Joy Adams and I will shortly be concluding our five-month stay in Naples, FL, to return to our home in Philadelphia. Joy was originally set to have a hip replacement operation in Philadelphia in March, but all involved believed that having the procedure done in Florida would be a great help to her recuperation, due to the climate, etc. She is recovering very, very well and by and large, our time down here has been glorious. We are performing at least twice a week, and I am now writing a biweekly jazz column for the Naples Sun Times newspaper. As I write this, I’ve just been asked by their Assistant Editor to help assemble a comprehensive guide to entertainment in Naples, FL. Opportunities like this, for reasons I cannot figure, just don’t exist for me in Philadelphia. It would seem likely that, over the next few years, we will be spending more and more time here.

We’ve sadly lost a number of great, great jazz and entertainment people of late, including Tom Poston, Tommy Newsome, Bobby Rosengarden, Tony Scott, Andrew White and a very talented, Philadelphia-area jazz and blues singer named Zan Gardner. On the positive end, Ornette Coleman won the Pulitzer Prize in music. Who would have believed that in 1959?

Negotiations with Alfred Publishing for a “Great American Drum Catalogs” book have broken down for the moment, though we were “this close” to a deal, due to concerns they have over expense. Good friend and master drummer Steve Smith was kind enough to write an intro for the work, which we will reprint here in the future. We are also considering making vintage catalog reprints available on JazzLegends.com. What’s your take on this? Regarding an actual book down the road, I will continue to maintain my credo of, “It Ain’t Over Yet.”

Speaking of Steve Smith, I believe that he is the finest drummer working today. He has a new CD out with his great fusion band, Vital Information, entitled “Vitalization.” Like everything Professor Smith does, it’s fabulous. You can order online at HudsonMusic.com or VitalInformation.com Steve was one of the last, “name” acts at Philadelphia’s venerable jazz club, Zanzibar Blue, within the Bellevue-Stratford Hotel. Contrary to reports, Zanzibar will continue to exist, though in a different location.

After months of discussions, it will soon be official. There will be an “officially sanctioned” Gene Krupa model drum stick, manufactured by Chris Bennett’s Bopworks company out of Austin, Texas. Bopworks has deservedly garnered some nice press about their fine product of late. Visit Bopworks at www.Bopworks.net for info about when the Krupa stick is released as well as a great, Mel Lewis model. We will also make the sticks available on JazzLegends.com

Many of you are aware of the noted lyricist and author Gene Lees. Lees has long published a subscription-only newsletter called, and this is the full name, Gene Lees Ad Libitum & Jazzletter. Most know it as the Jazzletter. Published for 24 years, Lees contributes a number of pieces, but has always had guest writers though the years. One of Lees’ favorite people, players and writers was Bobby Scott. Scott, who passed away in 1988, was in the Gene Krupa Jazz Quartet in 1954. Bobby, a good friend of mine, actually posthumously contributed the intro to my new Krupa book. Bobby had given me an unpublished manuscript of his autobiography and asked me to help get him a publishing deal. Sadly, I couldn’t, but at least part of it, the part about Gene, was published as my books’ introduction. Scott was complex and most interesting person, perhaps the most intelligent human being I ever knew. Gene Lees encouraged Bobby Scott’s writing ability, and one of Scott’s first pieces for Lees’ Jazzletter was on Gene Krupa. Lees has now seen fit to reprint the piece in the April, 2007, issue of Jazzletter.

I had never seen the entire piece, and now I wish I had not. Bobby Scott loved Gene and considered him a stepfather and a teacher. But there are things in Scott’s essay that I, for one, did not need or want to know. These were very, very, very personal things that I don’t believe Gene Krupa would have ever wanted anyone to know about. I think, however, that Lees encouraged and encourages that type of writing, but I could never understand what any of those “personal things” had to do with music.

One curious tidbit in the Lees’ new introduction to Bobby Scotts’s essay is Lee’s assertion that he (Lees)regularly receives jazz-oriented screen plays for professional review. One he recently looked at, he says, was another screen treatment by an unnamed Hollywood producer of The Gene Krupa Story. Gene Lees claimed it was “absolutely horrible.”

In conjunction with last months’ reprint of Bobby Scott’s story on Gene, it would have been rather nice of Gene Lees to mention my new book on Gene, and perhaps one or more of my DVDs. But that did not happen. It never did happen and it never will. See, Gene Lees, like Down Beat’s John McDonough and author Burt Korall, have never acknowledged that I exist in any way, shape or form in this universe or beyond. I’ve never understood why. The jazz community is a relatively small one by any standards. We need to stick together and support each other, not criticize, ostracize or ignore. There is one well known writer out there, and this fellow writes a lot, who is a good example of that old-timey, corn ball type of behavior. I may have told this story before, but it deserves another airing. I once sent this fellow a copy of a CD that I produced and played on. The CD was, and is, sort of a semi-private thing, and I asked this guy to please, please just don’t say or write anything if you don’t dig it. He ignored me and panned the heck out of it. He later claimed that he never got my communication about not writing anything. Right.

If these little guys get some feeling of power by panning or ignoring fellow players and writers, let them have a ball with it. But the real people out there–the really good people out there–are more than aware that that type of behavior no longer applies.

And with that in mind, be sure to consider subscribing to Gene Lees’ Jazzletter. For information and subscription rates, write to Box 240, Ojai, CA 93024-0240. Keep swingin, Gene. — Bruce Klauber, May, 2007.

JazzLegends.com is proud to welcome our newest supporter, Dave Bedrock’s American Drum School. You’ll find his advert on our CD page, and it is, without doubt, worth more than a click or two. Dave has been in the drum world for ages, with expertise in just about every type of music. Like my colleagues at Hudson Music, and DCI Music Video before that, Dave saw the possibilities for drum tutoring via video at the dawn of the video age. He is a pioneer, and his concept of online lessons–as well as plenty of more great goodies–is a superb one. His site was and is among the best drum-related sites on the web.

