GENE KRUPA AND HIS ORCHESTRA – 1939-1940 | The Chronogical Classics – 834 (1995) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

The fourth CD in the Classics label's "complete" Gene Krupa series contains 23 recordings recorded by the drummer with his big band during a seven-month period. Irene Daye does a generally fine job on her 14 vocals and singer Howard Dulany weighs down one ballad but naturally the instrumentals are of greatest interest. This period in Krupa's career is generally overlooked in favor of his famous performances with Anita O'Day and Roy Eldridge but there are several gems including a swinging rendition of "My Old Kentucky Home," "On the Beam," "Symphony in Riffs," the hit "Drummin' Man," "Three Little Words," the two part "Blue Rhythm Fantasy," "The Rumba Jumps" and "Boog It." The main soloists include trumpeter Corky Cornelius, the Artie Shaw-inspired clarinetist Sam Musiker and tenorman Sam Donahue in addition to the colorful leader. Scott Yanow       Tracklist + Credits :

GENE KRUPA AND HIS ORCHESTRA – 1940 | The Chronogical Classics – 859 (1995) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

The fifth Gene Krupa CD in Classics' series (which reissues all of the drummer's swing-era studio recordings as a leader) documents Krupa's big band during a four-month period. Of the 22 selections (the majority of which have not been reissued elsewhere), seven have commercial ballad vocals by Howard Dulany, and six have reasonably enjoyable singing from Irene Daye. Of greatest interest are the nine instrumentals (including "Say Si Si," "Manhattan Transfer," "Tuxedo Junction," "Tiger Rag," "No Name Jive" and "Blues Krieg"), although during this era Krupa's orchestra had few major soloists. Tenor saxophonist Sam Donahue plays well, as do trumpeters Shorty Sherock (before he departed in May) and Corky Cornelius, but the Krupa big band's great days were still in the future. Still, swing collectors will want this entire series. Scott Yanow           Tracklist + Credits :

GENE KRUPA AND HIS ORCHESTRA – 1940, Vol. 2 | The Chronogical Classics – 883 (1996) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

The seventh CD in the Classics label's Gene Krupa reissue series is mostly fairly weak. Despite Krupa's presence, his band at the time was average (only trumpeter Shorty Sherock had much of a reputation as a soloist) and, of the 21 selections on this disc, only three are instrumentals. Irene Daye's nine vocals are certainly listenable, although Howard Dulany's seven ballad features are more routine; Daye and Dulany take "You Forgot About Me" as a vocal duet. The instrumentals ("Hamtramck," "Full Dress Hop" and an excellent version of "Sweet Georgia Brown") are fine, but this CD is only recommended to completists. Scott Yanow
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GENE KRUPA AND HIS ORCHESTRA – 1940, Vol. 3 | The Chronogical Classics – 917 (1996) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

The seventh CD in the Classics label's Gene Krupa reissue series is mostly fairly weak. Despite Krupa's presence, his band at the time was average (only trumpeter Shorty Sherock had much of a reputation as a soloist) and, of the 21 selections on this disc, only three are instrumentals. Irene Daye's nine vocals are certainly listenable, although Howard Dulany's seven ballad features are more routine; Daye and Dulany take "You Forgot About Me" as a vocal duet. The instrumentals ("Hamtramck," "Full Dress Hop" and an excellent version of "Sweet Georgia Brown") are fine, but this CD is only recommended to completists. Scott Yanow
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GENE KRUPA AND HIS ORCHESTRA – 1941 | The Chronogical Classics – 960 (1997) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Gene Krupa's band was in a state of transition when these sides were cut in 1941. Vocalist Irene Day was leaving, the marvelous Anita O'Day and Roy Eldridge were coming aboard, and the band was finally coming up to their leader's fiery level of playing. You can hear the change on tracks like "Alreet," and Anita's and Roy's spirited exchange on "Let Me Off Uptown." Everything on here works just fine, grade-A swing propelled by Krupa's always explosive drumming and the spirited playing of his band. Transfers of the of the old Okeh 78s are a bit fusty but generally fine, and the enclosed information in the booklet make this a good buy worth tracking down. Cub Koda
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GENE KRUPA AND HIS ORCHESTRA – 1941, Vol. 2 | The Chronogical Classics – 1006 (1998) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

This volume in the Classics Gene Krupa chronology presents everything recorded by the Gene Krupa Orchestra between June 5 and October 3, 1941. These sessions took place in New York, Chicago, and Hollywood. The music came out on the OKeh label and was well received by a record-buying public with an apparently insatiable appetite for pop vocals. In addition to smooth crooning from Howard Dulany and Johnny Desmond there were snappy, jazzy vocals from Anita O'Day. Dulany's best moments occur during the humorous "Love Me as I Am," a humble opus peppered with references to snoring and tabletop doodling. But the real gold in this part of the Krupa saga came from trumpeter Roy "Little Jazz" Eldridge, whose magnificent presentation of Hoagy Carmichael's "Rockin' Chair" -- arranged by Benny Carter -- ranks with the best recordings Eldridge ever made under any circumstances. The enclosed discography leads one to expect a vocal on this track, but here Eldridge funneled his soul into the trumpet exclusively. In 1941 a black man performing with a white big band (and a white female singer!) often ran into racial discrimination. This probably explains why Roy Eldridge and Anita O'Day only sang together on a tiny handful of studio recordings. Here Eldridge adds a humorous extra dimension to O'Day's coolly understated vocal on "The Walls Keep Talking" by screaming loudly and skillfully imitating a barn owl before exclaiming "Lemme get out of here!" arwulf arwulf  
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