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86-422: Eugene Bertram Krupa (January 15, 1909 – October 16, 1973) was an American jazz drummer , bandleader, and composer. Krupa is widely regarded as one of the most influential drummers in the history of popular music. His drum solo on Benny Goodman 's 1937 recording of " Sing, Sing, Sing " elevated the role of the drummer from that of an accompanist to that of an important solo voice in the band. In collaboration with

172-434: A measure in musical terms) into groups of two and three, and the use of repetitive rhythms used throughout a musical piece, often called clave rhythms . This last quality is one of special importance, as there are several pronounced occurrences of this pattern and the aesthetics that accompany it in the world of jazz. Clave is a tool for keeping time and determining which beats in a composition should be accented. In Africa,

258-692: A Nation and Charlie Chaplin 's comedies are unavailable.) However, because of the distribution arrangement RKO had with Goldwyn, RKO recorded a loss of $ 660,000 on the film. In spite of his role, Harold Russell was not a professional actor. As the Academy Board of Governors considered him a long shot to win Best Supporting Actor Oscar he had been nominated for, they gave him an Academy Honorary Award "for bringing hope and courage to his fellow veterans through his appearance". When Russell in fact won as supporting actor there

344-410: A bank and lived in a luxury apartment with his wife, Milly, and their teenage children, Peggy and Rob. Homer Parrish was a star high school athlete living with his middle-class parents and younger sister. Homer had also been dating his next-door neighbor Wilma, whom he intended to marry upon his return from the war. Each man faces challenges integrating back into civilian life. Homer lost both hands in

430-432: A base, which was brought from the previous rough quality to the smooth, flowing rhythm we know today by "Papa" Jo Jones , as well as a standardized drum set, drummers were able to experiment with comping patterns and subtleties in their playing. One such innovator was Sidney "Big Sid" Catlett . His many contributions included comping with the bass drum, playing "on top of the beat" (imperceptibly speeding up), playing with

516-497: A beat that functions in jazz as the clave does in Cuban music: a "mental metronome" for the other members of the ensemble. Warren "Baby" Dodds , one of the most famous and important of the second generation of New Orleans jazz drummers, stressed the importance of drummers playing something different behind every chorus. His style was regarded as overly busy by some of the older generation of jazz musicians such as Bunk Johnson . Beneath

602-527: A better job than soda jerk, Fred returns to the same drug store. Fred and Peggy develop an attraction for each other, which puts the married Fred at odds with Al. When Homer visits Fred at the drug store, another customer criticizes US involvement in the war, telling Homer his injuries were unnecessary. Homer responds angrily, and Fred intervenes on his behalf, punching the customer and consequently being fired. Meanwhile, Marie, frustrated with his lack of financial success and missing her past nightlife, decides to get

688-479: A different texture in the music, as well as using odd combinations of notes to change feeling, would never have been possible with the stiffness of drumming in the previous generation. Compositions from this new period required this greater element of participation and creativity on the part of the drummer. Elvin Jones, a member of John Coltrane's quartet, developed a novel style based on a feeling of three partly due to

774-476: A divorce. Bitter, and seeing no future in Boone City, particularly with Al telling Fred to stay away from Peggy, Fred decides to catch the next plane out. While waiting at the airport, Fred walks into an aircraft boneyard , climbing into a decommissioned B-17 bomber. Sitting in the bombardier's seat, Fred has another flashback. He is roused out of his stressful memories by a work crew foreman, who reveals that

860-437: A drummer from this time would have an extremely small role in the band as a whole. Drummers seldom soloed , as was the case with all other instruments in earliest jazz, which was based heavily on the ensemble. When they did, the resultant performance sounded more like a marching cadence than personal expression. Most other rhythmic ideas came from ragtime and its precursors, like the dotted eighth note series. The drummers and

946-430: A few months. When Goodman wanted him to go on a west coast tour, Krupa declined. He then joined Tommy Dorsey's band for several months and then put together his next orchestra. He performed an uncredited drum riff in a montage sequence in the (1946) Oscar winning movie ‘’ The Best Years of Our Lives ’’. As the 1940s ended, Count Basie closed his band and Woody Herman reduced his band to an octet. In 1951, Krupa cut down

