Oddly enough, this number, so often associated with trombonist/bandleader Tommy Dorsey, was first recorded and introduced in early 1932 by a British group, The Blue Mountaineers, which was a satellite ensemble of the popular bandleader Bert Ambrose’s orchestra. The Dorsey Brothers’ first recording was that same year, but it was their second from 1934 that made the charts.

• Dorsey Brothers Orchestra (1934, Bob Crosby, vocal, #20)
• Tommy Dorsey and His Orchestra (1936, #8)
• Ink Spots (1940, vocal, #26)
• Jack Leonard (1941, vocal, #21)

The scrappy Dorsey Brothers, trombonist and sometime trumpeter Tommy and master-of-all-the-reeds Jimmy, began their careers working in bands together in their native Pennsylvania, and the association continued when they moved to New York in 1925. After almost a decade of freelance work in the recording studios and on radio (sometimes working as the Dorsey Brothers Orchestra), the two formed their own fulltime orchestra in 1934.

But the association would be short-lived. Even though the pair made wonderful music together, they had troubles getting along. In Richard Sudhalter’s marvelous book Lost Chords: White Musicians and Their Contribution to Jazz 1915-1945, the author relates an incident witnessed by saxophonist Arnold Brilhart, a frequent associate of “The Brothers” in the late-1920s, early ‘30s: “We were working for Sam Lanin at the Roseland Ballroom. Jimmy came in with a brand-new Selmer saxophone. Well, somebody said something, and before you know it they’re on the floor, a real knock-down, drag-out fight right there on the stand. Tommy-I’ll never forget it--Tommy got up and jumped all over Jimmy’s brand-new saxophone. Made scrap metal of it. Jimmy grabbed his brother’s trombone and just wrapped it around his knee, slide and all. Ruined it.”

When the pair formed their ensemble, they needed a theme song-a tune to introduce the band on radio broadcasts. They picked “I’m Getting Sentimental over You.” In mid-1935, during a performance, Tommy was kicking a tune off when Jimmy piped in “Hey Mac (Tommy’s nickname), isn’t that a little fast?” It was the “straw that broke the camel’s back.” Tommy walked, taking the band’s theme song with him.

Jimmy continued on with many of the same sidemen as the Brothers’ orchestra, and Tommy formed his own group, basically taking over the band of Joe Haymes. By this time, due to the popularity of his theme song, he became known as “The Sentimental Gentleman of Swing,” the sobriquet he would have for the rest of his life.

Even though the brothers would reunite in the 1950s, the pair used Tommy’s theme song.

“I’m Getting Sentimental over You” is undoubtedly the best-known composition of George Bassman, whose career was mostly as an arranger and writer for films. Lyricist Ned Washington had many hits, including “I Don’t Stand a Ghost of Chance with You” and “My Foolish Heart” (both with Victor Young), yet he also became heavily involved with film work.

As is often the case, composer Alec Wilder’s comments from his American Popular Song: The Great Innovators, 1900-1950 are spot-on regarding the Bassman-Washington tune. He writes, “Having for so long associated this music with Dorsey’s trombone, I never bothered to consider it a song. And, frankly, it isn’t one. It’s a very, very good instrumental piece, 20 measures long and with an unexpected tag.”

Nevertheless, Dorsey’s premier version from 1932 has a vocal by Jean Bowes, and the 1934 version features soon-to-be-bandleader Bob Crosby (Bing’s brother). The song has two refrains, both explaining why a newly-found love is making one feel sentimental.