The New Gene Krupa Orchestra

Why Gene Krupa?

Carnegie Hall, January 16, 1938... The Benny Goodman Orchestra swings its way into big band history! And Gene Krupa, pounding out SING SING SING on the tom toms, made his own bit of big band history that night which would change the course of drumming forever. By the late 1930's. Gene Krupa had emerged as a national phenomenon and his appearances on stage and film catapulted him to superstar status, prompting him to step out from Goodman's shadow and set out on his own.

Now Mike Berkowitz brings the Krupa magic back to life for a whole new generation. With an infectious energy that draws both listeners and dancers alike, the Gene Krupa Orchestra is a winner with audiences of all ages.

Atlantic City's Steel Pier, April 16, 1938... a crowd of 4,000 listeners gathered in the Marine Ballroom to hear the newly formed Gene Krupa Orchestra. Following this triumphant debut, the band recorded several instrumentals, including, "Wire Brush Stomp" and "Drum Boogie." In 1941, with the addition of singer Anita O'Day and legendary trumpeter Roy Eldridge, the Gene Krupa Orchestra really took off. Let Me Off Uptown, After You've Gone, Rockin' Chair, Thanks for the Boogie Ride, and Disc Jockey Jump are just a few of the hits that Gene and his band served up during this period.

Indianapolis, 1964... while appearing at the Embers in Indianapolis, Indiana, a young drummer, Michael Berkowitz, approached Krupa. Brought to the club to hear his idol, Berkowitz was mesmerized by the Krupa magic on the drumset. After the show, Krupa was kind enough to spend a few minutes with the aspiring young drummer, and it was at that moment that Michael Berkowitz knew he was going to be a professional drummer.

Today... Berkowitz went on to live in Los Angeles and New York, where he has performed with everyone from Nelson Riddle, Liza Minnelli, Billy Joel, Steve Lawrence, Michael Feinstein, Elton John, Michael Crawford and countless others to conducting Symphony Orchestras and drumming for the Academy Awards, the Tony Awards, Broadway shows, event at Carnegie Hall and London's Palladium Theatre, countless recordings, soundtracks and television specials.

Sample Songlist:
(Click on Red songs to hear mp3 samples)

Dark Eyes
Caravan
Cute
Opus One
Big Noise From Winnetka
How High The Moon
Gene's Boogie
Up an Atom
Starburst
Let Me Off Uptown
Disc Jockey Jump
Drum Boogie
After You've Gone
Wire Brush Stomp
Thanks for the Boogie Ride

Featured Show:
A Salute to the
Capitol Years

The best songs, the timeless songs, the songs that came from the legendary Capitol Tower will thrill and delight your audience in this one spectacular music event.

Click here for more info:

Download PDFs

Krupa Stage Plot

Krupa Rider

A Salute to the Capitol Years flyer

Press Quotes:

"Michael Berkowitz seated himself amid a vast drumkit to recreate Benny Goodman's famous Sing Sing Sing, with its drumbreak by Gene Krupa. If you know your oompah from your razzmatazz, you needed to be at Barbican Hall last night."
-London Daily Mail The crowd of over over 600 (one of our largest ever) gave the band a standing ovation at the finish. Mike was a fine MC as well as a driving force who kicked the band along in typical Krupa style. Many in the crowd came up to me to thank me for this wonderful afternoon and to ask when the band will be comng back. Soon, I hope."
-Jack Livingstone, Monmouth County Library Music Series

"The tribute that you played to Gene Krupa was truly outstanding. As a drummer and band leader myself, I am not impressed easily, but your performance, as well as the rest of the band's, blew me away, along with everybody else present that evening on the Hudson Waterfront. Your energy, professionalism, precision and overall spirit of your organization is more than a band - it's a force of nature! Living musical history at its best."
-Jack Twomey, Producer, Gene Krupa Jazz Festival, Yonkers, New York

"Considerable vocal skills"; "Drew a standing ovation"
- Wall Street Journal