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1032-434: A logical fashion. The specific genre of Afro-Cuban jazz is influenced by the traditional rhythms of Cuba, rather than from the entire Caribbean and other parts of the world. The military drumming of America, predominantly fife and drum corps, in the 19th century and earlier supplied much of the technique and instrumentation of the early jazz drummers. Influential players like Warren "Baby" Dodds and Zutty Singleton used

1118-410: A screenplay. His work was first published as a novella, Glory for Me , which Kantor wrote in blank verse . Robert E. Sherwood then adapted the novella as a screenplay. Director Wyler had flown combat missions over Europe in filming Memphis Belle (1944), and worked hard to get accurate depictions of the combat veterans he had encountered. Wyler changed the original casting, which had featured

1204-399: A very different life behind: Fred Derry was a drug store soda jerk who lived with his parents on the wrong side of the tracks. Before shipping out, Fred married a gold-digger named Marie after a whirlwind romance. Marie has since been working in a nightclub to fill her time (and her nightlife) in spite of Fred's generous combat pay as an Air Force officer. Al Stephenson was an executive at

1290-478: A veteran suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder , and sought out Harold Russell, a non-actor, to take on the exacting role of Homer Parrish. For The Best Years of Our Lives , he asked the principal actors to purchase their own clothes, in order to connect with daily life and produce an authentic feeling. Other Wyler touches included constructing life-size sets, which went against the standard larger sets that were more suited to camera positions. The impact for

1376-636: A year but decided the priesthood was not his vocation. Krupa studied with Sanford A. Moeller , and 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, the first notable American jazz band to be led by a female musician (except all-female bands ). The Playboys were the house band at the Golden Pumpkin nightclub in Chicago and toured throughout

1462-793: Is Here", "Quiet and Roll 'Em" with Sam Donahue , "Bolero at the Savoy", "Murdy Purdy", and "How 'Bout That Mess". Norman Granz hired Krupa and drummer Buddy Rich for his Jazz at the Philharmonic concerts. The two drummers performed at Carnegie Hall in September 1952 and it was issued by Verve as The Drum Battle . The two drummers faced off in a number of television broadcasts and other venues and often played similar duets with drummer Cozy Cole . Krupa and Rich recorded two studio albums together: Krupa and Rich (Verve, 1955) and Burnin' Beat (Verve, 1962). Krupa married Ethel Maguire twice:

1548-450: Is a 1946 American drama film directed by William Wyler and starring Myrna Loy , Fredric March , Dana Andrews , Teresa Wright , Virginia Mayo and Harold Russell . The film is about three United States servicemen re-adjusting to societal changes and civilian life after coming home from World War II . The three men come from different services with different ranks that do not correspond with their civilian social class backgrounds. It

1634-453: Is a tribute to Gene Krupa. Upon his death, The New York Times labeled Krupa a "revolutionary" known for "frenzied, flashy" drumming. The newspaper additionally stated that his work generated a significant musical legacy that started "in jazz and has continued on through the rock era." Music critics such as Charles Waring have remarked that Krupa's methods of performing, particularly his flamboyant charisma and use of solos, evolved into

1720-571: Is buried in Holy Cross Cemetery in Calumet City, Illinois . In the 1930s, Krupa became the first endorser of Slingerland drums. At Krupa's urging, Slingerland developed tom-toms with tuneable top and bottom heads , which immediately became important elements of virtually every drummer's setup. Krupa developed and popularized many of the cymbal techniques that became standard. His collaboration with Avedis Zildjian developed

1806-409: Is decent and humane... acutely observed, despite being so meticulous a package. It would have taken uncommon genius and daring at that time to sneak a view of an untidy or unresolved America past Goldwyn or the public." The Best Years of Our Lives has a 97% "Fresh" rating at Rotten Tomatoes , with an average rating of 8.9/10, based on 97 reviews. The critical consensus states: "An engrossing look at

