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February 8, 2002 JIMMY DORSEY ORCHESTRA BRINGS SWING MUSIC TO MORRISON CENTER 
Download photos: Nancy Knorr and Bill Tole
A group of 20-something year-old students at Boise State University are hosting a toe-tappin’ big band concert they hope will connect college students, senior citizens and everyone else in between. The Jimmy Dorsey Orchestra, directed by trombonist Bill Tole and featuring vocalist Nancy Knorr, will bring swing-era tunes to the Morrison Center at 7 p.m. Sunday, March 10. Tickets are on sale at Select-a-Seat. "Big band music has appeal for people of all ages — from college students to my grandparents’ generation," said Martin Stukel, a junior at Boise State and director of the Student Programs Board. "SPB and ASBSU recognize that the university is a diverse campus, and this concert is a way to reach out to traditional and nontraditional students as well as the broader community." Stukel and SPB concerts coordinator Matt VanderBoegh, who plays in hard rock band Danger Baby, wanted to try a new direction. "We’re taking a step away from the alternative rock scene, which we usually bring to campus, in an attempt to appeal to the wider variety of students on campus and people in Boise in general," said VanderBoegh. The Jimmy Dorsey Orchestra began as the Dorsey Brothers Orchestra in 1933. After the musical Dorsey brothers, Tommy and Jimmy, bickered over style, Tommy left in 1935 to form his own band and achieve musical fame. Jimmy continued as director of the original band and produced numerous hits in the big band heyday of the ‘40s and ‘50s. He was considered one of the finest clarinet and alto sax players of his era. After Jimmy’s death in 1957, the orchestra continued under the direction of trumpeter Lee Castle, then Jim Miller and now Tole. As a trumpeter, Tole has recorded hundreds of albums with singers such as Frank Sinatra, Ella Fitzgerald, Pearl Bailey and Barry Manilow, and has performed with big band leaders Harry James, Nelson Riddle, Les Brown and many others. He also played with the Tommy Dorsey Orchestra and the Air Force’s Airman of Note dance band and formed his own orchestra, the Bill Tole Orchestra. In 1977, Tole portrayed Jimmy Dorsey in the film "New York, New York," with Liza Minelli and Robert DeNiro. Knorr was the lead singer with the Pied Pipers group for many years and also sang with the Tommy Dorsey Orchestra and Warren Covington and his orchestra. Her musical background includes classical training as a violinist and performances with several orchestras and chamber ensembles. The concert is presented by Boise State Student Programs Board, ASBSU and Fox 12. Tickets for the concert are $20.50, $25.50 and $30.50, available at Select-a-Seat, 426-1110 or www.idahotickets.com. Discounted tickets for Boise State students, faculty and staff are $15.50, $20.50 and $25.50 and are available only at on-campus Select-a-Seat outlets in the Student Union, Morrison Center and Pavilion. Contact: Martin Stukel Media Contact:
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