The manager of the late Anita O’Day, Robbie Cavolina, checked in with us after reading our column on Ms. O’Day. To say that he was not happy is an understatement, stating that I knew nothing whatsoever about the nature of their association, that it was Ms. O’Day herself who wanted to continue performing, etc., etc. I offered to open up our web pages for Mr. Cavolina to reply to my criticisms, at any length whatsoever and with no editing involved. I have never heard from him again, but the offer still stands.

Too many folks in the jazz world seem to be checking out these days, including fellow Philadelphian Michael Brecker, jazz and blues legend Jay McShann, reedman Kenny Davern and a really great writer by the name of Whitney Balliet. Balliet, to many of us aspiring jazz writers growing up, idolized him, as well as Martin Williams, Leonard Feather and various others. My brother, the musicologist Joel Klauber, gave Whitney the monicker of “the poet laureate of jazz,” and we’re happy that it stuck.

We are, hopefully, “this close” to signing a deal with Alfred Publishing for the book, “The Great American Drum Catalogs: The 1950s.” We will keep you updated. We are also told that our 1956 “JATP in Hamburg” discovery will be released shortly in a deluxe edition by Fresh Sound Records in Barcelona, Spain. The folks at Fresh Sound are really, really fabulous, and it continues to be interesting to consider the fact that we had to go to Barcelona to get this released properly. Correct me if I’m wrong, but wasn’t jazz “born” in the United States?

The Bopworks drum stick manufacturing company out of Austin, Texas, specializes in making sticks that have the look and feel of those great sticks from the 1950s and 1960s. Indeed, they are shortly coming out with a Mel Lewis model based, I believe, on Mel’s famed Gretsch stick. The big news, however, is that yours truly, Bopworks and the Estate of Gene Krupa are about to sign agreements for the issue of an “officially sanctioned” Krupa stick, the first on the market since Slingerland ceased producing them in 1972. The stick will be an exact duplicate of the Slingerland, late 1940s model, and will carry a reproduction of Gene’s actual signature. Though Bopworks may be a relatively small operation right now, it won’t be for long. We will let you know when the exact issue date is, and in the meantime, please visit the Bopworks web site at www.Bopworks.net

While visiting Naples, Florida, recently, I noticed that Steve March Torme’ was booked at the Naples Philharmonic to perform what was called “Torme’ Sings Torme’. While I was aware that Mel’s son was a singer, I had only heard him doing pop-type stuff, and I wondered how anyone could do a vocal and musical tribute to one of the certifiable geniuses of music. And yes, Mel was friend of mine. He wrote the introduction to my first book on Gene Krupa and narrated our famed, “Buddy Rich: Jazz Legend” videos. To my surprise, Steve March Torme’ was just fabulous. I was so moved by the show, that I wrote a review of it for the Naples Sun Times newspaper. This is the review as it appeared in the paper:

Steve March Torme”s recent, sold-out performance at The Naples Philharmonic Center for the Arts was, quite simply, an extraordinary musical event. Steve March Torme’ is the son of the late, legedary and multi-talented Mel Torme’, and in this multi-media program, entitled “Torme’ Sings Torme’, Steve March pays vocal and verbal tribute to his father. Filling dad’s shoes–especially when dad was an absolute genius as a composer, singer, drummer, pianist and author–is virtually impossible. Mel Torme’ just cannot be imitated. Wisely, Steve March Torme’ doesn’t even try, though if anyone could do it, he could. There are, in fact, a few moments where the vocal resemblance is erie.

Certainly, the musical influence is present–how could it not be?–but Steve March Torme’ is very, very much his own man and it is obvious that this tribute to his father is nothing less than sincere and heartfelt. The program he chose to present focused on songs made famous by Mel, including “Mountain Greenery,” “Lulu’s Back in Town,” “Sweet Georgia Brown,” “Stardust,” “Ridin’ High,” and of course, as an encore, “The Christmas Song.” The stellar, 12-piece big band, under the musical direction of pianist Steve Rawlins, tackled the most difficult arrangements in the Torme’ cannon, those being the famed orchestrations written for Torme’ in the mid-1950s by the great Marty Paich. Vocally, these charts are not easy to navigate, as they are filled with key changes, tempo changes and interludes of scat singing. Torme”s interpretations, without exception, are swinging, joyous and effortless, with all of the sense of perfection that was a hallmark of his father’s. More importantly, Steve March Torme’ draws no attention to the fact these pieces are difficult. One can only imagine how much rehearsal went into this. But then again, the younger Torme’ did grow up with this music.

He is quite candid, onstage and off, about his relationship with his father. Mel Torme’ and Steve’s mother, Candy Tockstein, divorced when Steve was 2 1/2 years old. Tockstein subsequently married Hal March, best known as the host of televison’s “The $64,000 Question.” By the age of 12, Steve had already made up his mind that he wanted to be a performer and had his own band a year later. After the death of Hal March, he established a relationship with his father, and both realized they had much in common. He had his father’s support as well. In one, telling segment of this program, Steve shows a vintage piece of video which shows the elder Torme’ sitting in with his son’s band at what appeared to be a rock club in Los Angeles. And, yes, Steve was scatting pretty well even then.

In the late 1970s, he recorded something called “Lucky,” for United Artists records, and later produced and sang on Liza Minnelli’s “Tropical Nights,” a Columbia records release. Through the years, he’s also done various acting jobs in films and television. Legendary arranger Quincy Jones was always impressed with Steve’s talent, and tapped him to be one of three siners for the famed vocal group, “Full Swing,” which toured the world and recorded for Planet Records. Since then, he has concentrated on a solo career, and has made more than a smooth transition to jazz. This current tour is in support of his new CD, “The Essence of Love,” which includes a duet with famed jazz vocalist Diane Schurr.