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1892-467: Is one of the earliest films to address issues encountered by returning veterans in the post World War II era. The film was a critical and commercial success. It won 7 Academy Awards : Best Picture , Best Director (William Wyler), Best Actor (Fredric March), Best Supporting Actor (Harold Russell), Best Film Editing (Daniel Mandell), Best Adapted Screenplay ( Robert E. Sherwood ), and Best Original Score ( Hugo Friedhofer ). In addition, Russell

1978-435: Is probably how today's hi-hat , a major part of today's drum set, came about. Military technique and instrumentation were undoubtedly factors in the development of early jazz and its drumming, but the melodic and metric elements in jazz are more easily traced to the dance bands of the time period. Black drummers were able to acquire their technical ability from fife and drum corps, but the application of these techniques in

2064-485: Is synonymous with being "off-beat", and it is, among many things, a result of placing African rhythms written in odd combinations of notes (e.g., 3+3+2) into the evenly divided European metric concept. Ragtime was another style derived from black musicians playing European instruments, specifically the piano, but using African rhythms. The first true jazz drummers had a somewhat limited palette to draw on, despite their broad range of influence. Military rudiments and beats in

2150-462: The Astor Theater, New York , Bosley Crowther , film critic for The New York Times , hailed the film as a masterpiece. He wrote, It is seldom that there comes a motion picture which can be wholly and enthusiastically endorsed not only as superlative entertainment, but as food for quiet and humanizing thought... In working out their solutions, Mr. Sherwood and Mr. Wyler have achieved some of

2236-505: The Slingerland drum- and Zildjian cymbal-manufacturers, he became a major force in defining the standard band-drummer's kit. Modern Drummer magazine regards Krupa as "the founding father of modern drumset playing". Upon his death, The New York Times labeled Krupa a "revolutionary" known for "frenzied, flashy" drumming, with his work having generated a significant musical legacy that started "in jazz and has continued on through

2322-685: The Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C. In 1978, Krupa became the first drummer inducted into the Modern Drummer Hall of Fame. The 1937 recording of Louis Prima 's " Sing, Sing, Sing (With a Swing) " combined with Fats Waller 's "Christopher Columbus" by Benny Goodman and His Orchestra featuring Krupa on drums was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1982. Apollo 440 's 1996 hit single " Krupa "

2408-716: The Woods Theatre in Chicago on December 18 before a roadshow theatrical release in Boston and Los Angeles, starting on the evening of Christmas Day. After 12 weeks at the Astor, the film had grossed $ 584,000 and at that point had grossed $ 1.37 million from 6 theatres in five cities from 45 play weeks. The picture earned an estimated $ 10 million in theatrical rentals at the U.S. and Canadian box office during its initial theatrical run, ultimately benefiting from much larger admission prices (reflecting its exceptional length) than

2494-460: The traditional military drumstick grip , military instruments, and played in the style of military drummers using rudiments , a group of short patterns which are standard in drumming. The rhythmic composition of this music was also important in early jazz and beyond. Very different from the African performance aesthetic, a flowing style which does not directly correspond to Western time signatures,

2580-437: The 1941 film Ball of Fire , in which he and his band performed an extended version of the hit " Drum Boogie " (composed by Krupa and Roy Eldridge ), sung by Martha Tilton and lip-synced by Barbara Stanwyck . In 1943, Krupa was arrested on a falsified marijuana (cannabis) drug charge; this resulted in a short jail sentence, and the breakup of his orchestra. After Krupa broke up his orchestra he returned to Goodman's band for

2666-777: The European repertoire. One such dance was the "congo". The performers of this novel music (to the predominantly white audience) created music for their own entertainment and uses as well. Enslaved persons in America had many musical traditions that became important to the music of the country, particularly jazz. After work was done, these people would hold musical performances in which they played on pseudo-instruments made of washtubs and other objects newly used for musical purposes, and also played rhythms on their bodies, called " pattin' juba ". The only area where enslaved persons were allowed to perform their music, other than private locations,

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2752-522: The Samuel Goldwyn/Warner Hollywood Studios. In The Best Years of Our Lives cinematographer Gregg Toland used deep focus photography, in which objects both close to and distant from the camera are in sharp focus . For the passage of Fred Derry's reliving a combat mission while sitting in the remains of a former bomber, Wyler used "zoom" effects to simulate Derry's subjective state. The fictional Boone City

