Dorsey, Jimmy

Jimmy Dorsey Alto saxophone, clarinet, and trumpet player, older brother of trombonist Tommy Dorsey, James Francis Dorsey, Shenandoah, Pennsylvania, February 29, 1904; New York City, June 12, 1957. Both Jimmy and his brother Tommy were trained in music by their father, Thomas Francis Dorsey, who led a marching band. Jimmy began playing cornet at age seven, but by the time he was eleven, he had switched to reed instruments. He formed some small combos with his brother, and then worked for a…