CD Reviews
by James "Hep Tigger"

For those who aren't in the know, Gene Krupa was the frantic drummer behind Benny Goodman's recording of "Sing, Sing, Sing". The two grew up in Chicago and had played together a great deal before he joined BG's new band in 1935. In his time with Goodman, Krupa redefined the place of the drummer in a band…arguably becoming THE star attraction. It is thus no surprise that Krupa, in 1938, decided to form his own band.

Krupa's band was initially rumoured to be a little too heavy on the drums and it tends to be his later recordings, once trumpeter Roy Eldridge and singer Anita O'Day joined his band, that are most promoted. I, however, am partial to these recordings from 1940 to early 1941, just prior to Eldridge's arrival.

Several of the tunes on this disk, notably "Drum Boogie", and "Full Dress Hop", have great drive, but keep it simmering under 200 bpm. The latter is one of my all-time favourite 40s swing tunes. One artist who really shines through on this disk is singer Irene Day, whose every appearance from the title track on is a delight. Her vocals on "Yes, My Darling Daughter" are a particular stand-out. She is also featured on some good lindy-tempo (140-150 bpm) numbers : "There'll be Some Changes Made", "Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy" and "Boog It".

Otherwise, the record provides a solid line-up of 40s swing that you can listen to from start to finish, including versions of " Sweet Georgia Brown " (the Harlem Globetrotters theme song) and an ultra-slow take of " Tuxedo Junction ". Montrealers can usually find this disk at HMV downtown for a very reasonable $16.99. I strongly recommend this disk, especially for those of you who own some Benny Goodman and Glenn Miller and are looking for more early swing in the same style.

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THE 5-MARTINI RATING SYSTEM Each song on the album is evaluated for each criteria and the total number of martinis is then divided by the number of songs to arrive at an average for the album. Up to five martinis are awarded to each song based on the following criteria:
Recording Quality	Can you actually hear the music on the album? Is it well mastered, etc.
Skip/Snooze Potential	Is this song a definite skip on the CD or are you prone to fall asleep during this song? Obviously the martini is given if this IS NOT THE CASE!!!
Danceability	Since we swingers are dancers this is an important one. Whether it be Jive, ECS, Lindy who cares, as long as you can shake a limb!!!
Musicality	It's a cover of a well known song that brings something new to the table; the band/vocalists are great; the material is original, be it with regards to composition, style, sound etc.
Hit Potential	Is this song one that would at best find it's way to a home compilation CD or is it a definite HIT waiting to happen.