Thomas Francis Dorsey, Jr. was born in Shenandoah, Pennsylvania, and started out only 16 years later in Allentown, Pennsylvania, with big band leader Russ Morgan in the famous pick-up band of the 1920s "The Scranton Sirens".
Tommy and his brother Jimmy worked in several bands, including those of Rudy Vallee, Vincent Lopez, and especially Paul Whiteman, before forming the original Dorsey Brothers Orchestra in 1934. Ongoing acrimony between the brothers, however, led to Tommy Dorsey's walking out to form his own band in 1935, just as the Orchestra was having a hit with "Every Little Moment."
Tommy Dorsey's first band formed out of the remnant of the Joe Haymes band, and his smooth, lyrical trombone style – whether on ballads or on no-holds-barred swingers – became one of the signature sounds of both his band and the Swing Era. The new band hit from almost the moment it signed with RCA Victor with "On Treasure Island", the first of four hits for the new band that year. That led to a run of 137 Billboard chart hits, including his theme song, "I'm Getting Sentimental Over You" (which showcases his phenomenal range and masterful mute use, reaching up to the high C #), "Marie", "The Big Apple", "Music, Maestro, Please", "I'll Never Smile Again", "This Love of Mine", "On the Sunny Side of the Street", "T.D.'s Boogie Woogie", "Well, Git 'It", "Opus One", "Manhattan Serenade", and "There Are Such Things" – among many others.
The band featured a number of the best instrumentalists in jazz at the time, including trumpeters Bunny Berigan, Ziggy Elman, George Seaberg, Carl "Doc" Severinsen, and Charlie Shavers, pianist Jess Stacy, trumpeter/arranger/composer Sy Oliver (who wrote "Well, Git 'It" and "Opus One"), clarinetists Buddy DeFranco, Johnny Mince and Peanuts Hucko drummers Buddy Rich, Louis Bellson, Gene Krupa and Dave Tough and singers Jack Leonard, Edythe Wright, Jo Stafford, Dick Haymes and Frank Sinatra. Sinatra achieved his first great success as a vocalist in the Dorsey band and claimed he learned breath control from watching Dorsey play trombone. Dorsey said his trombone style was heavily influenced by that of Jack Teagarden. Another member of the Dorsey band probably spent considerable time observing and listening to Sy Oliver's striking arrangements: trombonist Nelson Riddle, whose later partnership as Sinatra's major arranger and conductor is considered to have revolutionised post-World War II popular music.
Dorsey might have broken up his own band permanently following World War II, as many big bands did due to the shift in music economics following the war, and he did disband the orchestra at the end of 1946. But a top-ten selling album (All-Time Hits) made it possible for Dorsey to re-organise a big band in early 1947.
The biographical film of 1947, "The Fabulous Dorseys" describes sketchy details of how the brothers got their start from-the-bottom-up into the jazz era of one-nighters, the early days of radio in its infancy stages, and the onward march when both brothers ended up with Paul Whiteman before 1935 when The Dorsey Brothers' Orchestra split into two.
The Dorsey brothers themselves later reconciled – Jimmy Dorsey had had to break up his own highly successful big band in 1953, and brother Tommy invited him to join up as a feature attraction – but before long Tommy renamed the band the Dorsey Brothers Orchestra. On December 26, 1953, the brothers appeared with their orchestra on Jackie Gleason's CBS television show, which was preserved on kinescope and later released on home video by Gleason. The brothers took the unit on tour and onto their own television show, Stage Show, from 1954 to 1956, on which they introduced Elvis Presley to national television audiences, among others.
