The American Swing Orchestra's Salute to Tommy & Jimmy Dorsey is not to be confused with the Tommy Dorsey Orchestra or the Jimmy Dorsey Orchestra or any other performing group which may include the Dorsey name. Artist's rights to the name are derived from its use on a national basis, and from its corporate status in the State of Florida.

The Dorsey Brothers Biography

Songs like Opus# 1, Song of India, Marie, Tangerine, All or Nothing at All, Green Eyes, So Rare, I'll Never Smile Again...and many others explain why the Dorsey Brothers sold over 110 million records, and were credited with doing the most to launch the juke-box industry. Over their 35 year career, they had Glenn Miller, Ray McKinley, Bob Crosby, Nelson Riddle, and Frank Sinatra in their bands, and late in their career while hosting CBS-TV's STAGE SHOW, they introduced Connie Francis and a young Elvis Presley to a national audience. Their music and personal lives were chronicled in the movie, "The Fabulous Dorseys". Today, The American Swing Orchestra continues a great musical tradition playing the music made famous by Tommy and Jimmy Dorsey under the direction of Jazz Hall of Fame Inductee, Clem De Rosa.

Tommy and Jimmy Dorsey started their musical careers while barely out of their teens playing with a famous "hot" band of the day, the Scranton Sirens. Jimmy, who is credited with being on of the great saxophone stylists of the early Jazz Era broke away and began to appear with some of the top bands of the day. Tommy was the first bandleader in America to use the trombone as a lead solo instrument. Their appearances with Paul Whiteman, the King of Jazz, was the climax of their early career.

In 1934, they began to make musical history. The Dorsey Brothers Orchestra was formed, and they thrilled audiences from coast to coast with their great music establishing a musical tradition for an entire generation. Glenn Miller played trombone and was responsible for some of the early arrangements. Bob Crosby was their vocalist, and Ray McKinley was their drummer. Then, in June of 1935 during their engagement at the Glen Island Casino, Jimmy and Tommy had an argument over the temp of a tune and Tommy stormed off the bandstand. The Dorsey Brothers split up, each with his own idea of building an orchestra around his own conception of music.

Tommy's orchestra established box office records in many theatres and was the first large dance band to play these houses as the featured attraction in the late 1930's. Tommy's band had many top vocalists, including Frank Sinatra, Dick Haymes, Jo Stafford and Connie Haines. Tommy became known as "The Sentimental Gentleman of Swing". Jimmy, on the other hand, created a sweeter style, and was responsible for such stars as Helen O'Connell and Bob Eberly.

The Dorsey Brothers carried on a musical feud for nearly eighteen years. Then in 1953, at the Hollywood Palladium where Jimmy was playing an engagement, one of those electrical and legendary events in the world of music occurred. Tommy and his orchestra were the next attraction, and as a preview of coming attractions, Tommy sat in with Jimmy's band. The reception they received was so overwhelming, the brothers were forced to look at joining forces once again.

Today's recreation by the exciting American Swing Orchestra is represented exclusively by Ted Schmidt & Associates, Inc. which also represents The Glenn Miller Orchestra. Clem De Rosa, who has led both the Glenn Miller and Jimmy Dorsey Orchestras has painstakingly assembled all of the big Dorsey arrangements. With credits like these, the band promises to make a dance or concert a smashing success.

For Booking Information Contact:

Ted Schmidt & Associates, Inc. 1-800-972-1108 or  Tedschmidt@aol.com

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