2838-501: The Showboat Lounge in northwest Washington, D.C. With peer Cozy Cole, Gene started a music school in 1954 that carried on into the 1960s. Some of the school's students included Peter Criss of KISS and Jerry Nolan of The New York Dolls. Doug Clifford of Creedence Clearwater Revival cited Krupa as an inspiration. Krupa was still busy in the early 1970s until shortly before his death. That included several reunion concerts of

2924-591: The Thelma Terry band in 1928. In December 1934, he joined Benny Goodman 's band, where his drum work made him a national celebrity. His tom-tom interludes on the hit " Sing, Sing, Sing " were the first extended drum solos to be recorded commercially. But conflict with Goodman prompted him to leave the group and form his own orchestra shortly after the Carnegie Hall concert in January 1938. He appeared in

3010-559: The approach taken by hard rock artists such as John Bonham (known for his work in Led Zeppelin ) and Keith Moon (known for his work in The Who ). With Benny Goodman Jazz drummer Jazz required a method of playing percussion different from traditional European styles, one that was easily adaptable to the different rhythms of the new genre, fostering the creation of jazz drumming's hybrid technique. As each period in

3096-594: The art form itself, were products of extensive cultural mixing in various locations. The earliest occasion when this occurred was the Moorish invasion of Europe, where the cultures of France, Spain, and Africa to some extent, encountered each other and most likely exchanged some cultural information. The influence of African music and rhythms on the general mix that created jazz was profound, though this influence did not appear until later. There are several central qualities shared by African music and jazz, most prominently

3182-669: The audience was immediate, as each scene played out in a realistic, natural way. Recounting the interrelated story of three veterans right after the end of World War II , The Best Years of Our Lives began filming just over seven months after the war's end, starting on April 15, 1946, at a variety of locations, including the Los Angeles County Arboretum and Botanic Garden , Ontario International Airport in Ontario, California , Raleigh Studios in Hollywood , and

3268-418: The bank's senior management for his past business acumen, Al is criticized after approving an unsecured loan to a farmer and fellow veteran who wants it to buy forty acres, but has no collateral for the purchase. With inhibitions lowered by excessive drinking , Al gives a speech at a banquet that satirizes requiring a veteran to provide collateral before risking his life to take a hill in battle. Unable to find

3354-458: The clave is based on division of the measure into groups of three, on which only a few beats are emphasized. The Cuban clave, derived from the African version, is composed of two measures, one with three beats, one with two. The measures can be played in either order, with either the two or three beat phrase coming first, and are labeled "2-3" or "3-2", respectively. Within the jazz band, phrases known as comping patterns have included elements of

3440-529: The clave since the very early days of the music. Comping is support of other musicians, often soloists, and echoing or reinforcement of the composition. The culture that created the most commonly used version of this pattern was that of Cuba. The circumstances that created that music and culture were very similar to those that created jazz; French , African, Spanish , and native Cuban cultures were all combined in Cuba and created many popular musical forms as well as

3526-538: The clave, which was a rather early invention. The music also affected the development of a variant of jazz, known as Latin jazz . Latin jazz is generally characterized by the use of even note combinations, as opposed to the swung notes common in most other varieties of jazz. It is also heavily influenced by the clave, and composers of the music require a knowledge of the workings of percussion in Afro-Cuban music—the instruments must combine with each other in

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3612-443: The constant rhythmic improvisation, Dodds played a pattern that was only somewhat more sophisticated than the basic one/three roll, but was, in fact, identical to the rhythm of today, only inverted. The rhythm was as follows: two "swung" eighth notes (the first and third notes of an eighth note triplet ), a quarter note, and then a repeat of the first three beats (sound sample "Inverted ride pattern" at right). Aside from these patterns,

3698-522: The dance bands of the 19th century allowed a more fertile ground for musical experimentation. Slaves learned traditional European dance music that they played at their masters' balls, most importantly a French dance called the quadrille , which had a particular influence on jazz and by extension jazz drumming. Musicians were also able to play dances that originated in Africa and the Caribbean in addition to

