BTW the bar clip is very cool I never saw that one!

The photo and the bar clip were new ones on me too.

Re: memory...

Add more THC! Mind Blowi Excited :p LOL

More Gene: The piece of wrap I have came from the bass drum he's using in this film clip!

http://www.drummerworld.com/Videos/genekrupashadowrhapsodie.html

John

I never saw that clip either thanks!! Good one!

LOL on the THC I'm with ya there!! :)

What a great post.

I was born long after he passed, so his name didn't cross my path til this thread. I'm hooked. :)

The drum battle video is unreal.

Great job John !!

Another convert and Krupa fan added to the ranks.

Bill

BGT

Billy - Moonweasel - Man, it makes me feel so good to turn you on to Gene. He was really something wasn't he? So many Greats, Buddy, Gene, Papa Jo Jones, the list is long and deep in talent. Study these guys. Take what you can from them. As time and your ability on the drums increases, you'll be able to decipher and steal more and more from them. With each new lick or trick that you cop from the masters, you'll become a better drummer with a broader data base of runs and fills you can use whenever and wherever you can use them.

Ahhh, very satisfying for me to hear that I helped introduce you to *our (*drummers) much admired and beloved Mr. Krupa.

Re: The Metropole Cafe'- The doors to the Metropole were always open, it was how they attracted people to come inside. The music coming from the Big Band orchestra poured out onto the street. The stage was narrow, and it was higher than the bar in front of it. The stage was directly behind the bar. Even standing out front on the sidewalk, we were never further than about 30' from the stage! I used to watch the drummers like a hungry hawk. Taking in as much as I could, how they held the sticks, how they moved their arms and their body, I copped all kinds of rhythms just watching. As soon as I got home, I'd grab my practice pad, or hop behind the drums and try to reproduce what I'd just seen and heard the pro's playing. That's why I said we considered it "Free-lessons"! It was much more than that, it was like getting free Master classes. I learned a ton just standing in front of the Metropole with my eyes and ears wide open and my brain recording it all.

Check out the people hanging out on the sidewalk soaking up all the great music.

[IMG]http://i1143.photobucket.com/albums/n632/PurdieShuffle/metro.jpg[/IMG]

[IMG]http://i1143.photobucket.com/albums/n632/PurdieShuffle/MetropoleCafe2.jpg[/IMG]

John

Sonny was a monster! Loved him. Man, so many great players from that era. I sometimes wonder why there are so few of that caliber of players now-a-days ...

John

"The show must go on...he was a tough guy too"

This article is from The Adelaide daily newspaper... Pages 1 & 3, dated 20th August 1954... the page 1 item included a pic but I cannot bring it up to a decent image...

Excuse the format... I had to retype it as a legible PDF was too large..

Cheers

U.S. Jazz Drummer ILL At Show

Drummer Carries On Despite Illness

Ace US jazz drummer Gene ('Mr.Drums') Krupa was examined by a doctor

for food poisoning before and after a concert in Thebarton town hall last night. Krupa was given a pain deadening injection before the concert. A doctor was called when he almost collapsed after he had brought hundreds of the 2,000 cheering fans in the hall to their feet in an exhausting solo finale. With sweat pouring from him, and a towel round his neck, Krupa was led slowly off the stage into a room at the rear of the hall. Nobody in the audience suspected he was ill, nor 'did it seem to affect his performance. , It is. believed Krupa contracted the food poisoning from spaghetti and meat balls which he and the other two members of his trio, saxophonist Eddi Shu and pianist Teddy Napoleon, ate in Melbourne on Wednesday. Sick At Interval Shu and Napoleon were also affected, but Krupa said he felt all right until about 5 pm. yesterday. The three jazz stars were sick at the interval, but they carried on and signed many autographs. Krupa said he felt giddy and almost fell into the orchestra pit after his first appearance. Napoleon said his fingers felt so weak he could could hardly move them. Both Krupa and Shu drank soda water during the concert, but the crowd thought it was water. A doctor gave Krupa another injection after the concert before he was assisted to a car. Shu and Napoleon went to their hotel immediately after the concert. The trio are scheduled to fly to Brisbane early today. Mobbed In City, The trio were met at Parafield yesterday by the programme manager of 5 AD (Mr. Ron Sullivan) and Mr. Alf Holyoak, organiser of the Thebarton concert. Later he was mobbed by hundreds of jazz fans in the city, including weirdly dressed 'bodgies' and 'widgies.'

(cont. page 3)

Leading US jazz drummer Gene Krupa playing the finale of his last number at the Thebarton Town Hall ' last night. He had to be assisted from the stage at the end of the programme and was treated for food poisoning.

Note from Longjohn,(Bodgies were anyone who wore tight jeans (EG the Fonz) Widgies were their female counterpart).. times have changed Gene was a teenage idol well into his 40'S

Longjohn - Thank you brother for taking the time to transcribe and post the article. More than anything, it shows that Gene and the members of his band possessed genuine character and what Gene himself would have called; "real moxie"!

mox·ie (mks) definition: n. Slang

1. The ability to face difficulty with spirit and courage.

2. Aggressive energy; initiative.

3. Skill; know-how.

John

No worries John,

and thanks for the thread.. a few of those clips I had not seen previously .. and the others I enjoyed re-visiting.

My late Mother was a Krupa fan... so I have an inherent interest..

Cheers