Music Maestro Please
Tommy Dorsey & His Orchestra Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
When the jungle shadows fall
Like the tick tick tock of the stately clock
As it stands against the wall
Like the drip drip drip of the raindrops
When the summer shower is through
So a voice within me keeps repeating you, you, you
Only you beneath the moon or under the sun
Whether near to me, or far
It's no matter darling where you are
I think of you
Day and night, night and day, why is it so
That this longing for you follows wherever I go
In the roaring traffic's boom
In the silence of my lonely room
I think of you
Day and night, night and day
Under the hide of me
There's an oh such a hungry yearning burning inside of me
And this torment won't be through
Until you let me spend my life making love to you
Day and night, night and day
The lyrics of Tommy Dorsey's song "Music Maestro Please" can be viewed as a plea from the singer to the music maestro to let the music set him free from the torment of his longing for someone. The song uses various metaphors to describe the singer's inner turmoil. The repetitive and steady beat of the tom-tom, a clock ticking against the wall or the sound of raindrops falling after a summer shower, all serve as reminders of the person he longs for. The chorus then shifts to the main plea of the song, with the singer addressing the object of his desire as the only one he wants under any circumstances.
The verses following the chorus express the intensity of the singer's relentless longing. The lyrics suggest that wherever he goes, the longing follows like a shadow, both in the bustling city and in the silence of his lonely room. The singer acknowledges that this torment won't be over until he can be with the person he desires. The final repetition of the chorus reiterates the singer's plea for the music maestro to create the perfect song that will free him from his longing, allowing him to live his life making love to the one he wants.
Line by Line Meaning
Like the beat beat beat of the tom-tom
Comparable to the sound of a tom-tom drum's constant beat
When the jungle shadows fall
As darkness envelops the jungle
Like the tick tick tock of the stately clock
Similar to the rhythmic ticking of a classy clock
As it stands against the wall
In a fixed position against the wall
Like the drip drip drip of the raindrops
Resembling the peaceful sound of raindrops falling
When the summer shower is through
After the rain has passed in the summertime
So a voice within me keeps repeating you, you, you
A constant voice in the singer's head repeating the name or thought of a loved one
Night and day, you are the one
Day and night, the singer is focused solely on their love interest
Only you beneath the moon or under the sun
The singer's focus is solely on their love interest, regardless of the time of day or weather
Whether near to me, or far
It doesn't matter whether they are close or far away
It's no matter darling where you are
The singer doesn't care where their love interest is
I think of you
The singer is constantly thinking of their love interest
Day and night, night and day, why is it so
The singer is questioning why they are constantly thinking of their love interest
That this longing for you follows wherever I go
The singer's longing for their love interest is always with them
In the roaring traffic's boom
Even in a loud, busy environment
In the silence of my lonely room
Even in a quiet, lonely setting
I think of you
The singer is consumed with thoughts of their love interest
Day and night, night and day
The singer's thoughts of their love interest never stop
Under the hide of me
Deep within the singer's being
There's an oh such a hungry yearning burning inside of me
A strong, passionate desire for their love interest that cannot be denied
And this torment won't be through
The pain of not being with their love interest will not end
Until you let me spend my life making love to you
The singer only wants to be with their love interest and show them love for the rest of their life
Lyrics © Red Brick Music Publishing, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Cole Porter
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@aaronschibetta2540
Just lost my little cousin, I got her into all this type of music. Best singing voice and smile to ever exist. Miss you so much buddy.
@bonitaderosa3134
Just thinking of this song - thought I'd see if I could find it on the tube - and here you were! Thanks so much for posting. Some of us just spend time dreaming of a song:)
@the78prof72
You're very welcome!
@jourwalis-8875
A real classic!
@TheMPGamesNetwork
Thank you very much for posting this.
@the78prof72
You're welcome
@jintshire4560
Very cash money of you, for making this master piece.
@Cont0rt
Came from Proleter, stayed for the jazz.
@fakhri8a924
ah yes thx to proleter now i can hear all the old music that i think is good
@Trombonology
Which among the many well-iknown and popular T. Dorsey vocalists was present on the highest number of Number One records? Frank Sinatra? ... Nope. ... Jack Leonard? ... Nope. The correct answer would be "Edythe Wright." Now perhaps a bit of an obscurity to the casual Big Band Era fan, Edythe provided the vocal solo on no less than six records by the band to occupy the top spot -- one more than Jack Leonard and two more than Sinatra. Both the leader and clarinetist Johnny Mince, who I've always felt had a very attractive tone, also sparkle on this snazzy side.