Every pot has to have its handle. So does every band! And Gene Krupa's new theme song was written by the talented modernist Eddie Finckel. The recording date is February 5, 1947 and is a spotlight work starring Gene Krupa's great abilities on drums with numerous effects dotting through the piece in blinding flashes. Al Porcino shines brilliantly in the trumpet spot. But it's the boss who really...
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"Lemon Drop" was another favorite during this time and here we have a young Frank Rosolino as the scatting vocalist on this January 26, 1949 recording. Frank was also a trombonist of great virtuosity who unfortunately committed suicide three decades later. Ramon Rivera on bongos and Hernando Brava on congos open this boppish arrangement with a great tenor sax solo by Dale Kever. Rosolino nimbly si
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Al Jolson and Judy Garland made famous recordings of "After You've Gone" and many more have recorded the song with great effectiveness. Yet it's not the singer but the messenger-Roy Eldridge on his magnificent trumpet that riles up the whole band in another fabulous showcase in this June 5, 1941 performance. Clarinetist Musky Ruffo comes up favorably to the fantastic speed and agility this arra...
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Chappie Willett contributed a chart for the Krupa band's band book named "Rhythm Jam." Sam Donahue takes a few exciting licks on tenor sax before the band takes over on one of the first dates by the Krupa band on July 19, 1938. After a brief intro by pianist Milt Raskin, tenor saxist Sam Donahue comes back for another clean, crisp swinging rendition. Corky Cornelius sails by with a great trumpe...
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One of Roy Eldridge's other talents (besides being a trumpeter, drummer and band leader) was that he could sing. "Knock Me A Kiss" was another fine example of Eldridge as a performer. His cute, jazz-tinged delivery became an impressive hit after its recording on April 2, 1942 during the waning days of the record companies before a combination of materials and a musicians' strike prevent any fur...
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Among the many members of the Krupa band in this era was Gerry Mulligan. Krupa recalls,"What was Gerry like in those days? As I recall him, he was a sort of temperamental kid who always wanted to expound on a lot of his musical ideas." One of his ideas was this composition, co-written with Gene Krupa called "Disc Jockey Jump" which became a great favorite with Krupa's admirer's. It begins with ...
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One of the better remembered vocalists of the big band era was Irene Daye who was a beautiful young lady who had two of the Krupa men chasing after her - Sam Donahue and Corky Cornelius. Cornelius won her over, they got married and went over to Glen Gray's Casa Loma Orchestra. Meanwhile, she contributed some great performance with the Krupa band including "Sweetheart, Honey, Darlin', Dear." Day...
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The war years were a torture for many performers and listeners. No new records nearly killed off the music industry and historically, it helped silence any further data we may have of musicians and singers from all genres. For Krupa, it was also the worst of time. He was brought up on fake marijuana possession charges levelled against him by a disgruntled valet who thought he could squeeze mone...
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One of the most requested of all of Gene Krupa's numbers was "Drum Boogie" complete with a knowing vocal by Irene Daye, recorded on January 17, 1941 in Chicago just before she left the band to marry trumpeter Corky Cornelius. Elton Hill wrote this frantically paced boogie woogie arrangement with plenty of vocal interjections from the men in the band. The numerous sound colorings provided by Gen...
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If there was ever a piece of music that would sum up Gene Krupa in many people's minds, it would be "Drummin' Man" a memorable tune that literally reminds you of whom we are listening. Irene Day, a favorite vocalist with many bands, sings here like a knowledgeable professor of swing, describing just in a few words what "Drummin' Man is all about. It's a fast paced swinger from sessions on Octob...
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Gene Krupa (1909 - 1973) was one of the great musicians who came out of the Benny Goodman band break-up in 1938. Krupa was known for being a wildly flamboyant, exuberant showman with much head wagging, gum chewing and energetically playing his drums. Yet he was a true musician through and through. To Krupa, playing the drums was just the starting point. His technique was based on meticulously a...
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Another chart written by Krupa and Sam Donahue is "Quiet and Roll 'Em," a mid tempo work in the standard call and response style so familiar to big band listeners. Krupa keeps the beat solidly going while Sam Donahue (the composer, arranger) plays a highly romantic tenor sax solo interrupted briefly by clarinetist Sam Musiker. A tasty piano performance by Milt Raskin contributes much to the mus...
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Trumpeter Erskine Hawkins had a major hit recording in 1939 with "Tuxedo Junction." The tune itself caught the imagination of the country and inspired Glenn Miller to record his magical version. Others took a likening to it as well. The early years of Gene Krupa's big band saw him recording mostly covers of other big band leader's hits of which this was surely one to admire. Ray Biondi is the p...
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 "Drummin' Man")
