SEAMUS HEANEY - I LOVE HIS POETRY

SEAMUS HEANEY 

I loved Seamus Heaney and his poetry – the poetry will live on forever, but sadly he passed away in 2013

I met Seamus Heaney once in Dublin but only to say “hello” – so many things I would have loved to have asked him – but why is it when we meet the people we admire we so often clam up and utter nonsensical platitudes or in my case a monosyllabic grunt of welcome.

I am probably the last person to write a eulogy to one of my literary heroes especially as I am very limited in my knowledge of poetry – but then why not? Seamus Heaney’s poetry touched me and millions of others that were not poets or even blessed with an ounce of his sublime use of language. 

Born on a family farm in the rural heart of County Londonderry, Seamus Heaney never forgot the world he came from. "I loved the dark drop, the trapped sky, the smells / of waterweed, fungus and dank moss," 

His BBC obituary summed up his life very succinctly: "he was a translator, broadcaster and prose writer of distinction, but his poetry was his most remarkable achievement, for its range, its consistent quality and its impact on readers: Love poems, epic poems, poems about memory and the past, poems about conflict and civil strife, poems about the natural world, poems addressed to friends, poems that found significance in the everyday or delighted in the possibilities of the English language".

"The very first poem in his first major collection was called Digging, and it described his father digging potatoes and his grandfather digging turf. It ended:

But I've no spade to follow men like them.
Between my finger and my thumb
The squat pen rests.
I'll dig with it.

His roots lay deep in the Irish countryside - It proved to be his manifesto. He spent a lifetime digging with his pen, but returned often in his poetry to the landscape and society of his boyhood in a countryside of farms and small towns, where Protestant and Catholic rubbed along tolerably, if warily, and one of his earliest memories was listening to the shipping forecast on the BBC"

To my knowledge Seamus Heaney never acted as a spokesman concerning the Northern Irish troubles – I don’t doubt that he was appalled by the violence and crass ignorance of much of what went on – some of his writing expressed this – I know he cared deeply and as a supreme man of words he would have encapsulated the misery, loss of life, suffering and tensions that gripped the Emerald Isles from north to south and back again relentlessly – better than anyone during those dark times. The violence undoubtedly depressed him

In his work “North” published in 1975, a new darker tone entered his writing – violence had erupted a few years earlier in what was to be twenty or more years of bombing, shootings riots, suffering, internments, brutality – it was vile and the human race at its very worst. For a poet like Seamus Heaney it would have been too much – I am told that “North” was quite controversial when it was published but reading it today I sense the desolation and a need to remember life as had been for him growing up in the North.

I first discovered Seamus Heaney when I bought the little volume of his works “The Haw Lantern” published in 1987. I loved that book of poetry – as the publisher Faber and Faber wrote: “widely and justly celebrated for his flawless handling of the lyric; Seamus Heaney is here shown venturing into new imaginative territory. Poems exploring the theme of loss, and in particular a sonnet sequence concerning the death of his mother, are joined in this book by meditations on the conscience of the writer and exercises in an allegorical vein that will delight everyone reading them”.

Couldn’t have said it better myself :)

The Haw Lantern

The wintry haw is burning out of season,
crab of the thorn, a small light for small people,
wanting no more from them but that they keep
the wick of self-respect from dying out,
not having to blind them with illumination.

But sometimes when your breath plumes in the frost
it takes the roaming shape of Diogenes
with his lantern, seeking one just man,
so you end up scrutinized from behind the haw
he holds up at eye-level on its twig,
and you flinch before its bonded path and stone,
its blood-prick that you wish you would test and clear you,
its pecked-at ripeness that scans you, then moves on

I just adored his use of language – the English language is a unique and amazing vehicle that has been crafted and drafted into prose or poetry that captured the world’s imagination and wonder – from Shakespeare, Milton, Yeats, Dickens, Larkin, Ambler, Amis, Auden, Ackroyd to Browning, Bacon, Bainbridge, Bennett and Bronte (and that is just a few of the “A’s” and “B’s” - the list of writers and poets is breathtakingly long  - the volume of quality writing in English is almost overwhelming – of course you can say this of French, German and Italian languages and so forth but somehow due to the Royal Navy, empire and historical circumstances far too complex to delve into here, the English Language emigrated and has produced works of inestimable value - the poetry of Seamus Heaney stands tall at the pinnacle of its art, expressiveness and incredibly beautiful use of words.

In 1995 Seamus Heaney was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature – following in the footsteps of that other great Irish poet WB Yeats. His reputation spread far beyond literary circles. He was visiting professor at Harvard and also professor of poetry at Oxford.

Books of his works such as Wintering Out, Field Work, Seeing Things, The Spirit Level, Electric Light and District and Circle have enthralled all of us that love the poetry and words of  Seamus Heaney – rest in peace dear poet – and thank you for your language, compassion and love of nature and humanity

If you haven't discovered the writing of Seamus Heaney please do so - they are a joy and gift to all of us

Thank you

TOM WAITS AND ME

I went to a meeting yesterday regarding a new, exciting festival that will feature a wide range of artists that relate to the blues - called The Lead Belly Festival. It premiered last June at the Royal Albert Hall in London and starred Van Morrison, Tom Paley, Eric Burdon, Walter Trout. Jools Holland, Paul Jones and a host of others - the show was a wonderful success. The organisers, who are a group of great guys, deeply dedicated to their music are taking their festival to Carnegie Hall in New York in December 2015. Its not announced yet so I won't say any more at this stage - however, one of the artists we discussed was TOM WAITS. 

Tom Waits wonderfully wrote the introduction to the Lead Belly Festival Program and my mind went back to those halcyon days when I had the incredible honour or bringing Tom to the UK (and Europe) many moons ago. Back in 2013 I wrote a piece about some of my experiences with Tom and I thought you may enjoy reading this again. THANKS

I will never forget that gravelly voice emanating from the two Linn Isobarik speakers in my friend Jeff Rigby's front room. I had heard of Tom Waits but not really listen to him but that moment was a life changer - Jeff Rigby had been raving about Waits and he was so right. The album I was listening to "Small Change" released in 1976 knocked me out - I remember it so clearly - Tom Traubert's Blues based upon the Aussie traditional song "Waltzing Matilda" but turned into a Tom Waits classic was brilliant. "Bones Howe, the album's producer, recalls when Waits first came to him with the song:

"He (Tom Waits) said the most wonderful thing about writing that song. He went down and hung around on skid row in L.A. because he wanted to get stimulated for writing this material. He called me up and said, "I went down to skid row ... I bought a pint of rye. In a brown paper bag." I said, "Oh really?." "Yeah - hunkered down, drank the pint of rye, went home, threw up, and wrote 'Tom Traubert's Blues'"

Other songs on that album impressed me so much - "The piano has been drinking (not me)", "Pasties and a G-Sring (at the two o'clock club), "Bad liver and a broken heart" - wonderful, memorable music - The music for the most part consists of Waits' hoarse, rough voice, set against a backdrop of piano, upright bass, drums and saxophone. Some tracks have a string section, whose sweet timbre is starkly contrasted to Waits' voice. I was fascinated to learn that the great jazz drummer Shelly Manne was playing on the album (and previous Waits albums).

