Plays His Greatest Hits

George Jones, Jimmy Dorsey | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: King Records
• ASIN: B00000DSXU
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #225,343 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. Contrasts

2. Jay-Dee's Boogie Woogie

3. Mambo en Sax

4. Maria Elena

5. Speak Low

6. It's the Dreamer in Me

7. June Night

8. Amapola

9. Just Swingin'

10. Sophisticated Swing

11. No One Ever Lost More

12. So Rare

13. Contrasts

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Very Early CD, September 17, 2007

By 

AvidOldiesCollector (Ottawa, Ontario, Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Plays His Greatest Hits (Audio CD)

First of all, let me say that the "product description" above is clearly misplaced, as there was nothing "country" about Jimmy Dorsey, one of the greatest of the big band leaders along with brother Tommy.

This particular CD from the Hollywood label of Highland Music of Dearborn, Michigan, was among the first to hit the market back in 1987 when the new format was still largely a novelty. And what it does is capture his later years with the Fraternity label, after being with Decca from 1935 to 1946, then briefly with MGM in 1947/48 and Columbia in 1950, including his final three hits, the first still on the charts when he died from throat cancer at age 53 on June 12, 1957.

That was the wonderful So Rare on which Jimmy, also a renowned clarinetist, played his alto sax for the last time, with vocals by The Arthur Malvin Singers. With Sophisticated Swing on the reverse of Fraternity 755, it reached # 2 Billboard Pop Top 100 and # 4 R&B early in 1957 and remained on the charts for an incredible 32 weeks.

Five days after his death the band assembled under the direction of Lee Castle to record June Night, again with The Arthur Malvin Singers and, with Dick Stabile taking Jimmy's place on sax, it made it to # 21 Top 100 late that summer b/w Jay-Dee's Boogie Woogie (# 77 Top 100) on Fraternity 777.

The other 9 tracks are just as delightful, especially No One Ever Lost More which, again with The Arthur Malvin Singers, was released in 1958 on Fraternity 797 with When You Took Your Love as the flip (it's not here). Without liner notes, however, it's unknown whether this was recorded before or after Jimmy's death. No One Ever Lost More was released again in 1960 on Fraternity 868 as the B-side to Mambo En Sax (track 3). The only other Fraternity release, also in 1958, was Under A Texas Moon b/w Love On The Rocks - but neither side is included. However, two later versions of his theme, Contrasts, are presented.

The sound quality is excellent.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Dorsey's final songs, May 9, 2010

By 

Bop Man (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Plays His Greatest Hits (Audio CD)

That's right, beautiful memories. As another reviewer stated, Dorsey only plays on Four songs: Mambo En Sax, It's the Dreamer In Me, Sophisticated Swing, and So Rare. The rest is filled in by Dick Stabile, who has somewhat of a different tone than Dorsey, but did quite a good job to finish out the album.

5.0 out of 5 stars Jimmy Dorsey alto sax, November 29, 2008

By 

David "Oriente" (Miami, FL USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Plays His Greatest Hits (Audio CD)

This is one of those memorable big band CDs. Just the So Rare track pays for it. The band is in top shape, with great arrangements. Jimmy Dorsey plays a great sax, though in only 3 or 4 tracks, but Dick Stabile simply excels in the other tracks. A must have for swing jazz band music lovers.