The entertainment industry is not an easy business as it is, and growing up in the business had to have been difficult. In this case, however, you’d never know it. Steve March Torme’ is funny, self-effacing and generally just a nice guy. After what must have been an exhausting, two-hour show, which also included a few turns at the piano, guitar and a surprisingly agile tap-dancing segment, he sat in The Phil’s lobby for hours afterward, signing CDs and photos, telling stories and listening to more than one tale from those who knew and/or saw his dad perform. And by the way, he does the darndest, verbal impression of Mel Torme’ that anyone has ever heard.

Steve March Torme’ is not the first, and likely will not be the last, child of a major performer to follow in mom or dad’s footsteps. Currently on the road, just to name two, are Frank Sinatra, Jr., who is paying tribute to his father and Deena Martin, doing the same. But ultimately, an artist with the talent of Steve March Torme’ will go his own way musically, as it is already clear that he was and is very much his own man. I can’t wait to hear what the future will bring. In the program notes, Steve March Torme’ thanks his father “for showing me how important professionalism is.” Believe me, it shows.

Dr. Bruce H. Klauber is the biographer of drum great Gene Krupa, producer/creator of the Warner Brothers and Hudson Music “Jazz Legends” DVD series, and a jazz drummer and recording artist since childhood. Mel Torme’ wrote the introduction to Klauber’s “World of Gene Krupa” book and narrated his two-part DVD, “Buddy Rich: Jazz Legend.” Visit him on the web at www.JazzLegends.com

Finally, friends, we have some exciting discoveries on the way. Please note that we have already released “Gene Krupa: 1966” on CD, which contains about 17 minutes of very rare material of the Jazz Quartet with Carmen Leggio, recorded in Detroit in 1966. Upcoming, from the same year is an unbelievable Krupa concert, with Eddie Shu, Wellstood, etc., that was likely recorded at a state fair some where in the midwest. This features state-of-the-art recording and some of the best Krupa playing ever captured on tape.

Stay tuned, God bless and keep swingin’.

Bruce Klauber February, 2007

First and most importantly, belated good wishes to all of you for a swingin’ New Year and beyond. Your continued support, encouragement–and suggestions–mean the world to me. Here’s hoping that this year brings more discoveries and more great projects.

Our apologies to those mail order supporters who did not get the message that for most of the month of January, as well as the last two weeks in December, all mail orders need be sent to: Bruce Klauber, 1108 Forrest Lakes Boulevard, Naples, FL 34105. Joy and I are down here enjoying children, grandchildren, in-laws and the rest. Naturally, Joy did her annual Christmas bash, and this year there were over 20 good folks in attendence. It’s worth the work.

Naples, Florida, is one of the great jazz towns in the country, believe it or not. We’re sitting in here at least two nights per week and doing some subbing when asked. The wonderful scene here is led by a superb singer by the name of Jebry, aka Judy Branch, who spent some great time with the Harry James band of the late 1960s. Her husband, Bobby Phillips, is a fabulous, fabulous drummer, and these great people lead some of the darndest jam sessions you ever heard. In fact, we’re going out on the town tonight with Jebry and Bobby for something of a “jazz tour” of nearby Fort Myers.

The drum catalog book project is moving along, and is now on the desk of the Alfred Publishing Company. Truth be told, I wasn’t thrilled about my treatment from the previous publisher who was considering this, despite the fact that I’ve personally helped put hundreds of thousands of dollars into their collective pockets. At this late date, the very least I can expect–and demand–is respect. Alfred Publishing is a company filled with good, compassionate, understanding and forward-thinking people. Like Hudson Music, for me, it’s the place to be. We have narrowed our conceptual sights down a bit for this book, and I think the working title, “The Great American Drum Catalogs: The 1950s” says it all. I’ve bombarded Alfred with more than enough ideas over the past year or so. I have the feeling that this one, like our 1950s “Jazz on TV” DVD project, will go through.

The idea of a Gene Krupa drum stick is still very much a possibility. Vic Firth is still up in the air about it, but there are several smaller companies ready to move on the idea right now. Stay tuned. In the meantime, we are doing everything possible to gather up what’s left of the famed, Capella “Heritage” model Krupa stick, in hopes of making them available on our site.

In another area, and forgive me if I’ve gone through this before, the YouTube era is indeed here and there seems to be no stopping them. What you might not know is this: YouTube is broadcasting thousands of videos illegally, without regard to copyrights or ownership, and this includes footage from virtually every video and DVD I’ve written and produced since 1993. And all this goes on without credit of any kind. Two examples? The famed, Jerry Lewis/Buddy Rich drum battle sequence from the mid-1950s was given to me, personally and exclusively, by Jerry Lewis as thanks for a significant personal donation I made to Muscular Dystrophy. This footage shows up, as of today, an astounding 18 times on YouTube, in full-length form. Another blatant instance is the Krupa/Rich drum battle from the Sammy Davis, Jr. television show of 1966. I went to the ends of the earth to discover, restore and pay for this footage, and it’s up there for all to see, at no charge and with no credit given, on YouTube. This is called stealing, and YouTube is stealing from hundreds of companies and individuals, from Hudson Music and Alfred Publishing to CBS and CNN. Want to sue? Wait in line. Want to force them to stop showing clips illegally? Prepare to fill out several dozen pages of paperwork. It’s grown too big too quickly–just like the internet–to stop it, though believe me, I’m going to try.

