Constance Valis Hill
- Published in print:
- 2009
- Published Online:
- February 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780195390827
- eISBN:
- 9780199863563
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195390827.003.0007
- Subject:
- Music, History, American, Dance
This chapter begins with the tap challenge between the Peg Leg Bates and Hal LeRoy on The Ed Sullivan Show and ends with a challenge between dancers Bob Fosse and Tommy Raal in My Sister Eileen. The ...
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This chapter begins with the tap challenge between the Peg Leg Bates and Hal LeRoy on The Ed Sullivan Show and ends with a challenge between dancers Bob Fosse and Tommy Raal in My Sister Eileen. The 1950s, beginning with the death of Bill Robinson, has been commonly referred to as the decade of tap dance’s decline, when tap dance waned in popularity as the number of live performances diminished. Tap dancers found themselves out of jobs; and venues for tap performances shifted from the stage to television. As the steady rhythms of 1940s swing gave way to the dissonant harmonics and frenzied rhythmic shifts of bebop, big bands downsized into jazz combos, which further diminished work for tap dancers. As the decade laid to rest the half-century jigging tradition represented by Robinson, tap dance was regenerated and transfigured by bebop, thus to be resurrected into a modern jazz expression.Less
This chapter begins with the tap challenge between the Peg Leg Bates and Hal LeRoy on The Ed Sullivan Show and ends with a challenge between dancers Bob Fosse and Tommy Raal in My Sister Eileen. The 1950s, beginning with the death of Bill Robinson, has been commonly referred to as the decade of tap dance’s decline, when tap dance waned in popularity as the number of live performances diminished. Tap dancers found themselves out of jobs; and venues for tap performances shifted from the stage to television. As the steady rhythms of 1940s swing gave way to the dissonant harmonics and frenzied rhythmic shifts of bebop, big bands downsized into jazz combos, which further diminished work for tap dancers. As the decade laid to rest the half-century jigging tradition represented by Robinson, tap dance was regenerated and transfigured by bebop, thus to be resurrected into a modern jazz expression.
Williams Martin
- Published in print:
- 1993
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780195083491
- eISBN:
- 9780199853205
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195083491.003.0049
- Subject:
- Music, Popular
Recently, the Jazz Gallery, a huge New York jazz club, which had a doubtful career for a couple of years, finally closed for good. Business at other clubs was reportedly poor, and there had been ...
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Recently, the Jazz Gallery, a huge New York jazz club, which had a doubtful career for a couple of years, finally closed for good. Business at other clubs was reportedly poor, and there had been constant suggestions from the owners about “putting in some strippers.” The history of such places—particularly in New York and also in other big cities—has been directly tied to the evolution of the music. And most jazz clubs have come and disappeared as new styles have risen, became popular, and declined in their following. There is realistic evidence that the sign that there would be some business flops in clubs featuring contemporary jazz came about a couple of years ago.Less
Recently, the Jazz Gallery, a huge New York jazz club, which had a doubtful career for a couple of years, finally closed for good. Business at other clubs was reportedly poor, and there had been constant suggestions from the owners about “putting in some strippers.” The history of such places—particularly in New York and also in other big cities—has been directly tied to the evolution of the music. And most jazz clubs have come and disappeared as new styles have risen, became popular, and declined in their following. There is realistic evidence that the sign that there would be some business flops in clubs featuring contemporary jazz came about a couple of years ago.
Williams Martin
- Published in print:
- 1993
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780195083491
- eISBN:
- 9780199853205
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195083491.003.0007
- Subject:
- Music, Popular
John Lewis was an American jazz pianist and composer most famous for being the musical director of the Modern Jazz Quartet. The Modern Jazz Quartet, in its quarter of a century history, had risen to ...
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John Lewis was an American jazz pianist and composer most famous for being the musical director of the Modern Jazz Quartet. The Modern Jazz Quartet, in its quarter of a century history, had risen to prominence as the most renowned, most critically acclaimed, and most durable small ensemble in the history of jazz. It is one of the greatest ensembles ever to have existd, that is other than the Duke Ellington orchestra. Lewis also provided the musical score to the documentary “De I'eau et de I'espoir” (Of Water and Hope), which tackles the assistance of American in Morocco's water conservation.Less
John Lewis was an American jazz pianist and composer most famous for being the musical director of the Modern Jazz Quartet. The Modern Jazz Quartet, in its quarter of a century history, had risen to prominence as the most renowned, most critically acclaimed, and most durable small ensemble in the history of jazz. It is one of the greatest ensembles ever to have existd, that is other than the Duke Ellington orchestra. Lewis also provided the musical score to the documentary “De I'eau et de I'espoir” (Of Water and Hope), which tackles the assistance of American in Morocco's water conservation.