3784-430: The displays of technical virtuosity by these men were replaced by definite change in the underlying rhythmic structure and aesthetic of jazz, moving on to an era called bebop . To a small extent in the swing era, but most strongly in the bebop period, the role of the drummer evolved from an almost purely time-keeping position to that of a member of the interactive musical ensemble. Using the clearly defined ride pattern as

3870-455: The drum set. The first drum sets also began with military drums, though various other accessories were added later in order to create a larger range of sounds, and also for novelty appeal. The most common of the accoutrements were the wood block , Chinese tom-toms (large, two-headed drums), cowbells , cymbals, and almost anything else the drummer could think of adding. The characteristic sound of this set-up could be described as "ricky-ticky":

3956-520: The eastern and central United States. Krupa made his first recordings in 1927 with a band under the leadership of Red McKenzie and guitarist Eddie Condon . Along with other recordings by musicians from the Chicago jazz scene, such as Bix Beiderbecke , these recordings are examples of Chicago style jazz. Krupa's influences during this time included Father Ildefonse Rapp and Roy Knapp (both teachers of his), and drummers Tubby Hall , Zutty Singleton and Baby Dodds . Press rolls (dragging one stick across

4042-715: The evening, bar hopping in celebration of Al's return. An inebriated Fred keeps asking Peggy who she is, and she keeps reminding him that she is "Al's daughter." Although proficient in managing the challenges of his disability, Homer is frustrated by his loss of independence and adjusting to his relationship with Wilma. Concerned that Wilma does not fully understand the difficulties of being married to him with his disabilities, Homer demonstrates to her how she will need to assist him at bedtime when he removes his harness with his prosthetic hands, leaving him helpless. Wilma believes she can commit herself to him for life. Al continues to struggle with re-entry into normal life. Widely respected by

4128-537: The evolution of jazz— swing and bebop , for example—tended to have its own rhythmic style, jazz drumming continued to evolve along with the music through the 20th century. One tendency that emerged over time was the gradual "freeing" of the beat. But older styles persisted in later periods. The borders between these periods are unclear, partly because no one style completely replaced others, and partly because there were numerous cross influences between styles. The rhythms and use of percussion in jazz, as well as

4214-441: The fact that Coltrane's pieces of the time were based on triple subdivision. Throughout the history of jazz drumming, the beat and playing of the drummer have become progressively more fluid and "free", and in avant-garde and free jazz , this movement was largely fulfilled. A drummer named Sunny Murray is the primary architect of this new approach to drumming. Instead of playing a "beat", Murray sculpts his improvisation around

4300-404: The far background while Homer and Butch play piano in the foreground. Bazin explains how deep focus functions in this scene: The action in the foreground is secondary, although interesting and peculiar enough to require our keen attention since it occupies a privileged place and surface on the screen. Paradoxically, the true action, the one that constitutes at this precise moment a turning point in

4386-452: The film. The reason was that Hall's contract with Goldwyn ended during filming, but the producer was reluctant to pay extra money to rehire him. Samuel Goldwyn was inspired to produce a film about veterans after reading an August 7, 1944, article in Time about the difficulties experienced by men returning to civilian life. Goldwyn hired former war correspondent MacKinlay Kantor to write

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4472-464: The final influences on the development of early jazz, specifically its drumming and rhythms, was Second line drumming. The term " Second line " refers to the literal second line of musicians that would often congregate behind a marching band playing at a funeral march or Mardi Gras celebration. There were usually two main drummers in the second line: bass drum and snare drum players. The rhythms played were improvisatory in nature, but similarity between what

4558-536: The first marriage lasted from 1934 to 1942, the second from 1946 to her death in 1955. He remarried in 1959 to Patty Bowler and they were divorced within ten years. In the early 1970s, Krupa's house in Yonkers, New York , was damaged by fire. He continued to live in the parts of the house that were habitable. In 1973, Krupa died in Yonkers at the age 64 from heart failure, though he also had leukemia and emphysema. He