Though there is no real way to combat this, I will take the suggestions made in the Forum — about making downloads of clips that are not on YouTube available on the JazzLegends.com site — to heart.

Due to your wonderful support over the years, our singular product line and the efforts of our genius of a Webmaster, this web site is among the most visited of its kind in the world, with a domain name that has become quite, quite valuable. We’ve said this several times over the past year, but 2007 will be the year of actively pursuing appropriate advertisers. No site reaches the audience we do and there are literally hundreds of potential drum and jazz-oriented companies out there who should be advertising on JazzLegends.com Since all of you have helped make us what we are, I offer you the following: A home page display ad will cost $1,500 per month, with the biggest, bottom-of-the-page banner that we can fit. Other pages list at $1,000. This includes a link on our links page, any graphic design needed, and when appropriate, some insightful editorial about the company itself. Anyone out there–and anywhere–who successfully gets a company to join us gets 20 percent of whatever is sold. This is a deal. For more details, if necessary, e-mail me personally at DrumAlive@aol.com

Finally, we are going to extend our DVD sale price of $20 through January. You all deserve it.

God bless and keep swingin’

Bruce Klauber January, 2007

A number of you have and continue to respond to whatever issue exists with “Randy Caputo as Gene Krupa. Right now, the votes are unanimous, and several of those checking in are musicians who play with Randy. They confirmed my suspicions that this talented gentleman does indeed have his own style, and like many of us, uses Gene and Buddy–to say nothing of Louis and Cozy–as a “jumping off” point. Not to bore you with business, but Jazzlegends.com doesn’t sell a heck of lot of items that Gene is not on, with the exception of Tony Williams, some Jo Jones, and that other drummer we used to feature on the site. However, I am seriously recommending that you give “Randy Caputo as Gene Krupa” a look-see. It will, at the least, make you feel good about music, about tradition and about drumming. Feel free to make suggestions as to who you’d like to see and hear on DVD and on audio. 

Speaking of that “other drummer,” word has filtered down about a “Buddy Rich Drum Company,” with a sample set being on display at the summer NAMM show. Bud has long, long deserved something like this, marketed properly, and there certainly should be a BR stick on the market as well as a cymbal. There was talk of a cymbal some time ago, but nothing came of it. Slingerland, in an attempt to market a Buddy and a Krupa “tribute” set a few years ago, failed miserably. It does not help that then, as now, no one can reach anyone from Slingerland by phone, mail or e-mail. Maybe Slingerland, under the direction of the Gibson guitar company, no longer exists. As it stands, it shouldn’t exist. Look at what Gretsch did. They’re now getting up there with the major manufacturers when everyone counted them out. It can be done. And that, by the way, goes for an enterprising group of folks who should put a Rogers set on the market. 

In not too long a time, you will hopefully notice some great, great changes to the web site. Terry McKyton–the best webmaster who ever webmastered–felt it was due time to bring us into the year of 2006 with some video and a generally updated and easier-to-use design. Terry, a recent Masters Degree awardee from the prestigious Stanton University (As many of you know, Stanton is a ficticious college that used to offer ficticious degrees for about a hundred bucks a pop. As a present for Terry’s real graduation from the Masters program of a real school in Florida, we awarded Terry an official degree from the infamous Stanton. Those of you who have heard this story a billion times must forgive me. I think it’s funny. And I, too, am a proud Stanton graduate.) There is no better web designer out there. This guy pushes buttons on a computer that were said not to exist. If it’s a web site or web design you have in mind, Terry McKyton is, as the Zildjian cymbal people say, “the only serious choice.” 

It is hard to believe that an American record company did not step forward to release our 1956 JATP in Germany discovery. There are so many factors that make this so special, including the artists involved, the level of playing, the superb fidelity and the fact that this show was, until now, not documented in any way, shape or form. Verve turned it down because of what they claimed would be the expense, and likewise, those who own Norman Granz’ Pablo imprint. Those good folks claimed that they had dozens of unreleased shows like this in their vaults, including some concerts with Gene and Buddy. We were promised the details of all these alleged goodies. That was almost a year ago. We are thrilled to say that we are concluding serious talks with the Barcelona, Spain, based Fresh Sounds label. You won’t believe their catalog, and those involved in Fresh Sound are seriously devoted to the music. We are working quickly on this to come out with a first-class package of re-mastered sound, extensive notes and rare photos. If we can get it out for Christmas, there will be a lot of happy gift-givers out there. I’m sure that my many friends on the other side of the ocean are quite aware of Fresh Sound and all the great, great releases in their catalog. We might possibly enter into a DVD agreement with them as well. 

Browsing e-bay the other day, I came upon an extraordinary piece of art and workmanship. A miniature Gene Krupa drum set! I looked at this with great interest and admiration and contacted the artist himself, a fine gent named Rick Parries, and asked for some details and info about him and about his works of art. Here’s Rick himself: ” I have been playing drums since 1969, and of course my influences were Krupa, Rich, Bellson (I am working on his Remo miniature as we speak), Philly Joe, Morello and of course many more. I have always been artistic and love realism art. Detailed miniatures from the time I was a kid always fascinated me. I love drums, and I am very artistic and realized that nobody made a good miniature drumset. A lot of mass produced miniature drums were out there but nothing of any quality at all. So I ordered a miniature drumset off of e-bay, an import, and tore it apart to see how it was made. I started making the drums in my kitchen on the counter not knowing what I was doing or why I was doing it. The rest is history. These are all hand made one by one. I have no special tools to make them They are my own design and I do not claim to do replicas, but a replica “likeness” (“replica” can’t be used loosely). The drums are very labor intensive and some may vary from set to set. An example: tom mounts some could be rail and some swivel for the same drummer. I can do either and it does not take away from the basic cosmetics of the set . In other words I will not put anything on a drumset that does not belong unless I was doing my own designed custom kit. I have no doubt in my mind that these sell. I’ve proven it in the past when I was making them. I put my heart and soul into these drums and want to make sure the customer is getting what they paid for. I strive to make improvements all the time and I have done and will continue. The biggest thrill for me is to bring something to life in a miniature. I have been blessed with a gift of being able to create these little drums. I love building them and creating new product. I really is an honor for me to have the gift to create some of these little drums of past and present for everyone’s enjoyment.” 