Ted Gioia
- Published in print:
- 2021
- Published Online:
- March 2021
- ISBN:
- 9780190087210
- eISBN:
- 9780190087227
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/oso/9780190087210.003.0006
- Subject:
- Music, History, American
The rise of modern jazz—or “bebop” as it was called—dramatically changed the landscape of the music in the 1940s, transforming the genre into a truly progressive and experimental idiom. But this came ...
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The rise of modern jazz—or “bebop” as it was called—dramatically changed the landscape of the music in the 1940s, transforming the genre into a truly progressive and experimental idiom. But this came at a cost, marking a shift from jazz’s predominance as a popular music, and turning it into an art music addressing a much smaller audience. This chapter looks at the innovations of the leading bebop musicians, especially Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie, and Thelonious Monk. Other artists addressed include Bud Powell, Lennie Tristano, Sarah Vaughan, and Dave Brubeck. The chapter concludes with an assessment of big band jazz during the post–World War II era, including the work of Woody Herman and Stan Kenton.Less
The rise of modern jazz—or “bebop” as it was called—dramatically changed the landscape of the music in the 1940s, transforming the genre into a truly progressive and experimental idiom. But this came at a cost, marking a shift from jazz’s predominance as a popular music, and turning it into an art music addressing a much smaller audience. This chapter looks at the innovations of the leading bebop musicians, especially Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie, and Thelonious Monk. Other artists addressed include Bud Powell, Lennie Tristano, Sarah Vaughan, and Dave Brubeck. The chapter concludes with an assessment of big band jazz during the post–World War II era, including the work of Woody Herman and Stan Kenton.
Katherine Baber
- Published in print:
- 2019
- Published Online:
- September 2019
- ISBN:
- 9780252042379
- eISBN:
- 9780252051210
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University of Illinois Press
- DOI:
- 10.5622/illinois/9780252042379.003.0006
- Subject:
- Music, History, American
Chapter 5 shows that the use of jazz to articulate conflict is crucial to the structure and message(s) of West Side Story. Jazz proves to be a flexible conceptualization as Bernstein incorporates the ...
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Chapter 5 shows that the use of jazz to articulate conflict is crucial to the structure and message(s) of West Side Story. Jazz proves to be a flexible conceptualization as Bernstein incorporates the stylistic vocabulary of modern jazz--particularly bebop and cool--bringing new associative meanings based on the sense of artistic and political opposition associated with those styles. Given jazz’s culture of commitment in the civil rights era, and Bernstein’s own statements on the arts and social or political obligation, West Side Story emerges as not just a statement but also as a form of activism.Less
Chapter 5 shows that the use of jazz to articulate conflict is crucial to the structure and message(s) of West Side Story. Jazz proves to be a flexible conceptualization as Bernstein incorporates the stylistic vocabulary of modern jazz--particularly bebop and cool--bringing new associative meanings based on the sense of artistic and political opposition associated with those styles. Given jazz’s culture of commitment in the civil rights era, and Bernstein’s own statements on the arts and social or political obligation, West Side Story emerges as not just a statement but also as a form of activism.
David Ake
- Published in print:
- 2010
- Published Online:
- May 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780520266889
- eISBN:
- 9780520947399
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University of California Press
- DOI:
- 10.1525/california/9780520266889.003.0004
- Subject:
- Music, History, American
This chapter discusses the carnivalesque, which is one of jazz's “lower” manifestations, and is largely derived from literary theorist Mikhail Bakhtin. Bakhtin believed that the carnivalesque can ...
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This chapter discusses the carnivalesque, which is one of jazz's “lower” manifestations, and is largely derived from literary theorist Mikhail Bakhtin. Bakhtin believed that the carnivalesque can help people understand or make sense of the improper outbursts in the supposedly serious setting of recent jazz, while it also reveals other meanings and practices which are common throughout the genre. The chapter focuses on several sounds and images offered by the band Sex Mob, and shows how a carnivalesque aesthetic still persists in modern times to stop the severe, elitist, or solipsistic attitudes of modern jazz.Less
This chapter discusses the carnivalesque, which is one of jazz's “lower” manifestations, and is largely derived from literary theorist Mikhail Bakhtin. Bakhtin believed that the carnivalesque can help people understand or make sense of the improper outbursts in the supposedly serious setting of recent jazz, while it also reveals other meanings and practices which are common throughout the genre. The chapter focuses on several sounds and images offered by the band Sex Mob, and shows how a carnivalesque aesthetic still persists in modern times to stop the severe, elitist, or solipsistic attitudes of modern jazz.
