It’s been a while since my last column which erroneously may have led some to believe that JazzLegends.com is dormant, slowing down, etc. Not so! We are alive, well and fulfilling orders as soon as we get them. There are, however, so very, very many folks I’ve not heard from in ages, so I just wanted to let you know that everything is running like clockwork here, no matter how hot it is!

I’ve recently relocated to a lovely area outside of Philadelphia, which, strange as it seems, is the first place I’ve had of my own in several years! It can’t be beat.

So, please bear in mind that I’m here, and remain on the look out for new and undiscovered stuff.

A word about some orders: Due to age or whatever, some of our masters have become damaged over time, often with no rhyme or reason. As an example, we had a recent order for out Wild Bill Davison DVD, and when I started the duplication process, realized that the master had somehow been stripped of the audio portion. How this happened, I couldn’t tell you, but it involved getting a copy of the video (it’s never been released on DVD) and remastering it.

In other cases, we’re not so lucky, so in the event that a master is damaged, I’ve tried to include at least TWO related titles to make up for it. So far, by and large, most folks seem to be happy with this, and I am working on replacing what’s damaged (if anyone has a good copy of Tony Williams in France on DVD, let me know).

Some of you may have heard that I have hooked up with the widow of Louis Prima, Gia Prima, to write Louis biography. This is quite an undertaking. Louis led a remarkable life, and Gia is simply a one-of-a-kind. She almost single-handedly spearheaded the renewed interest in the life and music of Prima, and what interest there is! Stay tuned.

In other book news, well, it finally had to happen. The final Mrs. Frank Sinatra, Barbara Sinatra, has written a book. Mrs. S. does a fine job in speaking of parties, drinking, jewelry, charitable galas, the care and feeding of Frank Sinatra, and their various fights (though Mrs. S. can’t seem to recall the root of the fighting).

On the other hand, and this is the kicker: Some years back, the very astute business person that is Tina Sinatra wrote a scathing account of Barbara Sinatra, how she tried to distance him from his children, financial and business double-dealings, greed, and general cruelty. Tina’s book cried out for a reply. This isn’t it. Mrs. Sinatra’s solution? Do not even mention Tina or Nancy. In that way, of course, they don’t exist. IN doing this, sadly, Mrs. Sinatra proved that she was and is as petty as Tina claimed.

It’s also riddled with inaccuracies (was it Mrs. Sinatra who convinced Mr. S. to sing “New York, New York”? I think not). And the fact that she says she had “no idea” who came up with the concept of “Duets” is just plain ridiculous. There were several books devoted to how that project got off the ground and ultimately progressed.

Is there an editor out there somewhere? I guess ghostwriter Wendy Holden, who doesn’t merit cover credit, by the way, didn’t think enough to visit the local library.

But in these days of Lady Gaga, who cares about the truth anyway?

As always, friends, if there’s anything at all you’re looking for on DVD or audio, please contact me at DrumAlive@aol.com. I’m here and I’m ready to “keep swingin’.”

Bruce Klauber

AFTER HOLIDAY BLOW-OUT
Each and every item: $15**
Friday, Saturday and Sunday only
**two-item minimum

Get all the DVDs, CDs and books you’ve always wanted at a once-in-a-lifetime bargain price, with free shipping, of course.

The Alfred Publishing Company and Bruce Klauber are proud to announce the publication of “Gene Krupa: The Pictorial Life of a Jazz Legend.” This eagerly-awaited book is a photographic presentation of the life, times and music of “that ace drummer man.” With over 200 photos that span six decades of jazz history, this most visual of performers, the man who made the drums a solo instrument, comes alive like never before. 

Contributing their own singular and often heartfelt insights about Gene are the finest drummers in music today, including Phil Collins, Tommy Aldridge, John Blackwell, Peter Erskine, Ed Shaughnessy, Peter Criss, Kenny Aronoff, Alphonse Mouzon, Carl Palmer, David Garibaldi, Carmine Appice, Alex Acuna, Neal Peart and Steve Smith. 

Incisive commentary from noted percussionist and video producer Dr. Bruce H. Klauber provides a definitive retrospective about Gene’s music, drumming, drum setup, and important contributions to the evolution of the drum kit. The companion CD includes previously unreleased tracks covering five decades of Krupa’s unmistakable drumming. The touching introduction was written by the late Bobby Scott, Gene’s good friend and pianist in the mid-1950s, from a never-published memoir. 

“Gene Krupa: The Pictorial Life of a Jazz Legend” is a must-read for fans of Gene Krupa, the swing era, jazz, drums, and drumming. 

A special thanks to the many dear friends of Jazzlegends.com Your support and encouragement helped make this possible. God bless, keep swingin’, and above all, buy early and often. 

