Jimmy Dorsey was both an accomplished reed player, specializing in alto saxophone and clarinet, and one of the top bandleaders of the swing era. In the early and late periods of his career, he co-led bands with his younger brother Tommy; in between, he scored a series of Latin-tinged hits that established his orchestra as one of the most successful recording and performing units of the early '40s. And despite some lean years in the late '40s and the first half of the '50s, he managed to score a major pop hit during the final weeks of his life.
The first son of Thomas Francis ...