The Fabulous Dorseys is a (largely fictionalized) bio-pic released in 1947. As you would expect from a movie that purports to tell the story of Tommy and Jimmy Dorsey, there are lots of good tunes; however, my favorite is “Art Tatum’s Blues”, a jam session with a great “after hours” look and sound, featuring some of the greats of the swing era (the Dorseys themselves, of course, plus Charlie Barnett, Ziggy Ellman, Ray Bauduc, and, as the song title suggests, Art Tatum). The session starts out with blues, but ultimately switches over to a foot-stomper. Nice solos and some swingin’ ensemble work make this one that I wish I could have seen in person.
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What's even more fun is watching them play and seeing the positive joy they took in their playing.
ReplyDeleteThat's very true, Rebecca. Charlie Barnett smiles the whole time he is blowing on that saxophone, and the musicians watch each other during the solos, grins of admiration on their faces.
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