4644-417: The former including Elvin Jones; the latter, Tony Williams , Philly Joe Jones , and Jimmy Cobb , were also exploring new metric and rhythmic possibilities. The concept of manipulating time, making the music appear to slow down or race ahead, was something that drummers had never attempted previously, but one that was evolving quickly in this era. Layering rhythms on top of each other (a polyrhythm ) to create

4730-408: The idea of a pulse, and plays with the "natural sounds that are in the instrument, and the pulsations that are in that sound”. Murray also notes that his creation of this style was due to the need for a newer kind of drumming to use in the compositions of pianist Cecil Taylor . The Best Years of Our Lives The Best Years of Our Lives (also known as Glory for Me and Home Again )

4816-422: The importance of improvisation . Some instrumental qualities from African music that appear in jazz (especially its drumming) include using unpitched instruments to produce specific musical tones or tone-like qualities, using all instruments to imitate the human voice, superimposition of one rhythmic structure onto another (e.g., a group of three against a group of two), dividing a regular section of time (called

4902-410: The late 1950s and most of the '60s, drummers began to change the entire basis of their art. Elvin Jones , in an interview with DownBeat magazine, described it as "a natural step". During this time, the drummer took on an even more influential role in the jazz group at large, and started to free the drums into a more expressive instrument, allowing them to attain more equality and interactivity with

4988-532: The majority of films released that year, which accounted for almost 70% of its earnings. When box office figures are adjusted for inflation, it remains one of the top 100 grossing films in U.S. history. Among films released before 1950, only Gone With the Wind , The Bells of St. Mary's , The Big Parade and four Disney titles have done more total business, in part due to later re-releases. (Reliable box office figures for certain early films such as The Birth of

5074-418: The military style were essentially the only technique that they had at their disposal. However, it was necessary to adapt to the particular music being played, so new technique and greater musicianship evolved. The roll was the major technical device used, and one significant pattern was simply rolling on alternate beats. This was one of the first "ride patterns", a series of rhythms that eventually resulted in

5160-404: The modern hi-hat cymbals and standardized the names and uses of the ride cymbal , crash cymbal and splash cymbal . He is also credited with helping to formulate the modern drum set , being one of the first jazz drummers to use a bass drum in a recording session (December 1927). One of his bass drums, a Slingerland 14×26, inscribed with Benny Goodman 's and Krupa's initials, is preserved at

5246-417: The most beautiful and inspiring demonstrations of human fortitude that we have had in films." He also said the ensemble casting gave the "'best' performance in this best film this year from Hollywood". French film critic André Bazin used examples of Toland's and Wyler's deep-focus visual style to illuminate his theory of realism in film—going into detail about the scene in which Fred uses the phone booth in

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5332-431: The music played by military bands was rigidly within time and metric conventions, though it did have compositions in both duple and triple meter . The equipment of the drummers in these groups was of particular significance in the development of early drum sets. Cymbals , bass , and snare drums were all used. Indeed, a method of damping a set of cymbals by crunching them together while playing bass drum simultaneously

5418-420: The noise of sticks hitting objects that have very little resonance. However, drummers, including Dodds, centralized much of their playing on the bass and snare drums. By the 1920s and '30s, the early era of jazz was ending, and swing drummers like Gene Krupa , Chick Webb , and Buddy Rich began to take the bases laid down by the early masters and experiment with them. It was not until a bit later, however, that

5504-733: The original Benny Goodman Quartette. On April 17, 1973, the Gene Krupa Quartet, composed of Eddie Shu (tenor and clarinet), John Bunch (piano), Nabil Totah (Bass) and Krupa (drums), recorded a live performance at the New School featuring the Louis Prima composition "Sing, Sing, Sing". His compositions which he wrote or co-wrote included "Some Like It Hot" in 1939, " Drum Boogie ", "Boogie Blues", his theme song "Apurksody", "Ball of Fire", "Disc Jockey Jump" with Gerry Mulligan , "Wire Brush Stomp", "Hippdeebip", "Krupa's Wail", "Swing

