Tommy Dorsey with Buddy Rich

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Tommy Dorsey had one of the finest big bands of the first half of the 1940s.

Dorsey’s smooth trombone with its very impressive breath control was influential while his orchestra was capable of playing a wide variety of music from uptempo romps to dance music and vocal features.

Tommy Dorsey was at the peak of his success in 1943 when he and his band appeared in the Red Skelton film Du Barry was a Lady.

After a brief chorus on his theme song “I’m Getting Sentimental Over You,” Dorsey and his mighty orchestra perform “Well Git It”; the stars include drummer Buddy Rich (26 at the time), clarinetist Heinie Beau, Don Lodice on tenor, the dueling pianos of Milt Raskin and Joe Bushkin, and a famous trumpet tradeoff featuring Ziggy Elman and Chuck Peterson.

-Scott Yanow

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