Gene Krupa

[bolthead]

[video=youtube;HTKvwHfoW9M]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HTKvwHfoW9M[/video]

Lionel was the greatest juggling drummer in my opinion. His snare work was incredible, he played so effortlessly, and how 'bout those paradidals?

 

[martinsantos]

For me Krupa is the very very best, of all times. In close second place, Buddy Rich.

But Chas reminded a few VERY GREAT drummers. Dave Tough, Ray Bauduc, Chick Webb are always a pleasure to listen. McKinley too - but is'nt everytime that I want to listen his singing.

The earliest Krupa I have are some sides (2, I think) that he recorded with Thelma Terry - 1928, I think.

There were so many great instrumentalists back then, of which Krupa was only one. It was what made the jazz/swing/BeBop era(s) so musically rich. An incomplete list of great drummers would include

Big Sid Catlett
Lionel Hampton
Cozy Cole
Sonny Greer
Chick Webb
Ray Bauduc (the most underappreciated, IMO)
George Wettling
Dave Tough
Zutty Singleton
Baby Dodds
Ray McKinley

The sticks man I admire the most is Cozy Cole.

 

[vitanola]

Lionel was the greatest juggling drummer in my opinion. His snare work was incredible, he played so effortlessly, and how 'bout those paradidals?

Kaiser Marshall had quite a way juggling the sticks, too, although he was known to be a bit of a hazard to the dancers when he was all muggled up!

 

[Chas]

[video=youtube;faxI7aaA4Yw]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=faxI7aaA4Yw[/video]

 

[bolthead]

[video=youtube;faxI7aaA4Yw]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=faxI7aaA4Yw[/video]

Awesome!

 

[Dapper Dave]

In my opinion I think Krupa was one of Benny Goodmans best drummers. Louis Bellson Looked up to Krupa.

 

[Lily Powers]

I certainly can't pick one over another for a hands-down favorite, but Gene Krupa was raw, wild and played the drums unlike anyone else. He was quite likely the drummer that no woman wanted her daughter to date. I liked the clip of Krupa in the "Hollywood Hotel" number with Johnny 'Scat' Davis, Hooray For Hollywood, playing the drums and singing the line, "To be an actor, see Mr. Factor, he'll make your kisser look good."

 

[Bourbon Guy]

Uh oh! Monday night. Just jumped into this. Was a self-taught, garage band drummer, several iterations ago.

I had always been a Buddy fan, viewing Gene as sort of a heathen. However, I now think of the Gene Krupa/Buddy Rich battle as sort of similar to the pre-war Leica/Contax battle, or the post-war Canon/Nikon battle, for everyone else. Or, for those of us who hadn't yet learned our history of American apportionment of German photo technology after WWII, the 1950's Nikon/Leica battle.

It never fully came into focus for me (heh heh) until one afternoon, just for giggles, I did a head to head with my best 50's Nikon 50 against a 30's Elmar 5cm on a Leica c3. Got the prints back (lazy) and boy were the Nikon's sharp. The Leica's (Elmar) weren't so impressive, until I let my eyes just sort of wander over them. Holy smoke! They came alive.

So, Buddy Rich to me is sort of like the Contax/Canon - fast, precise, measurable, PERFECT. Krupa is like the old Leica, not the objectively, measurably most precise, but he makes you feel it when you listen, and that is human and is what it is all about in the first place.

 

[Bourbon Guy]

oops. Meant to say Contax/Nikon.

 

[R.G. White]

We have a pocket watch in our family owned my Mr. Krupa. Just thought that would be a bit of interesting information!

 

[martinsantos]

Fine and interesting comparison!

Uh oh! Monday night. Just jumped into this. Was a self-taught, garage band drummer, several iterations ago.

I had always been a Buddy fan, viewing Gene as sort of a heathen. However, I now think of the Gene Krupa/Buddy Rich battle as sort of similar to the pre-war Leica/Contax battle, or the post-war Canon/Nikon battle, for everyone else. Or, for those of us who hadn't yet learned our history of American apportionment of German photo technology after WWII, the 1950's Nikon/Leica battle.

It never fully came into focus for me (heh heh) until one afternoon, just for giggles, I did a head to head with my best 50's Nikon 50 against a 30's Elmar 5cm on a Leica c3. Got the prints back (lazy) and boy were the Nikon's sharp. The Leica's (Elmar) weren't so impressive, until I let my eyes just sort of wander over them. Holy smoke! They came alive.

So, Buddy Rich to me is sort of like the Contax/Canon - fast, precise, measurable, PERFECT. Krupa is like the old Leica, not the objectively, measurably most precise, but he makes you feel it when you listen, and that is human and is what it is all about in the first place.