The Tommy Dorsey Orchestra to Play at National Warplane Museum
Photo courtesy of Tommy Dorsey Orchestra
Be immersed in WWII era music at the National Warplane Museum this Saturday, Sept. 20!
This Saturday, Sept. 20 2025, the Tommy Dorsey Orchestra will be performing at the National Warplane Museum, located at 3489 Big Tree Lane at 5:00pm. The orchestra is known for playing famous swing and dance numbers, a genre that was popularized around the time of WWII at venues around the globe. The event will take place in the hangar of the museum with dance space provided and dancing set to last from 5:00pm to 7:00pm While casual wear is accepted at the event, period dress is encouraged. Tickets are available for purchase in advance online for $40 to $60 on the National Warplane Museum’s website.
The band’s founder, Tommy Dorsey, also known as “The Sentimental Gentleman of Swing,” led his band to great acclaim during the Big Band Swing Era of the 1930s and early 1940s. According to the Orchestra’s website, these accomplishments include its designation as “the greatest dance band” from 1935-1956. In 1941, the band ranked first in a Martin Block's Make Believe Ballroom poll, which is one of the most representative polls indicating the band's popularity.
The Big Band Swing Era came about “from the blues and jazz of New Orleans, Kansas City, and Chicago,” according to Acoustic Music. A big band refers to a band with about 12-25 members who play saxophone, trumpet, trombone, or contribute to the rhythm section as drummers or bassists, keeping the band in rhythm and providing the background thrums of the pieces. Duke Ellington, Ben Pollack, Don Redman, Fletcher Henderson, The California Ramblers, Ted Lewis, and Paul Whiteman led a handful of the other well-known bands in the 1920s and early 1930s, some of whom performed pieces for hotel guests and visitors to dance to. “Swing” emerged through this era of improvisation—during the Golden Age of Radio just a few years after the Great Depression, the Swing Era hit its stride.
Tommy Dorsey, who passed away in 1956 at 51-years-old, influenced the trajectory of the music world. He utilized pieces from prominent composers such as Paul Weston, Axel Stordahl, and Sy Oliver. He hired distinguished singers, such as Frank Sinatra, who spent the early stages of his career with the band, with whom he released over 80 songs. Jack Leonard was another singer who worked with the orchestra for four years. With the help of contributors, the band arranged many numbers that would rise to fame, including “Marie,” “Swingin’ on Nothing,” “Opus No. 1,” “Chicago,” “On the Sunny Side of the Street,” “This Love of Mine,” “Oh, Look at Me Now,” and “I’ll Never Smile Again.” In more recent years, Music Director Jeff Bush has been a member of the orchestra since 2000. Bush is a trombonist from Apollo, Pennsylvania who attended Youngstown State University in Ohio and the Manhattan School of Music in NYC.
During Bush’s undergraduate career, he toured with the Glenn Miller Orchestra and played within The Cleveland Jazz Orchestra. During the 1999 International Trombone Festival, Bush was featured due to his reception at the Frank Rosolino Memorial Scholarship event. He studied in Berlin, Germany alongside Jiggs Whigham, an accomplished trombone player. As a graduate student, Bush played alongside many influential jazz musicians, not limited to Jon Hendricks, Anthony Braxton, Marlena Shaw, and Cyrus Chestnut. Alongside this, he played in many significant bands, including The Vanguard Jazz Orchestra, RIAS Big Band of Berlin, the Bob Mintzer Big Band.
Bush’s orchestra will be playing next in early October. Their upcoming gigs are at: Elkton Music Hall in Elkton, Maryland at 7:00pm on Oct. 9, 2025, Sellersville Theater in Sellersville, Pennsylvania at 7:30 pm on Oct. 10, 2025, Glen Echo Park Spanish Ballroom in Bethesda, Maryland at 9:00 pm on Oct. 11, 2025, and Riverside Center for the Performing Arts in Fredericksburg, Virginia at 7:00pm on Oct. 12, 2025. Their last performance of the tour will be at Lawrenceburg Crockett Theatre in Lawrenceburg, Tennessee at 7:00 pm on July 16, 2026.
The Tommy Dorsey Orchestra continues to produce excellent music for communities worldwide, prompting audiences to groove to the beat. After a long history of influence, they maintain a state of leadership in the wonderful world of swing and dance music. Come see this historic group in action this Saturday right here in Geneseo.