Facts and findings

Facts about our Stimulus

Our stimulus for our devising project was a song called "Let me off uptown" by the Gene Krupa's Orchestra. The song was originally sung by Anita O'Day & Roy Eldridge and it was considered as a song born from the golden era of Jazz. The song was released in 1941 which was just after the Great Depression in America that occurred in the 1930's. Gene Krupa was the drummer of the band and Roy Eldridge was a trumpet player but he also sang on this record wit Anita O'Day who was a famous jazz singer. As part of our research into the stimulus, I decided to look at Gene Krupa's orchestra who originally played with Roy Eldridge and Anita O'Day on the song "Let me off uptown" and prohibition in the 1920's.

Gene Krupa’s Orchestra:

The orchestra was formed in 1938. The Krupa band was an immediate hit with the public. Their main genres were Jazz, swing and Dixieland. In 1941 Gene Krupa hired both trumpet star Roy Eldridge and ultra-hip vocalist Anita O’Day. The two caused a stir with their work on the band’s hit record “Let Me off Uptown”. Record sales were good, and the band played the choicest ballrooms and clubs, from Maine to California.

The band continued to be very popular up until 1943 when Krupa was busted in San Francisco for possession of marijuana. However the band did get back together in 1945 which they enjoyed wide popularity until 1951 when Krupa scaled the size of his bands to match the changing styles of Jazz which had shifted from the big bands to smaller Modern Jazz combos.

Members  of the Gene Krupa's Orchestra:

Bassists:

Al Hall

Biddy Bastien

Bob Strahl

Irv Lang

Trombonists:

Al Jordan

Babe Wagner

Bob Ascher

Clay Hervey

Cutty Cutshall

Dick Taylor

Jack Zimmerman

Jay Kelliher

Moe Schneider

Pat Virgadamo

Tasso Harris

Tommy Pederson

Warren Covington

Ziggy Elmer

Trumpets:

Al Porcino

Don Fagerquist

Ed Badgley

Edward Cornelius

Gordon Boswell

Joe Triscari

John Bello

Norman Murphy

Ray Triscari

Roy Eldridge

Rudy Novak

Shorty Sherock

Tony Russo

Torg Halten

Vocalist:

Anita O'Day

Carolyn Grey

Saxophones:

Bill Hitz

Buddy Wise

Charlie Kennedy

Charlie Ventura

Clint Neagley

Jack Schwartz

Johnny Bothwell

Joe Koch

Larry Patton

Mitch Melnick

Walter Bates

Guitarists:

Bob Lesher

Remo Biondi

Woodwind Players:

Bob Snyder

Pianists:

Buddy Neal

Joe Bushkin

Teddy Napoleon

Tony D'Amore

Clarinettist:

Edmond Hall

Ernie Caceres

Sam Marowitz

Sam Musiker

Drummers:

Gene Krupa

Cornet player:

Wild Bill Davison

Other members:

Ben Seaman,

Bob Munoz

Emil Mazaneo,

Harry Terrill

Jimmy Millazzo

Joe Magro

Mike Triscari

Nick Gaglio

 Ray Biondi

Stan Doughty

Tony Anelli

Vince Hughes

This information was found on: http://www.discogs.com/

Prohibition:

Origins:

In the 1820s and ’30s, a wave of religious revivalism swept the United States, leading to increased calls for temperance (abstinence to alcoholic drinks), as well as other “perfectionist” movements such as the abolition of slavery.

By the turn of the century, temperance societies were a common fixture in communities across the United States. Women played a strong role in the temperance movement, as alcohol was seen as a destructive force in families and marriages.

In 1917, after the United States entered World War I, President Woodrow Wilson instituted a temporary wartime prohibition in order to save grain for producing food. That same year, Congress submitted the 18th Amendment, which banned the manufacture, transportation and sale of intoxicating liquors.

A year after the 18^th amendment was legitimised; no fewer than 33 states had enacted their own prohibition legislation.

The prohibition caused:

• An increase of the illegal production and sale of liquor (known as “bootlegging”),
• The rise in speakeasies (illegal drinking spots)
• The smuggling of alcohol across state lines
• The informal production of liquor (“moonshine” or “bathtub gin”) in private homes.

In addition, the Prohibition era encouraged the rise of criminal activity associated with bootlegging. The most notorious example was the Chicago gangster Al Capone, who earned $60 million annually from bootleg operations and speakeasies.

This also caused a rise in gang violence, like the St. Valentine’s Day Massacre in Chicago in 1929, in which several men dressed as policemen (and believed to be have associated with Capone) shot and killed a group of men in an enemy gang.

this information was found on: www.history.com/topics/prohibition