“Gene Krupa: The Pictorial Life of a Jazz Legend”
Alfred Publishing Company
Soft cover with accompanying CD
176 pages
ISBN 0-7390-3858-3

In response to the many e-mails, cards, letters, faxes and telephone calls I’ve received about the status of “Gene Krupa: The Pictorial Life of a Jazz Legend,” we offer the following update: 

Warner Bros. Publications, the company that first released the DCI Music Videos on Gene Krupa, Buddy Rich and the Legends of Jazz Drumming series, has been acquired by the Alfred Publishing Company. The sale was first announced December 16 of last year. 

These things happen in the book business, and in the music business, and in any business. Who was that philosopher who once said, “The only thing constant is change?” 

While I am indeed disappointed that my great friends at Warners are no longer with the company, I can tell you unequivocally that I have been welcomed by the “new regime” with open arms. “Link” Harnsberger and Dave Black have been wonderful during this confusing and complex time. They’ve welcomed my input and opinions and appear to be interested in pursuing my various ideas for new DVDs and books. Number one in that regard is the pursuit of the wide, commercial release of our”Championship Jazz” project (the un-aired television pilot that pitted the Gene Krupa Jazz Quartet versus The Dukes of Dixieland in 1962). The idea is to issue this rare program, along with another half-hour of vintage Krupa footage and/or another half-hour of never-issued film from some other drumming legends. 

For those of you unfamiliar with Alfred Publishing, they are no young upstart. This singular company has been around for more than 80 years, with offices worldwide, with artists and clinicians on a stellar roster that includes Louis Bellson, Peter Erskine, David Garibaldi, Steve Houghton, and arranger Don Sebesky. And that’s just a small sampling. Their instructional materials for percussion, band, keyboards, woodwinds, choir, brass, etc., are unparalled in this industry. I seriously urge all of our www.JazzLegends.com friends to visit www.Alfred.com on the web and take a look at their essential product line. 

While “Gene Krupa: The Pictorial Life of a Jazz Legend” represents something of a departure for Alfred, the principals are excited about it, and they do assure me that there will, in fact, “be a book.” And to tell you the truth, that’s all I need to know! 

God bless and keep swingin! We’ll keep you updated. 

Dr. Bruce H. Klauber

“Gene Krupa: The Pictorial Life of a Jazz Legend” is now in the final proofreading stages and we hope to have word any moment from Warner Bros. Publications. One of the reasons for delay on this and several other Warners’ products is because this division of WB was just sold to the Alfred Publishing Company. When the dust settles, which should be soon, Warners/Alfred plans to resume their full slate of video/DVD productions. The good news is that in addition to our extensive work for Hudson Music, we will be doing some rather special DVD projects with Warners/Alfred, including the possibility of a commercial release, with added footage, of the famed “Championship Jazz” television pilot with Gene Krupa and The Dukes of Dixieland, now available from us on “The Champ.” 

“Lionel Hampton:King of the Vibes,” our upcoming DVD tribute to the vibes president, will be released within the coming weeks by Hudson Music, and we will also make it available here. As previously mentioned, this is the first such project devoted solely to Hamp, and features footage through seven decades of swinging. We’re proud that our narrators are mallet legend Mike Mainieri, and in the section focusing on Hamp’s drumming, the one and only Steve Smith. 

Our good colleague Paul Testa has come up with another real “find” that we will be offering here very shortly. In 1968, Benny Goodman hosted a gala that celebrated the 30th anniversary of the legendary Carnegie Hall Jazz Concert. Many of the surviving players, including Gene, were in attendance that night and there was much media coverage of it. Paul has discovered many of the interviews done for radio broadcast that night, coupled with excerpts from the Carnegie Hall Concert itself. There was also a lot of jamming that went on that evening and we hope to be able to offer that on CD as well. 

Most all of our regular visitors are aware that we are now offering all of our VHS videos on DVD, in the DVD-R format. Please keep in mind, however, that we will continue to issue everything on VHS as well as DVD. 

Those net surfers out there know very well that Google is about the number one search engine out there, and that’s probably because they are about the best. Among the great programs they offer for those who have web sites like ours is called the “Google Ad Sense” program. This program automatically generates small ads that are appropriate to the page or pages surfers are viewing. In other words, on our pages that feature Gene Krupa merchandise, you’re likely to see ads for downloadable Krupa tunes, for Krupa items on e-bay, etc. Clicking on these ads, and there are many of them on most of our pages, really do help support us. No, no one has to buy anything. Just clicking on them helps keep us going, and who knows what other great stuff you might find? 