Forgive my editing, Richard. I hope all our readers get the idea. Go on e-bay to check out this fine, fine work, and stay attuned to JazzLegends.com as we plan to hopefully be able to offer this art somewhere down the line. 

And in terms of art, the great, Philadelphia-based abstract painter, Judith Ross, has turned her talents to charcoal drawings of the jazz greats, including Benny, Gene, Bill Harris, Ben Webster and several others. These are really fabulous and are one-of-a-kinds. As soon as the newly-designed web site is ready to go on the air, we will have a separate page offering Ms. Ross’ superb works. 

Anyone who has ever considered themselves a collector and/or just a serious or concerned listener or fan, has what we term “the holy grail.” This could be an LP, a CD, a video or a DVD that you once loved and lost, one you once heard about and never could find, and that magic item that those who think they know about such things claim “do not exist.” It’s a great Forum discussion topic, if nothing else. In my own case, I was told more times than I could remember that the Krupa/Rich drum battle on the Sammy Davis, Jr. television show of 1966 never existed. I knew it did, and couldn’t believe it when I finally got a copy after much, much time and expense. Those clips, as you know, can be seen on “Buddy Rich Jazz Legend Part One.” There are still two, outstanding holy grails for me. One is supposed to be a tv guest shot of Krupa on the Frank Sinatra CBS televison show of 1950 or 1951. Supposedly, the Jazz Trio backs Mr. Sinatra, and then peforms a vocal duet with Gene himself on a song called “18.” I’ve tracked down some leads through the years with those who have claimed to have the audio. They were all dead ends. My second “grail” item was an LP made in the mid-1950s for the obscure and short-lived, New York city-based Herald jazz label. This was a meeting between two of my favorite pianists, Mary and Teddy Napoleon. Teddy, who passed away much too young in 1964, and brother Marty, who is still very much with us, are two two keyboardists I love, Both played with Gene, Buddy, Charlie Ventura and Eddie Shu, and I had the honor of playing with Marty in the mid-1970s. I finally found the recording–where else?–on e-bay. We’ll offer it to you as soon as it arrives. Until there’s more news, God bless and keep swingin’. 

Bruce Klauber, September, 2006

It’s pretty obvious that many of you are great fans of Tony Williams. That’s for good reason. He was an innovator and contributor of the highest order. Technically, not too many good equal him. Versatility? He was fluent and at ease with jazz, fusion, rock and all other combinations of those three. 

The good folks at Hudson Music and yours truly have been working on producing a documentary DVD on Tony’s life and music, but the Williams family just won’t go for it right now. As a matter of fact, the last Zildjian Lifetime Achievement Award given to Steve Gadd was actually supposed to go to Tony Williams. Again, the Williams family nixed it, saying that “the time wasn’t right.” Sadly, time is running out. The longer these giants go unrecognized, the quicker they will be forgotten. Making the matter of Tony Williams even more complex is that there just isn’t that much quality video material out there. Tony’s fans know it, and perhaps that’s just one reason why the “Tony Williams Live in New York” is such a popular title. 

It has a rather checkered history. It was released on a laser disc in Japan around 1990 and then withdrawn from release. JazzLegends.com was fortunate enough to get a copy some years ago and later offer it on VHS video and DVD. There have been quality problems with this title. At least half of the DVDs that have gone out have been defective in some way, shape or form. There have been picture “freeze-ups” and other difficulties that can occur on any DVD, but the main complaint has been that the audio and the video are, quite simply, out-of-sync. That just won’t do. 

We were lucky enough to obtain another copy of the laser disc from Japan, and it is in very good condition, but still not without problems. Maybe there are physical defects on these things and/or that the signals on the disc itself just don’t hold up after 17 years. After all, there’s got to be a reason why laser discs didn’t take the world by storm. And evidently, these laser discs were encoded with some kind of crude form of “Macrovision,” so they couldn’t be duped. It is simply impossible, at least within our means, to totally remove whatever signal that is. 

The good news is that now, the audio quality is absolutely superb and absolutely in synch. The only slight imperfections have to do with the video portion. Now and then, you’ll see some very, very faint lines on the picture. And there are four, count ’em, instances where there are picture drop outs. Two are of one-second duration. The other two are at about 2.5 to 3.0 seconds in duration. All and all, this is pretty darn good in terms of a quest for perfection. 

We’ve just gotten in another Tony title, recorded in France in 1990 by the same band that appears on “Tony Williams Live in New York.” Additionally, we are considering the release of a wild 1972 session, a duo of Tony and Jan Hammer. The quality is just “good” on this, so we’re still in the “consideration” phase. 

Later this week, look for some exciting Gene Krupa “discoveries,” including the actual jam sessions held in Benny Goodman’s apartment in honor of the 30th anniversary of the Carnegie Hall concert; actual “synched-up” footage of Gene with the Goodman band of 1943; additional footage of Gene at the Metropole in 1967 and most of the remainder of the famed “Anatomy of Pop” tv special of the late 1960s, and other newsreel footage of Art Tatum, Dave Tough, Billy Taylor, Duke Elllington and many more. Keep swingin’ until next time. 

