Search - Gene Krupa :: Gene Krupa Story [Box Set]

The Most Comprehensive Krupa Set!

F. Barton | Newport, WA USA | 09/04/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Though there are many Krupa albums, after his big band days, this four CD set, concentrates on his big band days. Tremendous performances and vocals by Anita O'Day!!Though true fans of Gene Krupa have to purchase all the Benny Goodman recordings he did, and especially his '38 immortal Carnegie Hall concert, which contains Krupa's immortal 14 minute "Sing, Sing, Sing." That song is the only one that is not contained on this release, but every other one is!! Just take a quick look at other big band era releases of Krupa and you will find many have very few songs, or even those which have full CDs, none can compare to this set. "Stop! The Green Light's On", with its Roy and Anita contributions is on very few compilations, yet it's here!! The fourth CD, contains live and radio transcriptions which sound tremendous and are perhaps, the most energetic of all the CDs. Also these radio recordings are in incredible fidelity, and I do not see the titles elsewhere. His version of "Rhumboogie" is the best, as his tremendous cover of "Begin the Beguine", which uses Ray's trumpet as the melody, instead of the clarinet......inspired, and original, but what else from Mr. Krupa??There are a few sound problems, as some tracks sound much better than others, and even a few tracks start out great, but the sound deteriorates within the selection itself. But, since there is NO other comprehensive Big Band Krupa set on the market, you cannot go wrong with this one. While Gene may not have had those titles that you automatically identify with other top bandleaders of the day, after just one listening to this fantastic set, you WILL wonder why!!Tremendous packaging, beautiful, and the cost is so low. This is one set you cannot pass up. Of course Gene Krupa went on to many other great recordings, past his Big Band Days, they were on different labels, and I would rather this FOUR CD set, just concentrating on his '39-'46 recordings. For his Verve albums, they are in print in their entirety. This is the BEST release of one of the truly great Big Band leaders..............and the BEST drummer in history...........Mr. Gene Krupa!!!"

A microcosm of wonderful jazz-to-swing evolution...

Peter Hillman | CT | 03/02/2007

(4 out of 5 stars)

"...is presented by this splendid four-disc set. Disc One heralds the formation of Krupa's own band and the early numbers are hot and jazzy, up-tempo, pure instrumental, soloists strutting thier stuff and Krupa letting folks know this is not going to be a "one man band." Nothing revolutionary about the jazz but the tunes are great.



Next, he experiments with singers, at first just for a few refrains--until he connects with Anita O'Day. Then things absolutely sizzle and skyrocket!



O'Day appears throughout most of Discs Two and Three and in my opinion these numbers mark the high-water point for Krupa's band. O'Day seemingly never met a song she couldn't wrap into her own distinctive style. She's no vibrato, but her terrific inflection may have been exceeded only by Billie Holiday. Here's O'Day with Eldredge on "Drop Me Off Uptown"; O'Day with "Stop! The Red Light's on"; a softer "And Her tears Flowed Like Wine," almost ominously foreshadowing her future.



She leaves and the band is rudderless. They've moved into swing and beyond just having any old "girl singer" but no one, not even a good vibrato, can meld with the band as one unit like O'Day could.



The latter part of Disc Three reveals a bit of a struggle post-O'Day. Disc Four is all live recordings, which to me couldn't compare to all of the studio numbers on Discs One-Three. From what I've read, half of the thrill with Krupa was seeing him sweat, sweat, sweat and kick it up live, live--so I wasn't surprised that the recorded live numbers seemed just OK



So this to me is an exciting microcosm of a lot of what happened to the music in general during these years--from beginning the then-"hot thing" of jazz, through youthful enthusiasm, to swing and mature experimentation (blending O'Day with exuberant instruments), settling into the comfortable but struggling final chapters.



Which is not to say it's not worth getting--it most definitely is. With a few exceptions (e.g., "Massachusetts") the sound is great. As with other four-disc sets in this fabulous collection (e.g., Roy Eldredge, Lester Young Stories), the extensive liner commentaries and personnel notes are extremely revealing and informative.



But most important, I'll wager you'll find yourself playing Discs Two and Three over and over, closing your eyes and easily imagining what it must have been like to see and dance live to the Krupa/O'Day band. At this price, that thrill can't be beat!"