Jimmy Dorsey Orchestra Brings
A Christmas Gift

Media Contact:

Kristen Gleason
Director of Marketing
The Paramount Theater
215 East Main Street
Charlottesville, VA 22902
434.979.1922 ext. 103
kristen@theparamount.net

For Immediate Release

November 27, 2007

Returning to The Paramount, The Jimmy Dorsey Orchestra directed by Bill Tole and The Pied Pipers featuring Nancy Knorr will present A Christmas Gift just in time for the holidays! The concert, which coincides with Pearl Harbor Day, will feature favorite holiday songs -- “I’ll Be Home for Christmas,” “Sleigh Ride,” “Jingle Bells,” “The Christmas Song,” and many more -- all performed in the big band tradition.

The sound recalls that heard at dances or on the radio -- bringing back memories of special times, holidays spent with family and friends, and an era of great music. A Christmas Gift will be presented at The Paramount on Friday, December 7 at 7 pm.

The 1940s were the golden era for The Jimmy Dorsey Orchestra.  Featuring popular singers Helen O'Connell and Bob Eberly on hits like "Amapola," "Green Eyes," and "Tangerine," the band jumped to the top of the charts. Other hit-selling records and a series of motion pictures that followed established the band at the top of the field.

In 1953, Dorsey joined forces with his brother Tommy to create The Fabulous Dorseys band, which Jimmy took over after Tommy’s untimely passing in 1956. Only surviving his brother by a few months, Dorsey was awarded a gold record for his 1957 hit "So Rare" just before his death.

Still in great demand all over the world, The Jimmy Dorsey Orchestra continues to bring joy to the young and "young at heart" as they experience the sounds of American music. The band’s decades-long success has continued under directors Lee Castle and more recently Jim Miller. Leadership of the Orchestra has now passed to trombonist Bill Tole, whose sweet, smooth, sentimental style perfectly compliments the energy of this world-famous swing-era ensemble.

The Pied Pipers joined the Tommy Dorsey Orchestra just before the band’s new boy singer -- Frank Sinatra -- did, in January 1940. Much of the success of the Pied Pipers was due to their distinctive modern harmony and phrasing. In April 1940 the Dorsey Orchestra, Sinatra, and the Pied Pipers struck gold with "I'll Never Smile Again" -- a hit for 15 weeks that remained on the charts for an additional 25 weeks.

Many more hits followed, such as "This Love of Mine," "Stardust," "Let's Get Away From It All," "Put Your Dreams Away For Another Day," "Embraceable You," and "The Night We Called It a Day." Filming movies such as Ship Ahoy and DuBarry Was a Lady, the group’s appearance in Reveille With Beverly featured the hit song "Night and Day."

The Pied Pipers have come full circle from the Dorsey/Sinatra Era to today under the skilled management of lead singer Nancy Knorr, carrying on the tradition of vocal expertise with television appearances and national theater tours.

Tickets for the 7 pm concert of A Christmas Gift with The Jimmy Dorsey Orchestra and The Pied Pipers are $35.50, $39.50, $42.50, and $47.50. Half-price student rush tickets and group discounts are available.

Tickets and further details may be found online or through The Paramount’s Box Office at 434.979.1333.

For more about The Jimmy Dorsey Orchestra and The Pied Pipers, please visit www.jimmydorseyorchestra.com.