Bruce Klauber

There was a marvelous and touching tribute held in honor of Buddy Rich’s featured tenor saxophonist of 12 years, the late Steve Marcus, this past Sunday at St. Peter’s Lutheran Church in New York city. Performers included Steve Smith’s “Buddy’s Buddies,” featuring Andy Fusco and Walt Weiskopf replacing Marcus on saxophones; bassist Baron Brown and pianist Joel Weiskopf. The Buddy Rich Alumni Big Band, kicked unbelievably by Smith, would have made Buddy proud. Guitarist Larry Coryell, who pioneered with Marcus what later became known as “jazz-rock,” spoke beautifully and played “Our Love is Here to Stay” from the heart. A terrific reception followed, at New York’s famed P.J. Clark’s, and on hand were some notable guests, including members of the Marcus family, the legendary Freddie Gruber and Stanley Kaye, Rob Wallis of Hudson Music, yours truly, and jazz singer Joy Adams. What a night! 

Two Krupa discoveries will be featured on the JazzLegends web site shortly. Actually, one already is, and it’s a fascinating document. This comes to us courtesy of Chuck Slate and Jazzology Records’ George Buck, and it’s a reunion of the Chicagoans, recorded in 1969 at a Holiday Inn in Connecticut. I believe that this December 5, 1969 concert may have been held shortly after Gene decided to come out of retirement. A year or two after this show, Gene explained to another New England audience that he tried to do too much too soon after laying off for almost two years, and that it “really showed.” In this wonderful concert, Gene is really, really swinging, but something happens in the midst of “I Found a New Baby.” I believe that maintaining that quick tempo for more than a little length of time may have been too much for Gene then. You decide after you hear what happens. 

Expected here shortly is something that most of us knew existed, but few of us ever heard. This is another Krupa appearance on “The Steve Allen Show,” circa 1955, yet another appearance made in conjunction with “The Benny Goodman Story.” There are a number of tunes included in this segment, which features Gene and Goodman clone Sol Yaged (who tutored Allen on the clarinet so that he could more accurately portray Goodman in the movie), includes numbers like “Tom Tom Workout.” I can’t wait to hear this myself. 

Alfred Publishing Company, the outfit behind the new Krupa pictorial book, is seriously considering the “commercial” release of a number of legendary titles that we’ve been putting out “semi-privately” for years, such as “Chicago and All That Jazz,” a couple of the Timex shows, etc. These will not only be remastered in terms of audio and video, but will come with detailed booklets and be offered for sale at really bargain prices. They are good people at Alfred. 

At Hudson Music, Steve Smith, myself and the boys continue to make inroads with our “Classic Rock and Roll Drum Solos” project. Latest to join up are Danny Seraphine (Chicago) and Carl Palmer (ELP) and posthumously, Cozy Powell. After months of work, we finally have received permission to use footage of Keith Moon. Moon was no soloist, and this clip, in fact, is said to be the only film in existence of Moon soloing. Still, he did personify rock drumming to many, and to do a project like this without him in it just wouldn’t be right. 

My congrats to all of you for making the forum a real exciting place to be. Keep swingin’ and God bless, 

Bruce Klauber

This will constitute the final public comments on the unfortunate Buddy Rich matter. Though I have apologized to the involved parties personally and on the Buddy Rich web site, I felt it all together fitting proper to make a statement on the JazzLegends.com web site. 

I was wrong and I was in error. It’s that simple. Many of you supported me during the terrible year I’ve had in line with my mothers’ terminal illness, and the trauma that I went through during this time clouded my judgment in a number of areas. This was one area, and I cannot tell you how sorry I am. 

Certainly, not everyone is in agreement as to how Cathy Rich and Steve Arnold are handling the release of Buddy Rich material. Most of the Buddy fans, to be sure, would just love to see everything in existence out there on the market. But that’s not how things work. You try it! 

It is important to remember that without Cathy Rich and Steve Arnold, there would be no “Wham,” no “No Funny Hats,” no “At the Top,” no “Montreal Jazz Festival,” no “Lost Tapes,” no Pacific Jazz reissues with previously unreleased material, no “Buddy Rich Memorial Scholarship” projects, no “Burnin’ For Buddy,” no “Buddy Rich Jazz Legend” video, no “Buddy’s Buddies” with Steve Smith, and no official Buddy Rich web site. I’ve probably missed a few things here and there, as I’m pretty certain that Cathy and Steve were involved with the recent Verve reissues of “Buddy and Sweets” and “Blues Caravan,” and the superb Mosaic boxed set of wonderful 1950s and 1960s material. 

These items alone constitute a rather large treasure trove of essential material that simply would not be in existence if it were not for Cathy and Steve. 

I would ask all of you who have made negative remarks in line with this hurtful situation to stop. For all of us who continue to appreciate the music of Buddy Rich, it is important to understand that Cathy Rich is the only “conduit,” for lack of a better word, to the man. And therefore it must be nurtured, preserved and appreciated. Cathy Rich and Steve Arnold were not wrong. I was. 

Bruce Klauber

While there was nothing really great about “the good old days” in the drum world, there were at least four constants one could count on: The names of Ludwig, Gretsch, Rogers and Slingerland. To a lesser extent, there was Camco and Leedy, and in the student market, Kent and Revere. To a fault, these were all-American made drums with superb construction and longevity and each had its own remarkable sound. There was, and thankfully is today, “that great Gretsch sound,” with endorsers like Max Roach, Art Blakey, Mel Lewis and dozens of others. Rogers? Mel Torme’ once remarked that they were “made of cast iron,” and if it was the Buddy or Louis sound one was looking for, Rogers was the brand to get, no matter what the expense. Ludwig, in the jazz sense, always brought to mind the snap of Joe Morello, though that was before Ringo came along and changed Ludwig and the world. Slingerland will forever be identified with Gene Krupa, though they had a stellar roster of dozens of endorsers. With Camco, well, The Beach Boys’ drummer played them, and Leedy seemed to be synonymous with Shelly Mane. Any overseas product that existed back then, and apologies to all involved, was accurately described as “cheap Japanese,” many with a generic or retail store label on them like Stratford or Stewart. Those of us who had sets like that were often laughed at. Tell you what, though. I just got hold of a “cheap Japanese” snare made circa 1963, a Slingerland knock-off complete with a quasi-Zoomatic strainer. This drum sings. But that’s another matter. 

