If you haven’t heard Gene Krupa’s iconic drumming on “Sing, Sing, Sing”, then maybe you’re on the wrong web site, as those relentless tom toms essentially defined the Swing Era. That recording also made Krupa into both a music star and the subject of a film biography. This double disc, 48 song anthology shows what Krupa did after he left Benny Goodman’s orchestra and became a star on his own, with a series or orchestras that included the likes of Charlie Ventura, Roy Eldridge, Vido Muso, Milt Raskin, Shorty Sherock, Red Rodney, and Charlie Kennedy as musicians, not to mention vocalists like Anita O’Day as the star vocalist.
O’Day became a star through Krupa’s band, using her unique voice to vivid effect on pieces like “Skylark” the lovely “Georgia on My Mind” and the fun “Thanks For The Boogie Ride”. She had a big hit duetting with Eldridge on the classic swinging “Let Me Off Uptown” with the latter searing through his horn on “After You’ve Gone”. The infectious “Drum Boogie” became a hit both on record and on the film Ball of Fire. Krupa’s band showed its chops on pieces like “Bolero at the Savoy” and “Keep ‘em Flying”. At one time, Krupa had the most popular big band in the country, and this collection will show you why.