I rushed out to buy everything I could find that Tom Waits had recorded - great albums like "Blue Valentine" (1978) with "Christmas card from a hooker in Minneapolis", "Romeo is bleeding" - to the Heart of Saturday Night (1974) - "Nighthawks at the Diner" (1975) Waits first live album with "Warm beer and cold women", "Emotional weather report", Egg and Sausage (in a Cadillac with Susan Michelson)"and so forth - the music relentlessly reaches you - the ultimate street poet and troubadour - living in cheap hotels, eating in diners, seedy dark bars - Tom lived the life he portrayed in his lyrics - his distinctive voice growling through the speakers - sometimes gentle, sometimes raw, sometimes broken but always deeply compelling.

The question now was - how the hell could I track him down and bring him to the UK and put him on our stages? Well the answer came via significant research and finding Tom's manager at that time Herb Cohen - I flew to Los Angeles to meet Herb Cohen and spent some time trying to convince him I was the right person to bring Tom Waits to the UK.

Herb Cohen had moved to LA from New York in the mid 1950's and began putting on concerts by folk artists such as Pete Seeger and Odetta. He quickly became a manager of some renown looking after not only Tom Waits but Alice Cooper, Linda Rondstadt, Lenny Bruce, Tim Buckley, George Duke and probably most famous of all at that time Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Invention.

We became good friends and after some fairly difficult haggling and tough negotiations we agreed on a contract for March 1981. Three or four nights at the Victoria Apollo Theatre in London, one show at the Manchester Apollo Theatre, one at the Edinburgh Playhouse - in addition I had to set up dates in Spain and other parts of Europe.

I loved his music passionately (and still do) but I had never met Tom - I had read copiously about his life and of course his music. He had just married an American/Irish girl Kathleen Brennan and I was very much looking forward to meeting both of them. This tour was called the "Heart Attack and Vine Tour" to promote the album of the same name.

The tickets went on sale and sold out almost immediately - ticket prices £3, £4 and £5 (Ha I laughed when I saw the ticket stubs again after all these years - today his tickets sell for hundreds on Ebay - if you can even find one) - we added another date at the Victoria Apollo Theatre - sold out again in minutes. All the dates everywhere (Manchester, Edinburgh and throughout Europe) sold out same day - it was extraordinary for an artist that could never have been considered "main-stream".

The group of musicians arrived along with Herb Cohen and we all moved into the Victoria Apollo. The magnificent Teddy Edwards on tenor Saxophone, Greg Cohen (Double Bass), Ronnie Barron on Keyboards and Tom himself on guitar and keyboard - apparently the drummer had been left behind due to some kind of dispute (never did find out the reason)

David Corio who photographed the concert recalls: "The show opened with a specially designed set - the exterior of an old bar straight out of a Western, the “street” lit by a single street lamp. Tom walked on stage and leaned nonchalantly against the lamp post, a burning cigarette dangling between his fingers. After a few songs and cigarettes, he wandered over to the piano and began to play. Although the whole set looked beautiful, it was a nightmare to photograph. Darkness was obviously the design theme. There was just one light above Tom at the piano and the brim of his trilby kept his face in shadow. Fortunately Tom Waits makes some great dramatic gestures when he performs - in this photo the light off the back of his hand and the keyboard reflected onto his face and I was able to get this shot".

I personally found Waits to be charming and at times distant but thenI admit I was in awe of him - and instead of acting as the promoter/producer - I was a fan and acted like one. There seemed to be some tension between Kathy and Herb Cohen and I unwittingly got in the middle of this from time to time - but I never had any disputes of issues with Tom or Kathy - they were a delight to work with.

A couple of amusing incidents - one was when Tom wanted to use my umbrella on stage - I had a running joke from then on that the umbrella will never be able to go back to normal life having been in show business and on stage with Tom Waits! I recall Tom being very amused by this - he was eccentric, different, fascinating, reclusive but I loved him and his unique music.

The second amusing incident occurred when Tom asked me to find a gravestone for his show on a Friday afternoon! Where the hell was I going to find a gravestone on a wet Friday - a few hours before the show was due to start? Rob a graveyard - steal someone's tombstone? In a flash of inspiration I called a film company - I seem to recall after all this time that it was Hammer Horror Films but I may be wrong - what I do know was that I called and some guy answered and I said "look I know this request is a bit unusual but I urgently need a tombstone for a concert due to start in a few hours" - the guy said wait a minute...  and then like in the goons radio show - there was the patter of feet walking quickly and then the same guy answered "Tombstone department can I help" - I roared with laughter - I got Tom a tombstone and I had a great story to tell for life!

Tom's concerts were incredibly successful - everywhere we went audiences couldn't get enough - I reckon I could have sold two weeks of nights in London alone. Sadly I never worked with Tom Waits again - Tom and Kathy fell out with Herb Cohen and no matter how many times I tried to bring Tom back to London and Europe I was obviously tarred with the same brush as Herb Cohen by association alone. This was such a shame because of course, I had absolutely nothing to do with Herb or his disputes with Tom and the artists - but hey c'est la vie - that's life and we move on,

In an interview many years later Sean O'Hagan wrote: "For years, he was the booze-soaked bard of the barstool, the keeper of 'a bad liver and a broken heart'. But Tom Waits was saved by his wife, hasn't had a drink for more than a decade and, at 56, is making the music of his life".

"Waits talks like he sings, in a rasping drawl and with an old-timer's wealth of received wisdom. It's as if, in late middle-age, he has grown into the person he always wanted to be. His tales are often tall, and his metaphors and similes tend towards the surreal. 'Writing songs is like capturing birds without killing them,' he quips. 'Sometimes you end up with nothing but a mouthful of feathers.'

Kathleen, once said there were two types of Tom Waits songs, 'the grim reapers and the grand weepers'.

All I know is that I have loved Tom Waits and his music since that revolutionary hearing of the Small Change Album all those years ago - his music captures, annoys, irritates and sublimely takes you into raptures and agony of emotional break down - as Kathy says "grand weepers"

Thank you Tom for the memories of a series of concerts that enraptured and captivated audiences in London, Manchester, Edinburgh and throughout Europe - and me too

MY TIME WITH THE BOLSHOI BALLET (Part 1)

MY TIME WITH THE BOLSHOI BALLET (Part 1)

(Our USA tour poster)


I wrote this blog about my time with the Bolshoi more than 10 years ago - but with the Bolshoi Ballet being unable to tour due to the terrible war between Russia and the Ukraine, it brought home to me a flood of memories of when we represented the Bolshoi Ballet in the UK, USA and many other countries. That period in the 80's and early 90's was an extraordinary time - the Bolshoi were at the height of the incredible powers - Yuri Grigorovich reigned supreme and of course the Soviet Union was in existence. The world has changed since those days, but the Bolshoi Ballet is still one of the wonders of the world.