Watching the Independence Day parade on television a few seasons back, I was struck by the incongruity of seeing the marching bands’ bass drums emboldened with logos like Yamaha, Tama and Pearl. This is not a dig at those companies. All of them make fine, fine drums, and that goes for the newer companies like Taye and Peace as well. It is a tribute to all of those firms that they overcame the stigma of the description, “cheap Japanese.” 

It’s also a tribute to some of the newer American companies, like DW, the revitalized Gretsch company, and the many, many “botique-oriented” manufacturers that have made substantial inroads into the percussion marketplace. DW, by the way, has just released their long-awaited “Buddy Rich” kit to market. The DW management was also happy to inform me that they simply cannot keep up with product demand. That’s good news. 

But wither the famed “big four” of yesteryear? 

The stories of the downfall of Leedy and Rogers are well known to those who have read Rob Cook’s superb books on those companies, published by his “Rebeats” publishing company. The tale of Rogers, particularly, remains an absolute disgrace. For a brand name that almost every drummer wanted, at some point, to go down the tubes so quickly and spectacularly is an American business tragedy. 

Likewise with Slingerland, a brand name that had, at one time or another, both Gene Krupa and Buddy Rich as endorsers. Slingerland has tried to come back several times (Gretsch and/or the Gibson Company we believe, now owns the name), but each attempt to bring it back has been misguided and half-hearted. Their ill-conceived attempt to market Krupa and Rich “tribute” kits was a laugh riot. Slingerland counted on outside marketing people who knew absolutely nothing, and if you remember their ads for the kit, they couldn’t even come up with a decent photo of Gene. I was called in at the 11th hour to help, but it was too late. The damage was done. As an example of how disinterested they continue to be today is their refusal to even acknowledge my new book on Krupa, “Gene Krupa: The Pictorial Life of a Jazz Legend.” The Slingerland name appears on virtually every page either in text or a photo. Is this free advertising for Slingerland? You bet! The company has been approached dozens of times about getting t involved with this book in promotional terms, erhaps as a give away to boost sales of their sets and expand their educational market, but they refuse to even acknowledge e-mails. Do the folks who own and operate Slingerland today want it fail? If so, they’re succeeding. And yes, I’d be lying if I said I didn’t want to sell books. But to be ignored by a company who is presented with an opportunity–and needs any opportunity it can get–is ignorant and appalling. 

It appears that Ludwig continues to do steady business. They’ve added several new lines in the student and pro areas and have brought back the classic Ringo kit, the see-through Vistalites and even a John Bonham “tribute” kit. Their range of endorsers, however, is nothing what it was. The great Ed Shaughnessy and Butch Miles seem to be the only artists popping up in ads lately. Ludwig’s involvement in promotion, clinics, etc., also seems to be a bit limited, although news has come that the Ludwig Company has purchased the famed “Not So Modern Drummer” Magazine, which would put Ludwig back in the publishing business for the first time in decades. 

Still, they’ve missed the boat several times in line with possible promotional opportunities. As one example, Ludwig was approached to become involved with the recently-released DVD, “Lionel Hampton: King of the Vibes.” After all, Hampton used the Musser vibraphone, owned and sold by Ludwig, for most of his seven-decade career. A tie-in, to promote both the Musser line and the DVD, appeared to be just perfect for all involved. Ed Shaughnessy even interceded and tried to get things going. As an example, wouldn’t it have been perfect for Musser to produce a DVD “extra” about Musser’s history and their current line? Ludwig’s answer: “We have no money for such things.” Perhaps they just don’t want to sell vibes, but if that’s the case, why is Ludwig still manufacturing them? 

Drummers today, of every age and style, have more equipment choices than ever before. Once there was A. Zildjian, K. Zildjian or spun brass. Now there are dozens and dozens of cymbal makers. The same goes for sticks, hardware, drums, cases, electronics, heads, and just about everything else. And everything old is, in fact, new again. Flat base stands are back, and almost every drum manufacturer is offering a version of the classic, white marine pearl covering. But, and call us old-fashioned, I’d sure like to see the Slingerland logo on that bass drum at the Independence Day Parade. And by the way, if anyone ever runs into a set of Revere, let me know.

We have been receiving a number of letters and e-mails over the past few months about problems with some of our DVDs and CDs. Those problems include pictures that freeze up, CDs that won’t play all the tracks, DVDs that won’t play at all on any player, and various other sundry difficulties. The digital revolution is just great, isn’t it? 

Certainly, we could all go back to using cassette audio tapes and VHS–or Beta–video tapes. These were and are mechanically oriented media that in time, just like any other mechanical device, wear out. One of the beauties of the digital revolution, be it CD, DVD or whatever, is that these things supposedly don’t wear out. That, certainly, is fabulous, but it doesn’t mean diddley if they won’t play. 

Here at JazzLegends.com, we’ve already gone through about five CD duplicators. Their shelf life, whatever the price, appears to be about 90 days. And in this case, sadly, 90 days is not “the same as cash,” as they say in Philadelphia. On the DVD side of things, we try to monitor the transfers as closely as possible, given the time constraints involved. On dozens of occasions during the transfer process, we noticed that pictures were indeed freezing up, etc. We thought the problem was that the initial video-to-DVD mastering process was flawed, and we ran around seeking new masters. It turns out that the problem was actually in the DVD player. We’ve also gone through about ten of those. 