Williams Martin
- Published in print:
- 1993
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780195083491
- eISBN:
- 9780199853205
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195083491.003.0044
- Subject:
- Music, Popular
“European Concert” is a two-record set performed by the Modern Jazz Quartet in Sweden. The performance in general is very near to perfection. It is a like an anniversary set in that the Quartet was ...
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“European Concert” is a two-record set performed by the Modern Jazz Quartet in Sweden. The performance in general is very near to perfection. It is a like an anniversary set in that the Quartet was formed nearly ten years ago at a recording session for which its four original members were gathered. The quartet comprises of John Lewis, piano and musical director; Milt Jackson, vibraphone; Percy Heath, bass; and Connie Kay, drums. They discovered that they enjoyed playing together very much and they decided to continue. The remarkable feat is that they continue to play with the same passion and commitment to improvisation that they had at the start, and with an magnificent increase in expressive range and sensitive group interplay.Less
“European Concert” is a two-record set performed by the Modern Jazz Quartet in Sweden. The performance in general is very near to perfection. It is a like an anniversary set in that the Quartet was formed nearly ten years ago at a recording session for which its four original members were gathered. The quartet comprises of John Lewis, piano and musical director; Milt Jackson, vibraphone; Percy Heath, bass; and Connie Kay, drums. They discovered that they enjoyed playing together very much and they decided to continue. The remarkable feat is that they continue to play with the same passion and commitment to improvisation that they had at the start, and with an magnificent increase in expressive range and sensitive group interplay.
- Published in print:
- 2012
- Published Online:
- March 2013
- ISBN:
- 9780226044941
- eISBN:
- 9780226044965
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University of Chicago Press
- DOI:
- 10.7208/chicago/9780226044965.003.0005
- Subject:
- Music, History, American
This chapter analyzes the electric guitarist Charlie Christian, a key swing-era jazz soloist who was deeply influential to a generation of musicians. The development of Christian's musical style was ...
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This chapter analyzes the electric guitarist Charlie Christian, a key swing-era jazz soloist who was deeply influential to a generation of musicians. The development of Christian's musical style was the result of a real physical journey from the Southwest to the nationn, and he was most celebrated by jazz historians for the central role he played in the development of “modern jazz.” “Flying Home” was one of the earliest recordings of Christian as a new member of Benny Goodman's organization. With its evocation of great distance and speed, this song depicted Christian's new life far from Oklahoma City. His solos on “Flying Home” were musical experiences of different types of movement. Moreover, Christian's musical development was intertwined with a real physical journey from the Southwest to the nation. His music was also an omen of wartime mobility and migration.Less
This chapter analyzes the electric guitarist Charlie Christian, a key swing-era jazz soloist who was deeply influential to a generation of musicians. The development of Christian's musical style was the result of a real physical journey from the Southwest to the nationn, and he was most celebrated by jazz historians for the central role he played in the development of “modern jazz.” “Flying Home” was one of the earliest recordings of Christian as a new member of Benny Goodman's organization. With its evocation of great distance and speed, this song depicted Christian's new life far from Oklahoma City. His solos on “Flying Home” were musical experiences of different types of movement. Moreover, Christian's musical development was intertwined with a real physical journey from the Southwest to the nation. His music was also an omen of wartime mobility and migration.
Thomas F. DeFrantz
- Published in print:
- 2006
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780195301717
- eISBN:
- 9780199850648
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195301717.003.0008
- Subject:
- Music, Dance
This chapter discusses the interest of Alvin Ailey in the history of African American musical forms, especially modern jazz. He collaborated with various classically trained jazz musicians for his ...
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This chapter discusses the interest of Alvin Ailey in the history of African American musical forms, especially modern jazz. He collaborated with various classically trained jazz musicians for his jazz ballet including Charles Mingus, Max Roach, and Keith Jarrett. But the bulk of his jazz ballets, a total of eleven, was created to the music by Duke Ellington. Ailey explained that he hoped to align his own ascent to that of Ellington, who regularly made acknowledgements for his work beyond traditional categories of musicianship.Less
This chapter discusses the interest of Alvin Ailey in the history of African American musical forms, especially modern jazz. He collaborated with various classically trained jazz musicians for his jazz ballet including Charles Mingus, Max Roach, and Keith Jarrett. But the bulk of his jazz ballets, a total of eleven, was created to the music by Duke Ellington. Ailey explained that he hoped to align his own ascent to that of Ellington, who regularly made acknowledgements for his work beyond traditional categories of musicianship.