I vividly remember our first visit to the Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow - the faded opulence of the director's office with the magnificent swan vase on his desk and the splendid chandeliers stay in my mind - Stansilav Alexandrovich Lushin, the General Director of the Bolshoi Theatre & the Kremlin Palace of Congresses welcomed Victoria Charlton and I, accompanied by the interpreter Natasha Ivanova into his hallowed domain.

I remember feeling that we were in the middle of a Tolstoy Novel - the snow had been falling all day, laying thickly on the pavements and roads - this was the Russia that I had read about in novels, historical and political biographies, that I lapped up of Nicholas and Alexandra, Rasputin, Catherine the Great, Peter the Great, Ivan the Terrible, Boris Godunov, Lenin, Trotsky, Stalin and others - also from reading many of those great Russian writers Pushkin, Gogol, Lermontov, Dostoyevsky, Tolstoy, Chekov, Pasternak and Nabokov - and don't forget the poets - I have always loved the poetry of Anna Akhmatova, Osip Mandelstam and Marina Tsvetaeva.

(The magnificent Bolshoi Theatre)

At that time I was certainly no expert on all things Russian, although I was reasonably well read and informed about Russian literature and its history, but when Vicki and I first went to Moscow in 1981 - it was like entering a historical cultural wonderland - for the people of the Soviet Union who toiled daily, to feed themselves, with the (at that time) long lines for food and any form of daily necessities - 'historical wonderland' was probably the last thing they would have described the place, but we were entranced!

I will write a future blog on our initial experiences and impressions of arriving in Moscow and Leningrad (now St Petersburg) and how we ended up at the Bolshoi Theatre, but for now let us continue with our visit and time with the Bolshoi Ballet (and Opera).

(Vicki and I, looking very serious in Red Square)

Vicki and I had walked from the offices of Gosconcert (the State Cultural Organisation), which was situated in Ulitisa Neglininaya, a five minute walk from the Bolshoi Theatre - the roads were deeply covered in snow and thick flakes quickly covered us, as we trudged through the slush caused by the Lada, Zils and other Soviet cars & trucks, who gamely tried to drive through the oncoming deluge of snow with compacted ice on the roads. I will always remember passing a large store which sold ice cream (morozhenoye) even in the depths of winter - I loved it - nothing like Russian ice cream in a snow storm!

(The magnificent Bolshoi Corps de Ballet)

To be at the Bolshoi Theatre, was the culmination of a dream - by that time we had been very active working with many Soviet artists and companies including the Moscow Classical Ballet, whom we had toured in the UK in 1981/2 and this featured a former star of the Bolshoi Ballet, the wonderful, amazingly talented prima ballerina and ethereal Ekaterina Maximova - this was the beginning of an extraordinary decade long association with the world of USSR greatest artists and performers and the Bolshoi Ballet.

So here we were in the offices of the General Director of the Bolshoi Theatre - Stanislav Lushin was a kind man and obviously one that was deeply knowledgeable and involved with the heart of Russian (Soviet) cultural life (a former cellist who had studied at the Moscow State Conservatoire), but the real shock came when we were introduced to the Artistic Director and Chief Choreographer of the Bolshoi Ballet Yuri Grigorovich.

(Yuri Grigorovich)

Yuri Grigorovich was to become the dominating factor and influence of our lives from that moment on, until the collapse of the Soviet Union. An extraordinary man in so many ways - world famous and hugely talented choreographer, fiery energy, commanding authority, acerbic wit, passionate for life and vodka (in equal measures) - anyone who has had the privilege of seeing his productions of Spartacus, Ivan the Terrible, Golden Age, The Legend of Love, The Stone Flower and of course, his adaptations of the great Russian classical ballets Swan Lake, Sleeping Beauty, Romeo and Juliet, Giselle and The Nutcracker will know that you are in the presence of a genius.

(Grigorovich and his wife and Prima Ballerina Natalia Bessmertnova)

Yuri was dynamic, opinionated, charming, ruthless, dictatorial, wonderful host, eloquent, funny, fierce - all the things you would possibly expect from a towering giant of his art and artistic director of one of the greatest ballet companies the world has ever seen - you have to remember Yuri Grigorovich was not only upholding the honour of his artistic work, that of the Bolshoi Theatre and Ballet Company but also for the Soviet Union itself. This was a massive responsibility, with all kinds of obligations and political as well as artist objectives.

(From the sensational ballet 'Spartacus')

We almost lived on the road with Yuri, on tours, in the theatre, in restaurants drinking vodka and toasting everyone and everything from my great grandmothers dog to the present day - having immense fun and also deeply endearing conversations that ranged from art, dance, the state of the world, literature to whatever subject captured the imagination of this wonderful and deeply fascinating man. We were incredibly lucky to visit his home (a lovely apartment full of taste and memories) many times over the years - meet his aged mother and of course his wife the great ballerina Natasha Bessmertnova (who sadly passed away some years ago).

(The flyer for our Bolshoi Ballet season at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden)

We had started our company the Entertainment Corporation based in Covent Garden around 1979 - I had been a professional musician (drummer), worked in marketing on national newspapers (The Times, Daily Express & Daily Mirror) as well as writing music columns in the trade press - However, in 1973 I joined Jeff Rigby's Astral music agency and management company in Brighton, where I was living at the time and playing drums nightly. Jeff taught me so much about the business side of music, as well as introducing me to the music of artists, as diverse as Van Morrison, Tom Waits to Billie Holiday - a life long friendship developed from that time - we spent literally hundreds of hours listening to all kinds of music - we met regularly, until Jeff sadly passed away three years ago - discussing and listening to the finest music, whilst imbibing fine red wines or an excellent malt.  - a forty five year friendship with a fascinating aficionado of the creative arts from jazz, blues, contemporary music to art, poetry and the written word - that is worthy of a series of blogs in itself - however, on with the story...

(Victoria and I looking very serious - we must have been trying to figure out where the caviar was)

I had developed my relationship with the great jazz artists or their managers that I knew or had worked with including Buddy Rich, Ella Fitzgerald, Art Pepper, Dizzy Gillespie,  Woody Herman, Miles Davis, Oscar Peterson, Joe Pass, Louie Bellson, George Duke, Stanley Clarke, Donald Byrd, Earl Klugh also fine contemporary artists such as Tom Waits, Michael Jackson, Judy Collins, Willie Nelson, Gilberto Gil, Tony Bennett, Miss Peggy Lee, Billy Eckstine and many others and presented them at varying times in concert throughout the UK and Ireland, sometimes venturing into Europe. 

I had also been booking artists for many of the northern nightclubs that were similar to large theatres (sometimes having capacities of 2,000 plus) - I booked and contracted artists such as Michael Jackson & the Jacksons (yes "the Michael Jackson"), Diana Ross, Johnny Mathis, The Four Tops, the Temptations, Deniece Williams, Heatwave, Sasha Distel, The Drifters, Charles Aznavour etc... and most of the major British stars at that time - Tommy Cooper, Les Dawson, Cliff Richard, Leo Sayer, Dame Shirley Bassey, Tom Jones, David Essex, Status Quo and just about every leading artist at that time... BUT no artists in the classical world, ballet or opera - that was all to come in the future!

