Gene Krupa was one of the most admired and influential drummers in the history of jazz, with his impact extending into the pop era, not least through his effective defining of the make-up of the modern drum kit. In the late 1930s and ‘40s, he became known for what the New York Times called his “frenzied, flashy” drumming which was revolutionary in its day, and elevated the rile of the drummer from pure accompanist to being an important solo voice in the band.

The youngest of Anna and Bartłomiej Krupa’s nine children, Gene was born in Chicago on 15 January 1909. Krupa began playing drums professionally in the mid-1920s with bands in Wisconsin. In 1927, he was hired by MCA to become a member of Thelma Terry and Her Playboys, before making his first recordings in 1927 with a band under the leadership of Red McKenzie and guitarist Eddie Condon. In December 1934, he joined Benny Goodman’s band, where his work made him a national celebrity. But conflict with Goodman prompted him to leave the group and form his own orchestra shortly after the Carnegie Hall concert in January 1938.

This 48-track collection features all his 27 career hits including his Top 10s It All Comes Back To Me Now, High On A Windy Hill, Just A Little Bit South Of North Carolina, Along The Navajo Trail, Chickery Chick and Bonaparte's Retreat. There are performances by his noted female vocalists Irene Day and Anita O’Day, and by his other featured vocalists Jerry Kruger, Howard Dulaney, Roy Eldridge, Johnny Desmond, Carolyn Grey and Bobby Scots.

It offers a fascinating cross-section of his recordings, from the more mainstream pop material that comprised many of his hits to the hard-hitting big band jazz for which he was especially renowned.

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