Finally, please feel free at any time to ask us for something on CD, books, video or DVD that you might be looking for. We have many, many items that are not listed on the site and we do, by the way, have access to pretty much everything by most of the drumming greats. That includes, by the way, the famed Tony Williams project that was very briefly issued on laser disc in Japan in the 1980s. Take advantage of this and please e-mail us at DrumAlive@aol.com 

In an interesting piece of business, we have found that the domain name–www.JazzLegends.com–is among the most valuable of its kind in the marketplace. Indeed, it’s “the only name to have in jazz.” We are considering changing the name of this site at some juncture to GeneKrupa.com (or dot org or dot biz), so if anyone out there knows anyone who would be interested in one of the great domain names of all time–JazzLegends.com–let us know. 

Let us take this opportunity to thank our customers, friends and supporters for your continued kind words, encouragement, and of course, your orders. We hope, pray and trust that you will continue to keep us going. 

God bless and keep swingin’ 

Bruce Klauber

We are pleased to announce that the first “galley proofs” of the long-in-progress “Gene Krupa: The Pictorial Life of a Jazz Legend,” have landed at this desk. As wonderful as the 100-plus pictures and commentary may be, I must give all due credit to the design department of Warner Brothers Publications, specifically to Ed Uribe, for a layout/design that is just spectacular. The book will run in the neighborhood of 170-plus pages that cover Gene’s life and music from the 1920s to the 1970s.

Foreword is by Gene’s one-time pianist, the late, great composer Bobby Scott (“A Taste of Honey,” “He Ain’t Heavy He’s My Brother”). Bob was a dear friend of mine and had just about completed his autobiography about two years before he died. He asked me to help him get a publishing deal, and though I tried, it just wasn’t possible then. But the chapter he wrote on Gene is a gem, and that serves as this works’ intro. I’m glad that Bobby’s heartfelt work, at least some of it, will see its way into proper book form. Most of you know that Bobby loved Gene, whom he called “The Old Man.”

There will be a companion CD that comes with the book, a great idea dreamed up by Warners’ book editor Ray Brych. The CD is composed of a bunch of unreleased tracks from the 1930s to the 1960s, mainly from television and radio. Our regular visitors and supporters of JazzLegends.com probably have most of the tracks already, but for the public at large, the CD-with-book idea will give buyers something extra and hopefully special with their purchase.

Perhaps the most gratifying element of this project focuses on a great, great group of contemporary drummers who have shared their thoughts about Gene and what Gene meant to drumming, exclusively for this book. Peter Criss, Carmine Appice, Ed Shaughnessy, Peter Erskine, Dave Garabaldi, Steve Smith, Phil Collins, Carl Palmer, Alex Acuna, Alphonse Mouzon, John Blackwell, Kenny Aronoff and several others really have meaningful and touching things to say about Gene Krupa. After reading this section, I’m certain you’ll agree that Gene is literally as “contemporary as ever.”

I was insistent that the price of this book be, as they say, “competitive,” and I am told that it will likely not be more expensive than $17.95 (the book and CD package) tops. When I first produced videos for DCI Music Video, I was never thrilled that the prices for these VHS tapes clocked in at $39.95. That’s what’s so wonderful about Hudson Music projects: They’re not only great, but affordable. I did insist that this book be affordable, and I’m happy that Warners agreed.

Currently, the project is going through the editing/proofreading/design-tweaking process, and I wouldn’t be surprised if it would be ready for release around the first of February. Believe me, those who visit Jazzlegends.com will be the first to know. And I will make sure that the book –autographed if you want — will be available here in addition to, as they say, “everywhere books are sold.” Stay tuned, and a happy and swingin’ holiday — and beyond — to all those, all over the world, who have supported us through the years.

Bruce Klauber

When Mel Torme’ first volunteered to write the foreword to “Gene Krupa: That Legendary Drummin’ Man,” he only made one suggestion: that the book contain plenty of photographs, because Gene was, without doubt, probably the most visual of any jazz performer. While the book does contain a nice selection of photographs, the material in that work now dates back over 14 years. My personal collection of Krupa photos has grown quite substantially since then, with many given to me by friends, collectors and colleagues. Paul Testa, in particular, is not only one of the great drummers working today, but has demonstrated a love and respect for Gene and Gene’s music that is unparalleled anywhere. His own collection Krupa material, which he has graciously shared with me over the years, has enriched my knowledge and appreciation of Gene Krupa as well. 

From time to time, I look through some of these great, vintage shots, and I am reminded of the days when there were such things as LP records and LP record jackets. Certainly many of us, especially drummers, spent hours and hours just looking at the photos on the record jackets, particularly if the pictures were of Gene…or Buddy. A concept was developing somewhere with all of this, and it has turned out to be an idea I’ve been floating about for several years. “Gene Krupa: The Pictorial Life of a Jazz Legend” is just that: over 100 photos of Gene Krupa through the ages, from the 1920s to the 1970s, with commentary that places each picture in musical and historical perspective. Interspersed throughout will be some comment from today’s greatest drummers, like John Blackwell, Steve Smith, and several others. 