(With the wonderful Prima-Ballerina Ludmilla Semenyaka and interpreter Nina Morozova)


Victoria had worked with the Soviets in the sports world and was very friendly with the Soviet Cultural Attache - it was this introduction that got us through the door. On top of this Vicki's father Warwick Charlton, had been a renowned writer, journalist during the war (and after) and was great friends with Edmund Stevens who was the doyen of the foreign journalists in Moscow. Pulitzer Prize winner and Moscow correspondent for the New York Times, International Herald Tribune and I believe for Time Magazine. I grew to love Edmund and spent many hours in his wonderful home on Ulitusa Ryleeva (a former masonic house in Tsarist times), listening in total fascination as he talked about his experiences in Stalinist Russia and his meetings with Khrushchev, Breznev, Andropov and other Soviet leaders - Vicki and I both loved their dysfunctional family - wife Nina (former KGB Colonel) and daughter Anastasia (first westerner to dance with the Bolshoi Ballet) - we met ambassadors, writers, ministers, politicians, poets, journalists, traders - you name it - amazing and extraordin(ary times.

The meeting of Victoria with her major political and media connections and my unique experience as an impresario and producer, sparked a partnership that successfully lasted for more than a decade - but that is a story for another day and a few more blogs.

The Bolshoi Ballet and Opera companies (also the Mariinsky (Kirov) Ballet & Opera) became the mainstay of our lives for many incredible years - we presented them at the world's greatest theatres and opera houses including the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, The London Coliseum, The Palace Theatre, Manchester, The Birmingham Hippodrome, The Bolshoi Ballet in the Park (Battersea Park, London), Royal Dublin Society, Ireland, The Metropolitan Opera House and New York State Theatre, Kennedy Center in Washington D.C, Wolf Trap, Virginia, The War Memorial Opera House, San Francisco, The Shrine Auditorium, Los Angeles, Aire Crowne Theatre, Chicago, Wang Theatre in Boston, The Civic Theatre, San Diego to name a few. The dancers from Irek Mukhamedov, Natalyia Bessmertnova, Nina Ananaiashvili, Ludmila Semenyaka, Gediminas Taranda, Yuri Vasuchenko, Maria Bylova, Aleksei Fadeyechev, Alla Mikhailchenko, Alexei Lazarev and a host of others, became our friends and daily companions - the teachers and legends of the Bolshoi Ballet became colleagues such as the gracious and regal Galina Ulanova, Marina Semyonova, Nikolai Simachov, Raisa Struchkova and others, gave us the historical umbilical cord to the traditions and love of their art that stretched back to Tchaikovsky, Glinka, Stravinsky, Rachmaninov, Prokofiev, Shostakovich, Khachatrurian and the wonders of the Ballet Russe, Diaghilev, Nijinsky, Anna Pavlova, Leon Bakst and so forth

(The Bolshoi Ballet Swan Lake - (photo by Tristam Kenton)

I can't cover all of this in one blog - but I am grateful to the internet and that I can put my thoughts in writing in an attempt to encapsulate the experiences, thoughts and happenings at that extraordinary time. This was the time of Gorbachev, Glasnost and Perestroika - the lowering of the 'Iron Curtain' - I know that we broke many of the cultural barriers at that time - The United States hadn't had any cultural relations with the Soviet Union for around 25 years and the British Government also hadn't had any serious cultural relations with the USSR for approximately 20 years. 

Yes, we were in the right place and at the right time - but I also know that we took hold of that opportunity, with both hands and feet and threw everything we had into making this significant relationship a good one - dare I say, a great one. 

It wasn't all a one way traffic flow - we toured to Russia, the Ukraine, the Royal Ballet from Covent Garden; The National Theatre with Sir Peter Hall and the last three Shakespeare plays; the English National Opera to Moscow, Leningrad and other cities. Kenny Ball and his Jazzmen played 'Midnight in Moscow" near the Red Square and much later, I took Sir Elton John, Luciano Pavarotti, George Michael, Beyoncé, Kylie, Jose Carreras, Dame Kiri te Kanawa, UB40 and others to Russia, but that is a story for another day.

(The English National Opera tour of the USSR - The British Council said "it will never happen" - well it did happen - we made it happen - wonderful and memorable performances) 

Future blogs will describe what happened and how this all developed - thanks for reading - hope it was of interest

(The Royal Ballet in Moscow - another memorable tour)

MIND, YOU AND HAPPINESS

MIND, YOU AND HAPPINESS

Isn't it strange how little we think about our MIND

We certainly think of everything else - our thoughts relentlessly moving in all directions - worrying, hassling, arguing, debating, assessing; looking back, looking forward, dreaming - why did I do this or that - how can I pay that bill - does he love me - hell, the rent's due next week - will he ask me to marry him - where shall we go for our holiday - that spot on my face, no-one will look at me now...what shall I wear tomorrow evening - damn, I forgot to buy the printer cartridge - it never stops does it?

Endless thoughts, endless dreams, endless desires, endless worries...it goes on and on doesn't it? - like a whirligig maelstrom miss-mash of thoughts - arising and falling - "I can't sleep my mind's too busy" - how many times have I heard that before?

Maybe it is time to give some serious thought about your mind - after all it seems to dictate your life - What is mind? A simple enough question, but is there a simple answer?

How do you define MIND? Is it the brain? No, how can it be - the brain is a physical thing? You can't touch, smell or see your mind can you? Yet MIND is everything and everywhere in our lives - from the moment you wake you think thoughts - even asleep your mind conjures those dreams that transport you to the heaven's and hells of your own making.

The more we assess mind - the more we begin to realise that your thoughts are ultimately what and whom you are - they dominate your life - every living moment is made up of thoughts one after another like a machine gun spitting out bullets from the ether. We cogitate, contemplate, ruminate, mull, muse, reflect, appraise, assess, judge, theorise, ponder, meditate, reason, debate, deliberate, opine, scrutinise, aspire, dream and act upon our thoughts.

If we wake up in a bad mood - throbbing headache from drinking too much the night before - kick the cat - thoughtlessly crash open a door - knocking poor old Grandma over - didn't mean to - sorry Gran - yell at the traffic warden - shout at the mousy receptionist when you get to work - your mind is grumpy and irritable and it affects everything and everyone around you. Alternatively, you wake and begin the process of controlling your mind to think good thoughts even if you do have the hangover to end all hangovers! Not possible? - Sorry its true - we can all of us learn to begin the process of being aware minute by minute about your mind and the effect you have on all of those around you.

Learning to control your mind by making it peaceful and calm is the art of achieving happiness in this life. But how to achieve this? MEDITATION and the realisation that you can control your mind - your mind must not and should not control you.