As many of you know, we are back and forth from Naples, Florida frequently, if only because our daughter, grand daughter, son-in-law and genius web master live there. In the interests of customer service, we’ve “set up shop” down there and have another duplication setup in place so we can fulfill orders wherever we are. We’ve already returned two DVD players to Best Buy in Naples. And by the way, be careful if you ever buy a refrigerator from Best Buy. 

We will continue to make good on all orders that may be flawed in any way, shape or form, due to imperfections in the duplication process and/or the digital revolution. Perhaps at some point, all will be perfected. As for me, I’m waiting until HDTVs go down to $500 bucks. 

In other matters, I urge you to seriously consider owning our newly discovered appearance by the Gene Krupa Jazz Trio from the 1954 “George Jessel Show.” You’ve never seen anything like this, and to see Eddie Shu, Gene and Teddy Napoleon on the screen is something very, very special. 

It is also strongly suggested, as mentioned in a previous article, that you check out Mosaic’s new boxed set of Buddy Rich’s small group work for the Verve, Emarcy and Argo record labels. Though some may disagree, I prefer Buddy’s small group work to his big band work, especially the famed, Sam Most/Mike Mainieri flute and vibes band. I started doubling on vibes years ago, and Mike was and is my favorite. Get this limited edition boxed set while you can. As usual, Mosaic’s packaging, annotation, notes, graphics, etc., are state of the art. Those of us who have any interest in jazz–past, present or future–should be on our knees at least a few times a year in tribute to the good folks at Mosaic. 

We’ve also made a few Buddy discoveries of our own, including the “Let’s Go To Town” National Guard radio broadcasts from 1961 (with Most and Mainieri), the 1968 big band studio recordings that were shelved at the urging of Don Menza, who told Buddy that these tracks should be recorded live (they eventually became the “Mercy Mercy” LP recorded live at Caesars in Vegas); and the entire 1964 Japanese concert of the Harry James band. Look for updates on the site. 

In response to request, we will shortly begin featuring a line of, and I hesitate to use the word, “novelties,” that will feature the JazzLegends.com logo in conjunction with some rare images of Gene Krupa himself. I’m told there will be bumper stickers, clocks, mugs, etc. Those of you who are putting the JazzLegends.com logo on your bass drums should be careful not to cover up the “Slingerland” logo!! Watch the web site for updates. 

Finally, my sincerest thanks to all involved for keeping the JazzLegends.com forum a very, very lively place, and for all the kind words within. 

God bless and keep swingin, 

Bruce Klauber

JATP: Our Jazz at the Philharmonic discovery from Germany in 1956 is getting great comments–deservedly–from everyone who’s heard it. That includes the A & R department of Verve Records, by the way, even though they declined to acquire it for release. “It wouldn’t sell very well,” was their comment. We disagree and are in the midst of approaching several other outfits about it. At this moment, though, we’re the only place making it available. 

GENE AND GEORGIE: The Krupa Jazz Trio’s appearance on “The George Jessel Show” of 1954 has been mentioned several times in this space. Progress is being made on it. The first order of business is that the Library of Congress has to do a copyright search to see who–if anyone–owns this. That’s what’s happening now, and once that is finalized, it should only be a matter of weeks before we get our hands on it. 

GINGER BAKER: Many of the drummers out there are well aware that the famed rock group, The Cream,” has reformed for a reunion tour. Their three-night appearance at Madison Square Garden in New York City is eagerly anticipated by those who fondly remember Eric Clapton, Jack Bruce and drummer Baker. Baker, of course, is famed for his extended workout on Cream’s recording of “Toad,” which many percussionists believe owed a large debt to Gene Krupa. The good people at Hudson Music and yours truly have been working on a DVD project for some time, entitled “Classic Rock and Roll Drum Solos.” Obviously, Baker would have to be a part of it. We tracked down a great film of Baker doing his solo, then tracked down Baker himself. We asked his permission to use this clip in our DVD and told him how much his participation would mean to us. His reply was quite interesting. He told us he considers himself a jazz drummer and not a rock drummer, and also commented that Gene Krupa got most of his style from Baby Dodds. Baker didn’t hesitate to state that he didn’t think much of the other rock drummers who were being considered for inclusion in our DVD, and we’re talking about giants like Carl Palmer, Neil Peart, Steve Smith, Mitch Mitchell and many others. These were some of the milder comments he made. However, he did let us know about two films that were made in Europe in the early 1970s that show his jazz side: One is with Art Blakey and the other is with Elvin Jones. We’re trying to track these things down. He never did battle Buddy, though. Wonder why. 

DAVID GARIBALDI: Our friend David is one of the great innovators of “funk drumming” on the planet, known universally for his superb work with the groundbreaking group, Tower of Power. David has also been involved in percussion education for many years as a teacher at The Drummer’s Collective and Dick Grove schools, as an international clinician, and as an author of any number of award-winning drum books and instructional DVDs. He has a wonderful new book coming out courtesy of the good folks at Hudson Music, entitled “The Code of Funk.” Those interested in such things should check this out at www.HudsonMusic.com David, by the way, is one of the contributors to our upcoming Gene Krupa book, and wrote some lovely comments about what Gene meant to him. 

“Gene Krupa: The Pictorial Life of a Jazz Legend”: The release date of this book has been pushed back a few weeks, due to some technical problems that had to do with the Alfred Publishing Company’s takeover of Warner Bros. Publications. We have been assured by the Alfred Publishing Company that the release will be in late October. 

Bruce Klauber