5590-525: The other parts of the ensemble. In bebop, comping and keeping time were two completely different requirements of the drummer, but afterward, the two became one entity. This newfound fluidity greatly extended the improvisatory capabilities that the drummer had. The feel in jazz drumming of this period was called "broken time", which gets its name from the idea of changing patterns and the quick, erratic, unconventional movements and rhythms. Rhythm sections , in particular those of John Coltrane and Miles Davis ,

5676-539: The planes are being demolished for use in the growing prefab housing industry. Fred asks if they need any help in the budding business and is hired. Al, Milly, and Peggy attend Homer and Wilma's wedding, where Fred is best man. Now divorced, Fred reunites with Peggy after the ceremony. Fred expresses his love but says things may be financially difficult if she stays with him. Peggy's smile expresses her joy. Casting brought together established stars as well as character actors and relative unknowns. The jazz drummer Gene Krupa

5762-446: The rhythms they played served as accompaniment for dance bands, which played ragtime and various dances, with jazz coming later. It was common in these bands to have two drummers, one playing snare drum, the other bass. Eventually, however, due to various factors (not the least of which being the financial motivation), the number of drummers was reduced to one, and this created the need for a percussionist to play multiple instruments, hence

5848-636: The rock era". The youngest of Anna (née Oslowski) and Bartłomiej Krupa's nine children, Gene Krupa was born in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Bartłomiej was an immigrant from Poland born in the village of Łęki Górne , southeastern Poland. Anna was born in Shamokin, Pennsylvania , and was also of Polish descent. His parents were Roman Catholics who groomed him for the priesthood. He spent his grammar school days at parochial schools . He attended James H. Bowen High School on Chicago's southeast side. After graduation, he attended Saint Joseph's College for

5934-477: The size of his band to a ten-piece for a short while and from 1952 on he led trios, then quartets, often with Charlie Ventura then Eddie Shu on tenor sax, clarinet, and harmonica. He appeared regularly in the Jazz at the Philharmonic concerts. In the 1950s, Krupa returned to Hollywood to appear in the films The Glenn Miller Story and The Benny Goodman Story . In 1959, the movie biography The Gene Krupa Story

6020-407: The snare head while keeping the beat with the other stick) were a fairly common technique in the early stages of his development. There were many other drummers ( Ray Bauduc , Chick Webb , George Wettling , Dave Tough ) who influenced his approach to drumming and other instrumentalists and composers such as Frederick Delius who influenced his approach to music. Krupa appeared on six recordings by

6106-432: The soloist instead of just accompanying him, playing solos of his own with many melodic and subtle qualities, and incorporating melodicism into all of his playing. Another influential drummer of bebop was Kenny Clarke , the man who switched the four beat pulse that had previously been played on the bass drum to the ride cymbal, effectively making it possible for comping to move forward in the future. Once again, this time in

6192-562: The songs of the regions the enslaved persons were from, probably the result of their having lived in America for several generations. A large number of musicians that played in Congo Square were from the Caribbean as well. Another important influence to jazz was the blues , an expression of the hardships experienced daily by enslaved persons, in direct contrast to the work song, a celebration of work. Its musical inspiration came from where its players did, Africa. The rhythmic form of blues

6278-623: The story, develops almost clandestinely in a tiny rectangle at the back of the room—in the left corner of the screen.... Thus the viewer is induced actively to participate in the drama planned by the director. Professor and author Gabriel Miller discusses briefly the use of deep-focus in both the bar scene and the wedding scene at the end of the picture in an article written for the National Film Preservation Board. Several decades later, film critic David Thomson offered tempered praise: "I would concede that Best Years

6364-497: The triumphs and travails of war veterans, The Best Years of Our Lives is concerned specifically with the aftermath of World War II, but its messages speak to the overall American experience." On Metacritic , the film holds a weighted average score of 93 out of 100 based on 17 critics, indicating "universal acclaim". Chicago Sun-Times film critic Roger Ebert put the film on his "Great Movies" list in 2007, calling it "... modern, lean, and honest". The Best Years of Our Lives

6450-493: The uncredited part of the soldier working as the scheduling clerk in the Air Transport Command Office at the beginning of the film. Teresa Wright was only thirteen years younger than her on-screen mother, played by Myrna Loy . Michael Hall (1926–2020), at the time of his death the last surviving credited cast member, with his role as Fredric March's on-screen son, is absent after the first third of