A lot of people I have met and discussed this subject with often have some vague understanding of what meditation is. Some esoteric, new age thing "that is a bit whacky"! "Haven't got time for that sort of thing - I'm a Catholic not one of those Hari Krishna dancing, chanting and drumming whacko's you see in Oxford Street"! Others expound intellectual responses - "I'm an existentialist"; "I've studied philosophy - Satre, Heidegger, Kierkegaard, Wittgenstein, Hegel, Kant to Schopenhauer - I can intellectualise my thoughts and actions - don't need to meditate" - "lot of new age crap" !!

The simple truth is that very few of us have much control if any of our thoughts - we are dominated by everyday life - by ambitions, fears, worries, loves, desires, jealousies, hatreds, anger, ignorance, power and just about every conceivable emotion and feeling our super active minds can come up with.

Meditation is the process of quietening the mind and giving your mind a rest from the hammering barrage of thoughts it is lumbered with day in and day out (throw in the nights as well) - but not only that - it also begins the process of helping you to achieve HAPPINESS

All sentient beings want to be happy - indeed not only humans, but every living creature has a right to happiness. As humans we have an incredibly unique opportunity (as opposed to the animal kingdom) because of the power of our mind and our ability to think to bring the gift of love, caring and happiness to everything and everyone around you in your life. However, if your mind is out of control and allowed to roam the unfettered path of unbounded desire, jealousy, anger, pride, ego, hatred, avarice and all the negative emotions and actions available to our over active minds then SUFFERING OCCURS.

Meditation allows us to re-charge and re-direct our thoughts into the incredible path of peace and love.

No this isn't some whacky ideal - this is a well trodden spiritual path (NOT a religious path) - an inner path of enlightenment that will bring extraordinary peace and happiness to you and everyone you meet. Is this some 'off the wall dream or the rambling of some Eastern esoteric clap trap'? No it is as Toynbee the great historian said " the most important event of the 20th Century - the meeting of Buddhism and West". Buddhism is having an outstanding effect on the way we deal with mental illness, psychiatry, dealing with illness of all kinds, reducing violence as an example in schools and homes, how we deal with people who are dying, the hospice movement and so much else.

This blog is not intended to be an advertisement or sign-up clarion call to become a Buddhist - it is however intended to give you a wake up call to how you can bring happiness and peace to your life by re-programming your mind in a peaceful, compassionate and positive way.

It doesn't matter if you are a Catholic, Protestant, Orthodox, Coptic, Maronite or any other type of Christian, Shia or Sunni Muslim, Druze, Jain, Hindu, Jewish, Agnostic or whatever - you can all meditate and the Buddhist path in no way conflicts, hurts or interferes with your beliefs or faith. Simply because it is NOT a belief system.

How to meditate: There are so many ways to meditate but let us begin with the basic and most simple way. Sit in a chair or if you are supple enough you can sit on the floor with your legs crossed in a lotus or half lotus position, fully and comfortably grounded with your back straight and your head just very slightly bent forward allowing the spine to be straight. If you are immobilised or ill in bed - you can still meditate in whichever way is comfortable - but lying down on your back is probably the best way.

It may help to begin by closing your eyes - your eyes don't have to be closed - you can keep them open and look at an object or maybe a candle flame  - just sit peacefully and comfortably whatever works for you.

To begin with concentrate on your breathing - its the most important thing you have - if you stop breathing you die!!! Think of your breathing - the essence of life itself - in your mind think or even whisper - "I breathe in - I breathe out" You will find your mind becomes quiet - yes of course thoughts will arise - but don't try to stop them and most important of all - do not follow them - always come back to the breathing - I breathe in - I breathe out - give your poor old mind a rest - no thoughts just the breathing - again thoughts will come and go but don't follow them - always come back to the breathe. Your breathing will become quieter and more gentle - your mind will slowly become at peace and you will realise how important this process is. The Universities of Yale and Harvard (maybe MIT) have measured the brain of leading Tibetan meditators and the results have been incredible - they can actually see and scientifically prove the amazing positive effect on the brain that meditation has.

Its not as easy as it sounds. Try this for three minutes each morning and then make it a bit longer to five minutes and then to ten. You will begin to look forward to your meditation sessions because it will bring you great peace and happiness. A mind that is becoming peaceful is just the beginning.

I will come back to meditation in a future blog - this is just the beginning - the foundation to be built upon as you learn to work with your mind to help yourself and all sentient beings.

You will learn to wake up each morning and say to yourself "I pray that all people and creatures in the world today will find HAPPINESS and that they may find and enjoy the root of happiness - love, caring, consideration and compassion. And that all people will be free from SUFFERING and free from the root of suffering - hatred, avarice, ignorance, jealousy, anger, fear and desire.

In this positive state of mind each day you will bring happiness to everyone around you - even if you are feeling under the weather yourself. Your every thought will begin to reflect the compassion and care you feel not just about those of your family and friends but everyone you meet. Yes, you'll still want to shout at an inconsiderate or dangerous driver or get angry at the client who is snappy with you, but you will also understand that everyone suffers - everyone at some time in their life has pain and illness, they lose parents, friends and children - everyone SUFFERS - and when you realise this your compassion will grow and grow. We are all the same - we all suffer and we all want to be happy - is this so difficult to understand? We should never hurt anyone or any living creature - I don't care what religion or belief you have - but surely above all else you can see that we must not and cannot hurt anyone or anything - its the same as hurting ourself.

We learn that everything is impermanent - every thought has a beginning, a middle and and end - and this is reflected in everything on this planet - life has a beginning, a middle and an end, earth itself had a beginning, a middle and one day an end - this means that every moment of your life is precious - none of us know when we are going to die - people die suddenly sometimes with no warning - you must learn to cherish each minute and to use every moment to think positive, compassionate thoughts.

WE are all interconnected, we are all ONE  - without trees  we cannot breathe, without these trees there would be no paper or books, without someone somewhere growing wheat, barley, rice….we wouldn't eat. Whatever we need to sustain our very existence we cannot live like we do without the work, caring and efforts of others - we are reliant on everyone and everything around us on this wonderful home of ours - our planet. The rain, the oceans, the water falls, the wind, the air, the soil, the toil of workers everywhere, the people who make and bake, the helpers, the nurses, doctors, the factory workers, the bees, the birds who pollinate, animals that enrich and imbue our life with so much wonder - I could write a book on this - but you too can enrich this world and all around you - by beginning to meditate, calming your mind - and starting the process of developing COMPASSION for everyone and everything in this extraordinary world of ours.

AND IT ALL BEGINS IN THE MIND - THINK ABOUT IT!!!!!

SYRIA - HOW DO YOU MEND A BROKEN SOCIETY

SYRIA - HOW DO YOU MEND A BROKEN SOCIETY

Early in 2103 I wrote this blog about a country I loved and the tragedy of what is happening with Syria. Since writing this piece we have seen the rise of ISIS and their appalling ideology and violent actions that have horrified the world. However, despite the monster that has arisen from the ashes of this civil war, I still believe that we have to find hope that we can eventually find a path to peace.

