Gene Krupa


Krupa in 1944

Background information
Birth name: Eugene Bertram Krupa
Born: January 15, 1909; Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
Died: October 16, 1973 (aged 64); Yonkers, New York, U.S.

Eugene Bertram Krupa (January 15, 1909 – October 16, 1973) was an American jazz drummer, band leader and composer known for his energetic style and showmanship. His drum solo on "Sing, Sing, Sing" (1937) elevated the role of the drummer from an accompanying line to an important solo voice in the band.

In collaboration with the Slingerland drum and Zildjian cymbal manufacturers, he was a major force in defining the standard band drummer's kit. Krupa is considered "the founding father of the modern drumset" by Modern Drummer magazine.

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Career


Krupa performing in New York, 1946

Krupa made his first recordings in 1927 with a band under the leadership of Red McKenzie and guitarist Eddie Condon. Along with other recordings by musicians from the Chicago jazz scene, such as Bix Beiderbecke, these recordings are examples of Chicago style jazz. Krupa's influences during this time included Father Ildefonse Rapp and Roy Knapp (both teachers of his), and drummers Tubby Hall, Zutty Singleton and Baby Dodds. Press rolls (dragging one stick across the snare head while keeping the beat with the other stick) were a fairly common technique in the early stages of his development. There were many other drummers (Ray Bauduc, Chick Webb, George Wettling, Dave Tough) who influenced his approach to drumming and other instrumentalists and composers such as Frederick Delius who influenced his approach to music.

Krupa appeared on six recordings by the Thelma Terry band in 1928. In December 1934, he joined Benny Goodman's band, where his drum work made him a national celebrity. His tom-tom interludes on the hit "Sing, Sing, Sing" were the first extended drum solos to be recorded commercially. But conflict with Goodman prompted him to leave the group and form his own orchestra shortly after the Carnegie Hall concert in January 1938. He appeared in the 1941 film Ball of Fire, in which he and his band performed an extended version of the hit "Drum Boogie" (composed by Krupa and Roy Eldridge), sung by Martha Tilton and lip-synced by Barbara Stanwyck.

In 1943, Krupa was arrested on a trumped-up marijuana (cannabis) drug charge, and this resulted in a short jail sentence and bad publicity. Krupa broke up the orchestra and returned to Goodman's band for a few months. When Goodman wanted him to go on a west coast tour, Krupa declined. He then joined Tommy Dorsey's band for several months and then put together his next orchestra.

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hollywood hotel
28,377 views • May 1, 2009

John Schumacher
279 subscribers

jazz on film, hollywood hotel, sing sing sing
Movie
Hollywood Hotel

12-min version of "Sing, Sing, Sing (With a Swing)" live @ Carnegie Hall, 1938
319,040 views • Jun 1, 2012

InkyGhost723
446 subscribers

Can you believe no-one else had uploaded the incredible 12-minute version of "Sing Sing Sing" onto YouTube? I thought I'd better do it, before my poor grandfather started rolling in his grave (he used to play this record til our ears bled!).

Benny Goodman: clarinet
Harry James, Ziggy Elman, and Chris Griffin: trumpets
Red Ballard and Vernon Brown: trombones
Hymie Schertzer and George Koenig; alto saxophones
Art Rollini and Babe Russin: tenor saxophones
Jess Stacy: piano
Allan Reuss: guitar
Harry Goodman: bass
Gene Krupa: drums
Composed by Louis Prima
Arranged by Jimmy Mundy (who incorporated "Christopher Columbus", a piece written by Chu Berry for the Fletcher Henderson band, into the piece)
Live from Carnegie Hall, New York, 1938