Ted Gioia
- Published in print:
- 2021
- Published Online:
- March 2021
- ISBN:
- 9780190087210
- eISBN:
- 9780190087227
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/oso/9780190087210.001.0001
- Subject:
- Music, History, American
The History of Jazz, 3rd edition, is a comprehensive survey of jazz music from its origins until the current day. The book is designed for general readers and students, as well as those with more ...
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The History of Jazz, 3rd edition, is a comprehensive survey of jazz music from its origins until the current day. The book is designed for general readers and students, as well as those with more specialized interest in jazz and music history. It provides detailed biographical information and an overview of the musical contributions of the key innovators in development of jazz, including Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington, Billie Holiday, Coleman Hawkins, Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie, Thelonious Monk, Ella Fitzgerald, Miles Davis, John Coltrane, Ornette Coleman, and others. The book also traces the evolution of jazz styles and includes in-depth accounts of ragtime, blues, New Orleans jazz, Chicago jazz, swing and big band music, bebop, hard bop, cool jazz, avant-garde, jazz-rock fusion, and other subgenres and developments. The volume also provides a cultural and socioeconomic contextualization of the music, dealing with the broader political and social environment that gave birth to the music and shaped its development—both in the United States and within a global setting.Less
The History of Jazz, 3rd edition, is a comprehensive survey of jazz music from its origins until the current day. The book is designed for general readers and students, as well as those with more specialized interest in jazz and music history. It provides detailed biographical information and an overview of the musical contributions of the key innovators in development of jazz, including Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington, Billie Holiday, Coleman Hawkins, Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie, Thelonious Monk, Ella Fitzgerald, Miles Davis, John Coltrane, Ornette Coleman, and others. The book also traces the evolution of jazz styles and includes in-depth accounts of ragtime, blues, New Orleans jazz, Chicago jazz, swing and big band music, bebop, hard bop, cool jazz, avant-garde, jazz-rock fusion, and other subgenres and developments. The volume also provides a cultural and socioeconomic contextualization of the music, dealing with the broader political and social environment that gave birth to the music and shaped its development—both in the United States and within a global setting.
Williams Martin
- Published in print:
- 1993
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780195083491
- eISBN:
- 9780199853205
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195083491.003.0008
- Subject:
- Music, Popular
Milt “Bags” Jackson was an American jazz vibraphonist. He is known for his swinging solos when he became a member of the Modern Jazz Quartet and his inclination for collaboration with other hard bop ...
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Milt “Bags” Jackson was an American jazz vibraphonist. He is known for his swinging solos when he became a member of the Modern Jazz Quartet and his inclination for collaboration with other hard bop and post-bop musicians. The chapter tackles the time when Jackson was to record a brass orchestra comprising of four trumpets, three trombones, tuba, three French horns, and a rhythmic section. Musical scoring was provided by Melba Liston, a brass player, trombonist, as well as an arranger, working with the likes of Dizzy Gillespie, Count Basic, and Quincy Jones. Liston is just one of the few women composers and instrumentalists who had penetrated successfully in any genre of jazz.Less
Milt “Bags” Jackson was an American jazz vibraphonist. He is known for his swinging solos when he became a member of the Modern Jazz Quartet and his inclination for collaboration with other hard bop and post-bop musicians. The chapter tackles the time when Jackson was to record a brass orchestra comprising of four trumpets, three trombones, tuba, three French horns, and a rhythmic section. Musical scoring was provided by Melba Liston, a brass player, trombonist, as well as an arranger, working with the likes of Dizzy Gillespie, Count Basic, and Quincy Jones. Liston is just one of the few women composers and instrumentalists who had penetrated successfully in any genre of jazz.
Michael Jarrett
- Published in print:
- 2016
- Published Online:
- May 2017
- ISBN:
- 9781469630588
- eISBN:
- 9781469630601
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University of North Carolina Press
- DOI:
- 10.5149/northcarolina/9781469630588.003.0005
- Subject:
- Music, Popular
When digital audio workstations (DAWs) do not multiply recording options to unthinkable levels of over-choice, they have simplified and automated tasks that were exceedingly difficult and time ...