I was fortunate to visit Syria on a number of occasions when we presented the first western style pop concert with Enrique Iglesias in Damascus at the Old Fairground on July 4th 2007. The concert was a wonderful success and around 10,000 excited kids (and parents) enjoyed a great evening of music and fun. Hijab mixed on a very friendly basis with mini-skirted youngsters and designer jeans - the event was enjoyed by all and the atmosphere was friendly, enjoyable and everyone certainly appeared to want this evening to be a night to remember.

Our hosts welcomed and treated us with incredible kindness and I felt a camaraderie, amazing warmth and friendship from everyone we met - from the ticket sellers, street traders, the audience who attended the show (aged between 8 and 80!) the taxi drivers, hotel staff, restaurants, stage hands, the media as well as the VIP's that attend these events. I can say hand on heart that my visits to Syria were deeply memorable and an unforgettable experience.

We were planning more concerts and a cultural festival not only in Damascus but in other major cities and then of course, all plans came to a horrendous halt.

I am not naive enough to think that everything in Syria was wonderland with no underlying problems. Although I am a Brit, I have spent a large part of my life in the Middle East and indeed other countries including Russia and the United States and like to think that my passion for culture, literature, music, theatre, history, travel and meeting people from all walks of life, cultures, religions, political and varying social backgrounds has lead me to have at least a reasonably well informed understanding of the currents of change swelling and now raging throughout Syria and indeed many other countries.

It will take more than a well intentioned blog to resolve the nightmare that is Syria today A country and society that is broken, bleeding, suffering and experiencing the hell and misery of a civil war. How does a country devastated and burying its dead, with refugees pouring (or trying to pour) into the neighbouring countries - homes destroyed, families torn apart, medical aid hopelessly struggling to cope, where refugee camps abound, hatreds compounded and growing day in and day out - rebuild itself - is there any hope?

With international interests interfering (guns, weapons, oil, gas etc all mean big money) - there is undoubtedly a superpower clash of interests - Russia no doubt wanting to show its international muscle, wanting to clamp down and crush any Islamist uprising near or within its borders - The US, UK and other western powers want to counter Russia's power in the Middle East by giving arms to the rebels, which has created its own monster ISIS - Iran supporting the Assad and mainly Alawhite regime - the Sunni crescent of Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Abu Dhabi, Egypt no doubt supporting ISIS, therefore the international meddling and power grabbing continues unabated, whilst the people die and suffer. The influence of Hezbollah in this war is also helping Assad and the Alawite power base and so the suffering goes on and on. Aren't there awful similarities to the Bosnian/Balkans situation? With Saudi about to attack the Iran backed insurgents in Yemen - the Middle East powder keg is looking desperately fragile.

However, the purpose of this blog is not to disseminate or try to give any kind of serious political overview of this tragedy, but to see where the hope for the future lies. Can there be hope, when death, destruction, rape, alleged chemical weapons being used, mass killings and hatreds abound? The answer has to be "yes" because if there is no hope then the human race will ultimately decline and destroy itself in a morass of misery, death and collapse of all moral and human values. We all pray that this will not be the demise of everything that people value and hope for - the right to live peacefully with compassion, care and love. These words must seem an impossibly long way away for the people of Homs, Aleppo, Damascus, Hama, Latakia, Ar-Raqqah and throughout this sad, war torn country. The press photos of the destruction of the cities and villages is truly appalling - the news reports coming out are heartbreaking but we have to hold on to the belief that the human race is capable of healing the wounds of war.

The youngsters some of whom danced and sang to Enrique Iglesias six or so years ago have to be the hope for the future to somehow, with Herculean strength and dedication, rebuild their country from the rubble, dust and destruction that surrounds them today. I will no doubt be labelled a hopeless dreamer and living in cloud cuckoo land if I think that these hatreds and wounds from this devastating civil war can ever be healed - but surely we have to hold onto the belief that out of this maelstrom of disaster and misery the human spirit can and will prevail. To rebuild and find the strength to rediscover the values of love, family, compassion, caring and all those things that matter to all of us - more important than any religious and political indoctrination - more important than political, tribal or cultural loyalties - what can be more important than the life of a person (or for that matter the life of any living creature)? 

Unless the human race gets into its incredibly stupid minds that LOVE, COMPASSION, CARING, CONSIDERATION, RESPECT FOR ONE ANOTHER and HEALING bring happiness and are the only solutions to this situation - then the spiral of suffering will continue unabated and even get worse if that is possible. You will no doubt say that I am again being hopelessly naive - but surely we have to stand up and be counted - we are all responsible for one another and my appeal to those in power, if they have the ears to listen - is to take very urgent look at this dark cloud of misery and bring the human race back to sanity and peace. There must be a way for wise and intelligent people to get together to find a path to peace - we humans owe it to ourselves to find that path - indeed its essential - there's no other option!

I will come back to this subject again soon - no blog can ever come up with any definitive answers to these horrendous problems - but we have to try - we have to somehow believe the the human spirit of love, caring, decency, compassion can and will triumph over the hatred, suffering and devastation.

I have enormous belief in the kindness and decency of the human race - meditation has been proven to bring peace and happiness to people and transform the way we think. It is this transformation that we have to promote and such for - we can all change - from King, Queen, Sheikh, President, Prime Minister, Captains of industry to the poorest worker - we all have a responsibility to help one another - and out of this compassion can come the healing that the world needs NOW.

I ask all of you to pray for all those who are suffering, are in pain and trying to cope with loss of  family, friends and homes - and for all of you to begin the process of healing the world we live on - thank you for reading this blog
Peter

GENE KRUPA - MY HERO

GENE KRUPA - MY HERO

In October 1973 Gene Krupa passed away from this life - that is 50 years ago - and yet the magical name of Gene Krupa still reverberates around the globe - his gift was to communicate with people from all walks of life and of course with musicians everywhere. The great Jake Hanna, in a televised interview, said that Gene was the undoubted "King of the Drums" - the most famous drummer ever!

Gene was loved by those that played with him and by audiences who adored him. He had a charisma and passion that reached out and excited those kids in the 1930's, 40's and 50's and onwards. Even later in life when he had slowed down and was suffering from ill health, he was still able to thrill the crowds. 

Gene probably more than any other drummer inspired generations of drummers to pick up those sticks and learn to play - I was certainly one of them...

This was one of the first blogs I wrote back in January 2013 and I bring it back as a continuing tribute to my hero Gene Krupa. I have added a biography of Gene (kindly reproduced from www.drummerman.net - thanks Shawn) plus a good selection of photographs - thanks for reading:

Those of you who know me, are aware that my life has been guided by my passion and love of drumming. When I was eleven years old my younger brother Geoffrey brought home from school a toy drum - although a toy, it was a real drum with calf head and tension rods. Maybe you can imagine my amazement when my father picked up the drum sticks and played a drum roll - WOW, I was knocked out - that drum roll changed my life.

