Krupa: A Musical Perspective Cont'd by Rupert Kettle BIG NOISE FROM WINNETKA: Notice how Krupa takes the figure we'll call "a," coupled with two or three quarter notes right on the beat, labeled "b," and juggles them around in a veritable maze of metric shifts. To me, it's this kind of rhythmic activity that made Krupa great, and also makes his work harder to transcribe than that of some later drummers. Snare drum accents, both here and in subsequent examples, are usually rim-shots. Also, the first two bars of this example belong to the preceding chorus. DISC JOCKEY JUMP: Written by Gerry Mulligan, this tune is from the most modern of Gene's big bands and I believe, last one he led. A good, solid sixteen bar solo occurs in middle of the chart. While this album will serve as an excellent introduction to Krupa's playing, it is hoped that the interested reader will listen further. Krupa was one of the most musically important drummers in jazz. What isn't seen or heard -- and something we too often tend to forget -- is that Gene was the most socially important drummer we have had. Without him there never would, never could have been a Buddy, or a Louie, a Sonny Payne, or a host of others. One more lesson from Gene, this time in his own words: "If I beat out my wildest drum solo and the people couldn't dance to it, I'd really be shocked; for I learned years ago that you just can't break time..."

Next Page

Reprinted with permission of Modern Drummer Magazine.




(Biography) (Photo Gallery) ( Discography ) (Filmography) (Gene Krupa/Buddy Rich Interview)
(GK on Facebook) (Audio/Video) (Jazz Legends)
(Drug Bust) (Drum & Cymbal Setups) (Recollections) (78 Labels) (Modern Drummer Tribute)
(Credits) (Links) (Home)

Copyright © 1997-2020, Shawn C. Martin.