6536-477: The war and though he has become functional in the use of his mechanical hooks , he cannot believe that Wilma will still want to marry him. Al, tired and jaded from the war, returns to the bank and is given a promotion, but wrestles with alcohol. Though highly decorated, Fred suffers from PTSD flashbacks by night. Fred arrives home and cannot locate his party girl wife, who does not expect him. The Stephensons and their daughter Peggy invite Fred along with them for

6622-654: The war, the combat aircraft featured in the film were being destroyed and disassembled for reuse as scrap material. The scene of Derry's walking among aircraft ruins was filmed at the Ontario Army Air Field in Ontario, California. The former training facility had been converted into a scrap yard, housing nearly 2,000 former combat aircraft in various states of disassembly and reclamation. Upon its release, The Best Years of Our Lives received extremely positive reviews from critics. Shortly after its premiere at

6708-429: Was a basis for many developments that would appear in jazz. Though its instrumentation was mostly limited to melodic instruments and a singer, feeling and rhythm were tremendously important. The two primary feels were a pulse on alternating beats that we see in countless other forms of American music, and the shuffle, which is essentially the pattin' juba rhythm, a feel based on a division of three rather than two. One of

6794-562: Was a massive commercial success, not only becoming the highest-grossing film of 1946 but the entire 1940s decade. It opened to the public at the Astor Theatre in New York City on November 22, 1947, and grossed $ 52,236 in its first week. Its length restricted the film to six shows a day, cutting down on total ticket sales, and initially suffered by having a top midweek ticket price of $ 2.40, reducing gross revenue. It opened at

6880-489: Was a place in New Orleans called Congo Square . The former Africans were able to play their traditional music, which started to intermingle with the sounds of the many other cultures in New Orleans at the time: Haitian , European, Cuban, and American , as well as many other smaller denominations. They used drums almost indistinguishable from those made in Africa, though the rhythms were somewhat different from those of

6966-525: Was also awarded an honorary Academy Award, the only time in history that two such awards were given for a single performance. It was the highest-grossing film in both the United States and United Kingdom since the release of Gone with the Wind , and is the sixth most-attended film of all time in the United Kingdom, with over 20 million tickets sold. In 1989, The Best Years of Our Lives

7052-652: Was one of the first 25 films selected by the Library of Congress for preservation in the United States National Film Registry for being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant". Three returning World War II veterans meet on a flight to their midwestern hometown of Boone City: USAAF bombardier captain Fred Derry, U.S. Navy petty officer Homer Parrish, and U.S. Army sergeant Al Stephenson. Each had left

7138-478: Was patterned after Cincinnati , Ohio . The "Jackson High" football stadium seen early in aerial footage of the bomber flying over the Boone City is Corcoran Stadium located at Xavier University in Cincinnati. A few seconds later Walnut Hills High School with its dome and football field can be seen along with the downtown Cincinnati skyline ( Carew Tower and Fourth and Vine Tower ) in the background. After

7224-401: Was played at various occasions came essentially to a point of consistency, and early jazz drummers were able to integrate patterns from this style into their playing as well as elements from several other styles. Before jazz came to prominence, drummers often played in a style known as ragtime , where an essential rhythmic quality of jazz first really began to be used: syncopation. Syncopation

7310-584: Was released; Sal Mineo portrayed Krupa, and the film included cameos by Anita O'Day and Red Nichols . During the 1950s and 1960s, Krupa often played at the Metropole near Times Square in Manhattan and by 1956 his recordings were showcased on national radio networks by Ben Selvin within the RCA Thesaurus transcriptions library. He continued to perform in famous clubs in the 1960s, including

7396-439: Was seen in archival footage, while Tennessee Ernie Ford , later a television star, appeared as an uncredited "hillbilly singer" (in the first of his only three film appearances). Blake Edwards , later a film producer and director, appeared fleetingly as an uncredited "Corporal". Wyler's daughters, Catherine and Judy, were cast as uncredited customers seen in the drug store where Fred Derry works. Sean Penn 's father, Leo , played

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