Gene's Slingerland Drums

My father Christopher (still alive aged 98 (and still manages to get to his golf club and play a little putting) had been a navigator/bomb aimer in the RAF, flying on Lancaster Bombers towards the end of the war, but also played drums in one of the RAF Swing Bands. I had no idea my dad had been a drummer - but there he was playing this drum roll - from that moment on, all I ever wanted to be was the world's greatest drummer! 

My father in 1943 had been sent to Canada, via New York to train as pilots (he eventually become a navigator, because there were too many wanting to be pilots) - he sailed on the Queen Mary, zig-zagging across the Atlantic ocean, to avoid the U-Boats. Thank goodness, he arrived safely, and was sent to Times Square to the RAF office there. I said to him " didn't you get to see see Gene, Benny Goodman, Tommy Dorsey, 52nd Street?)" no, was the answer. He and his pals were initially moved to a Senator's Home in Connecticut, being treated royally, before heading to Canada.

Left, left, right, right - practising the two stroke roll endlessly playing day in, day out (nights as well) - probably drove everyone crazy - although in fairness, most of this practise took place on hard cushions (my dad wasn't stupid - he didn't want to hear me playing all night!)  Hours upon hours of practise - indeed hundreds of hours of practise - I never lost my thrill and passion for playing - but another event drove me to greater heights of passion and dedication - the day I heard Gene Krupa on record (I can see the EP cover now) playing "Sing, Sing, Sing" with the Benny Goodman Orchestra at a famous concert at Carnegie Hall in New York in January 1938.

Even today decades later, I still thrill at the sound of Gene Krupa's mighty Slingerland tom tom's, raging and thundering across that hallowed stage - Gene played with a ferocity and drive, that blew my mind away and still does. His black hair flaying all over the place; wrists and arms moving at unimagined speeds;  the power and emotion as Gene kicked, punched and drove the mighty Goodman Orchestra with Benny's soaring clarinet (the King of Swing). What a band of musical giants - Jess Stacy on piano producing out of nowhere an improvised piece that would have delighted Bach, Mozart or Liszt, sitting in the audience . Harry James on trumpet snarling and wailing above the roar of the toms - Ziggy Elman, Babe Russin, Vernon Brown, Chris Griffin, Art Rollini and the others - many of these names largely forgotten today, but they were giants playing their hearts out to a thrilled audience and to me a (by then) thirteen year old boy (listening in awe on his Decca turntable).

Gene Krupa changed my life and hundreds of thousands (maybe millions) of young drummers around the world. Gene became the idol of the swing era in the 1930's, 1940's and 1950's - right up until he sadly died in October 1973, Gene was the extraordinary hero of millions of music lovers - a musical sign post to those that thrilled to his beat and to the jazz music that he played - accessible, reachable, loveable, touchable, driving, passionate marvellous music - Gene was an original - who made the drummer what he became - a high priced guy. 

When you watch or listen to the pop idols of today or yesterday from Keith Moon, Ringo Starr, John Bonham, Ginger Baker, Jeff Pocaro, Ian Paice, Carl Palmer, Harvey Mason, Dave Growl, Steve Gadd, Stewart Copeland, Dave Weckle, Vinnie Colaiuta, Steve Smith and scores of others - they will all undoubtedly bow in appreciation to Gene Krupa and what he created.

Was Gene the best in the world?  How do you ever judge the word "best"? 

Buddy Rich another extraordinary inspiration and hero for me, was undoubtedly one of the greatest, if not the greatest drummer of all time. But then what about my other drum heroes such as Chick Webb, Jo Jones, Big Sid Catlett, Dave Tough, Louie Bellson, Shelly Manne, Joe Morello, Mel Lewis, Ed Shaughnessy, Max Roach, Art Blakey, Tony Williams, Jack de Johnette, Elvin Jones to name a few - Do o you know these names? - Maybe not, but they are there to be discovered by all of you - However, for decades one man thrilled and rocked the world of music - Gene Krupa and his marine pearl covered Slingerland Drums glistening in the spot lights.

(Gene Krupa and Buddy Rich having fun)

He was, is and will always remain MY HERO

Gene's biography kindly reproduced from www.drummerman.net

Gene Krupa was born in Chicago, Illinois on January 15, 1909 and was the the youngest of Bartley and Ann Krupa's nine children. His father died when Gene was very young and his mother worked as a milliner to support the family. All of the children had to start working while young, Gene at age eleven. His brother Pete worked at "Brown Music Company", and got Gene a job as chore boy. Gene started out playing sax in grade school but took up drums at age 11 since they were the cheapest item in the music store where he and his brother worked. "I used to look in their wholesale catalog for a musical instrument - piano, trombone, cornet - I didn't care what it was as long as it was an instrument. The cheapest item was the drums, 16 beans, I think, for a set of Japanese drums; a great high, wide bass drum, with a brass cymbal on it, a wood block and a snare drum."

His parents were very religious and had groomed Gene for the priesthood. He spent his grammar school days at various parochial schools and upon graduation went to St. Joseph's College for a brief year. Gene's drive to drum was too strong and he gave up the idea of becoming a priest. In 1921, while still in grammar school, Gene joined his first band "The Frivolians." He obtained the drumming seat as a fluke when the regular drummer was sick. The band played during summers in Madison, Wisconsin. Upon entering high school in 1923, Gene became buddies with the "Austin High Gang", which included many musicians which would be on Gene's first recording session; Jimmy McPartland, Jimmy Lannigan, Bud Freeman and Frank Teschemacher.

In 1925, Gene began his percussion studies with Roy Knapp, Al Silverman & Ed Straight. Under advice from others, he decided to join the musicians union. "The guy said, 'Make a roll. That's it. Give us 50 bucks. You're In.'" Krupa started his first "legit" playing with Joe Kayser, Thelma Terry and the Benson Orchestra among other commercial bands. A popular hangout for musicians was "The Three Deuces." All of the guys playing in mickey mouse bands would gravitate here afterhours and jam till early in the morning. Gene was able to hone and develop his style playing with other jazz players such as Mezz Mezzrow, Tommy Dorsey, Bix Beiderbecke and Benny Goodman in these local dives. Krupa's big influences during this time were Tubby Hall and Zutty Singleton. The drummer who probably had the greatest influence on Gene in this period was the great Baby Dodds. Dodds' use of press rolls was highly reflected in Gene's playing, especially during his tenure with Benny Goodman.

Gene has often been considered to be the first drum "soloist." Drummers usually had been strictly time-keepers or noisemakers, but Krupa interacted with the other musicians and introduced the extended drum solo into jazz. His goal was to support the other musicians while creating his own role within the group. Gene is also considered the father of the modern drumset since he convinced H.H. Slingerland, of Slingerland Drums, to make tuneable tom-toms. Tom-toms up to that point had "tacked" heads, which left little ability to change the sound. The new drum design was introduced in 1936 and was termed "Seperate Tension Tunable Tom-Toms." 

