter album was Just Swingin', composed and arranged by Ernie Wilkins and recorded in 1955.
Here it is. Dig how it builds perfectly in layers...
This story appears courtesy of JazzWax by Marc Myers.
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