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When digital audio workstations (DAWs) do not multiply recording options to unthinkable levels of over-choice, they have simplified and automated tasks that were exceedingly difficult and time consuming to execute on analog tape. But they have informed jazz production most profoundly in the smallest sorts of ways. Fixing the little stuff that once marred, otherwise stellar, performances is now very quick and easy. A number of jazz recordings discussed in this chapter were not recorded digitally, and when they were, many of their producers merely treated digital tape and hard drives as the new, perhaps "improved," analog tape. Much of the time, in the world of jazz production a potentially revolutionary technology is just added to—and conceptualized in terms of–what was already available.Less
When digital audio workstations (DAWs) do not multiply recording options to unthinkable levels of over-choice, they have simplified and automated tasks that were exceedingly difficult and time consuming to execute on analog tape. But they have informed jazz production most profoundly in the smallest sorts of ways. Fixing the little stuff that once marred, otherwise stellar, performances is now very quick and easy. A number of jazz recordings discussed in this chapter were not recorded digitally, and when they were, many of their producers merely treated digital tape and hard drives as the new, perhaps "improved," analog tape. Much of the time, in the world of jazz production a potentially revolutionary technology is just added to—and conceptualized in terms of–what was already available.
Larry Kart
- Published in print:
- 2004
- Published Online:
- October 2013
- ISBN:
- 9780300104202
- eISBN:
- 9780300128192
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Yale University Press
- DOI:
- 10.12987/yale/9780300104202.003.0004
- Subject:
- Music, Theory, Analysis, Composition
This chapter aims to emphasize that jazz is a music whose nature and growth has been crucially shaped by the ways in which musicians who think of themselves as jazz musicians react to the music of ...
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This chapter aims to emphasize that jazz is a music whose nature and growth has been crucially shaped by the ways in which musicians who think of themselves as jazz musicians react to the music of other musicians who play jazz. It divides jazz music and musicians into three distinct generations, beginning with the likes of Jelly Roll Morton and Bessie Smith who were key participants in and witnesses to the process whereby jazz came to be, and came to be regarded as, a self-sustaining form of music. The likes of Art Tatum and Johnny Hodges belonged to the second generation, the members of which clearly knew of and were reacting to the first generation. The third generation is itself divided into those who found themselves making music that virtually had to be called modern jazz in relation to what had come before and those who did not cross the temperamental and stylistic divide into self-conscious modernism.Less
This chapter aims to emphasize that jazz is a music whose nature and growth has been crucially shaped by the ways in which musicians who think of themselves as jazz musicians react to the music of other musicians who play jazz. It divides jazz music and musicians into three distinct generations, beginning with the likes of Jelly Roll Morton and Bessie Smith who were key participants in and witnesses to the process whereby jazz came to be, and came to be regarded as, a self-sustaining form of music. The likes of Art Tatum and Johnny Hodges belonged to the second generation, the members of which clearly knew of and were reacting to the first generation. The third generation is itself divided into those who found themselves making music that virtually had to be called modern jazz in relation to what had come before and those who did not cross the temperamental and stylistic divide into self-conscious modernism.
Ray Mckinley
- Published in print:
- 2002
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780195157628
- eISBN:
- 9780199849468
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195157628.003.0004
- Subject:
- Music, History, American
Ray McKinley, as well as having great humor, he brought the light touch to music more frequently than many of his colleagues. His effectiveness stems from masterful and highly creative time-keeping ...
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Ray McKinley, as well as having great humor, he brought the light touch to music more frequently than many of his colleagues. His effectiveness stems from masterful and highly creative time-keeping and a deep sense of the musical. McKinley is generally considered a singer of rhythm and novelty songs first, then a band leader next, and finally a drummer. Most of his fans regard him primarily as an entertainer. McKinley has done little to dispel his image as a multiple threat. It is drumming, however, that best reveals who and what he is. Rhythm is basic to everything he does. Key recordings with the Dorsey Brothers and with Jimmy Dorsey in the 1930s, with Will Bradley and the Glenn Miller Army Air Force Band in the first half of the 1940s, and with his own bands and groups since then, tell his story well.Less
Ray McKinley, as well as having great humor, he brought the light touch to music more frequently than many of his colleagues. His effectiveness stems from masterful and highly creative time-keeping and a deep sense of the musical. McKinley is generally considered a singer of rhythm and novelty songs first, then a band leader next, and finally a drummer. Most of his fans regard him primarily as an entertainer. McKinley has done little to dispel his image as a multiple threat. It is drumming, however, that best reveals who and what he is. Rhythm is basic to everything he does. Key recordings with the Dorsey Brothers and with Jimmy Dorsey in the 1930s, with Will Bradley and the Glenn Miller Army Air Force Band in the first half of the 1940s, and with his own bands and groups since then, tell his story well.