Gene was a loyal endorser of Slingerland Drums from 1936 until his death. Krupa was called on by Avedis Zildjian to help with developing the modern hi-hat cymbals. The original hi-hat was called a "low-boy" which was a floor level cymbal setup which was played with the foot. This arrangement made it nearly impossible for stick playing. Gene's first recording session was a historical one. It occured in December of 1927 when he is noted to be the first drummer to record with a bass drum. Krupa, along with rest of the McKenzie-Condon Chicagoans were scheduled to record at OKeh Records in Chicago. OKeh's Tommy Rockwell was apprehensive to record Gene's drums but gave in. Rockwell said "All right, but I'm afraid the bass drum and those tom-toms will knock the needle off the wax and into the street."

Gene moved to New York in 1929 and was recruited by Red Nichols. He, along with Benny Goodman and Glenn Miller, performed in the pit band of the new George Gershwin play "Strike Up the Band." Gene had never learned to read music and "faked" his parts during rehearsals. Glenn Miller assisted him by humming the drum parts until Gene got them down. After "Strike Up the Band" completed in January 1930, Hoagy Carmichael gathered several great musicians together for many historical sessions. Gene played on some legendary "jazz" recordings with Bix Beiderbecke, Adrian Rollini and Joe Venuti. Krupa played in one more pit band with Red Nichols for Gershwin's "Girl Crazy." He then joined Russ Columbo's band in which indirectly led to his joining Benny Goodman's group.

Benny Goodman urged Gene to join his band with the promise that it would be a real jazz band. After joining, Benny soon became discouraged with the idea of having a successful jazz group. The band was relegated to playing dance music and Benny was considering packing it in. Upon the band's engagement at the Palomar, Benny decided to go for broke and play their own arrangements. The audience went wild and the band took off. The Goodman group featured Gene prominently in the full orchestra and with the groundbreaking Goodman Trio and Quartet.

The Trio is possibly the first working small group, which featured black and white musicians. On January 16, 1938, the band was the first "jazz" act to play New York's Carnegie Hall. Gene's classic performance on "Sing Sing Sing" has been heralded as the first extended drum solo in jazz. After the Carnegie Hall performance, tension began to surface between Gene and Benny. Audiences were demanding that Gene be featured in every number and Benny didn't want to lose the spotlight to a sideman.
Gene departed on March 3, 1938 and less than 2 months later formed his own orchestra. His band was an instant success upon it's opening at the Marine Ballroom on the Steel Pier in Atlantic City during April of 1938. His band went through several incarnations during it's existance and at one point even featured a string section with 30 to 40 members.

Gene backstage with Benny and the boys

During this time Krupa authored his own book titled "The Gene Krupa Drum Method"(1938) and began an annual Drum Contest(1941). The contest attracted thousands of contestants each year and saw drum legend Louie Bellson as the first year's winner. Gene appeared in several motion pictures including "Some Like it Hot" & "Beat the Band", becoming a sort of matinee idol. His noted likeness to Tyrone Power and musical fame was a magical combination in the eyes of Hollywood. In the summer of 1943, Krupa was arrested in San Francisco in a bogus drug bust. He was charged with possession of marijuana and contributing to the deliquency of a minor. Gene was sentenced to 90 days, of which 84 were served. He was later cleared of the latter charges. During this time, Roy Eldridge led Gene's band and eventually had to break up the group. 

After Gene got out of jail, he briefly joined up with Benny Goodman and Tommy Dorsey before re-forming his own band. Krupa's groups of the early 1940's were often criticized as being too commercial but Gene's big band was one of the first in the mid-forties to introduce Bop arrangements with the help of Gerry Mulligan and the playing of trumpeter Red Rodney. Gene managed to keep the full band together until December of 1950, when most big bands had already fallen apart. He kept a smaller version of the big band together through 1951.

Gene with Benny and Teddy Wilson

After breaking up his big band, Gene wasn't sure which direction to take. He had led small groups within his big band during the 40's, this was a logical choice with the growing popularity of be-bop. The Gene Krupa Trio was one of the first acts recruited by Norman Granz for his "Jazz At The Philharmonic" concerts(due to contractual reasons, Gene was first billed as "The Chicago Flash."). 

The JATP dates introduced the famous "Drum Battles" with Buddy Rich in October of 1952 and the subsequent studio recordings on the Lp "Krupa and Rich" in 1955. Some of the greatest jazz recordings of all time were the result of the "All-Star" jams at JATP. The alumni of these dates included Lester Young, Dizzy Gillespie, Charlie Shavers, Ray Brown, Lionel Hampton, Buddy Rich and of course, Gene. Along with Cozy Cole, Gene formed the Krupa-Cole Drum School in March of 1954. He also began studying tympani with the New York Philharmonic's Saul Goodman(1951). In 1959, actor Sal Mineo portrayed Gene in the motion picture "The Gene Krupa Story." The film was very loose in the facts of Gene's career but did feature an excellent soundtrack recorded by Krupa himself. Gene's huge resurgence in popularity eventually led to his departing the teaching role he had at the Drum School.

By the late fifties Krupa was prompted to slow down due to increasing back problems. He had a heart attack in 1960 which forced him into a retirement for many months. After recuperating, the ever-changing Quartet continued to perform, record and regularly appeared at New York's Metropole. The Goodman Quartet reunited and played several live dates. Gene led a hectic schedule with the Quartet through the early and mid-sixties, performing throughout the US and abroad. His health once again became a problem and his second marriage fell apart. He retired in 1967 proclaiming that "I feel too lousy to play and I know I must sound lousy." During his hiatus, Krupa practiced and coached his baseball team. In 1969, Gene began a series of anti-drug lectures and clinics for Slingerland Drums. 

Gene officially came out of retirement in the spring of 1970, re-formed the Quartet and was featured at Hotel Plaza in New York. Gene's last commercial recording was in November of 1972, titled "Jazz At the New School" with Eddie Condon and Wild Bill Davison. Gene's final public performance was with a reunion of the old Goodman Quartet on August 18, 1973. His soloing ability was greatly diminished but his overall playing had become more modern sounding than ever. Gene died October 16, 1973 of a heart attack. He had also been plagued by leukemia and emphysema. He was laid to rest at the Holy Cross Cemetary in Calumet City, Illinois

Gene Krupa will forever be known as the man who made drums a solo instrument. He single-handedly made the Slingerland Drum Company a success and inspired millions to become drummers. He also demonstrated a level of showmanship which has not been equaled. Buddy Rich once said that Gene was the "beginning and the end of all jazz drummers." Louie Bellson said of Gene, "He was a wonderful, kind man and a great player. He brought drums to the foreground. He is still a household name."

 Gene with Flip Phillips and Teddy Napoleon in Sweden

Gene playing Buddy's kit with the great Benny Goodman Quartet in 1972

Flip Phillips, Oscar Peterson, Norman Granz, Gene...

Gene with Quincy Jones

One of the last performances in 1973

RIP GENE - THANKS FOR YOUR LIFE AND YOUR MUSIC

NEVER TO BE FORGOTTEN