It appears that “Gene Krupa: The Pictorial Life of a Jazz Legend” will likely be a reality within the next year, and an actual deal, however reasonable it is, is in the works. As a companion piece to the book, the publishers and I are considering including a companion CD of rare Krupa audio, culled from the Jazzlegends.com collection. I have always insisted on fairness in pricing, and I can pretty much tell you that the whole package will probably be under $20. 

This is exciting news, indeed, and I am inviting you to check in with your opinions (and a show of support that I could pass along to the publisher) as to what you’d like to see. 

While I don’t want to give away all the details of the contents at this early stage, I can tell you two things: Gene was a loyal human being, and through his life, he only endorsed one brand of drums and one brand of cymbals. So count on seeing plenty of pictures of Slingerland Drums and Zildjian Cymbals. God bless and keep swingin’. 

By Bruce H. Klauber, D., Mus.

Since the publication of our book in 1990, “World of Gene Krupa,” there has been an unparalleled resurgence in interest in the life and music of “that ace drummer man.” Thankfully, the marketplace is filled with CD reissues, videos and dvds on Gene and other great drummers in jazz history, web sites, books, posters, tee-shirts, and more than a few Krupa “sound-alike” drummers and tribute bands. Finally, the jazz history books have properly acknowledged Gene’s contribution to drums, drumming and to jazz. 

Though he died at the rather young age of 64, in 1973, Gene had a long and glorious recording career that began in the late 1920s and continued right up until 1973. That’s six decades. Unfortunately, most of the better, commercially issued recordings have long been out-of-print. Aside from a couple of foreign and domestic reissues through the years, it appears that most of them will remain out-of-print. One of our goals at JazzLegends.com is to ensure that those old LPs from the 1950s and 1960s live on. We like to think we have fulfilled that part of our mission, via the transfer to CD of rarities like “Driving Gene,” “Hey Here’s Gene Krupa,” “Great New Quartet” and all the others. 

There’s another significant part to what we do here: As jazz players and jazz fans know, often the best music is made outside of the recording studio. That’s why we’ve devoted so much time and energy to tracking down Gene’s radio and television appearances, live concerts and projects done for the overseas market. We strongly urge you to check out our newest discoveries, highlighted by something called “So Rare.” Even the folks here at JazzLegends.com can’t believe some of the tracks on this CD. 

We apply same philosophy to our VHS videos. Gene’s films and film appearances were wonderfully entertaining. Sadly, they will likely never be released commercially and are rarely shown on television. We won’t let them disappear. Our “Raw Footage” tapes are a great complement to the full-length films, and offer glimpses of Gene in rehearsal, being interviewed, on television and in rare film shorts. 

Please note that our pricing policy has changed, and is undoubtedly the most reasonable price structure in the business. Collectors have long been paying hundreds and thousands for material like this over the years. Our prices? All CDs and books are $15. All videos are $30. Shipping is free worldwide. That’s it. 

In the news department, we have received word that “The Gene Krupa Story” will be released to DVD on or about May 18th. Don’t ask why, but there are no extras on the DVD. They could have come to us: The famed “Jammin’ With Gene” promo short with Sal Mineo is on our “Gene Krupa: Jazz Legend” video. The original theatrical trailer to “The Gene Krupa Story” is on our video “Classic Drum Solos and Drum Battles.” And we also have Gene’s appearance with Sal, promoting the film, on a 1958 “I’ve Got A Secret” tv show. In the not-too-distant future, perhaps we will put all these “promo” pieces on one video. 

We’re also told that a CD reissue is on its way in the form of the great, “Gene Krupa Plays Gerry Mulligan Arrangements” recording. No word about alternate takes yet, though most of these reissues seem to be straight transfers of what was on the original LP. Note that whenever a title is issued commercially, we do take it out of our catalog. 

As many of you know, by way of my longtime affiliation with Hudson Music, I’ve gotten the chance to work with drummer extraordinaire, Steve Smith, rather closely on a number of projects. I will tell you, unequivocally, that there is no better drummer than Steve out there, and that if he’s appearing in your neck of the woods with Buddies’ Buddies, Vital Information or in a clinic or master class, just go and see him. You will be astounded. 

On a more personal basis, I will hopefully be doing some classes and a film presentation called “The History of Jazz Drumming on Film” in tandem with Steve–and solo–in the not-to-distant future. Check this space for details. By the way, Steve Smith, as well as Gene, Buddy and all of the past, present and future legends of jazz drumming (including yours truly!) use Zildjian Cymbals. They were, are and will always be “the only serious choice.” 

We intend to use this space to let you know about updates, new products, and things we’re working on. And please tell us what you’re looking for and what you’d like to see. We’re here for you 

Bruce H. Klauber, D., Mus.