October 28th, 2007

Pic of Liza Minelli at the Meyerhoff Symphony Hall in Baltimore, Oct. 27th for the CHIMES Benefit Performance.

Yours truly on drums in the center/back.

October 26th, 2007

For those of you looking for the new album: THINKING OF GENE, it can be ordered from AMAZON, CD UNIVERSE and www.seabreezejazz.com or seemingly hundreds of other places on the Internet I've never heard of...

Here's a first review from our Wednesday night gig at Dillon's in NYC.

Mike Berkowitz and the Gene Krupa Orchestra at the Reprise Room at Dillons      

Written by Jay Jeffries   

Mike Berkowitz and the Gene Krupa Orchestra at the Reprise Room at Dillons

When was the last time you wanted to jump out of your seat and start to jitterbug? 

For me, it was last night at Dillon’s new Reprise Room where Michael Berkowitz brought his 15-piece Gene Krupa Orchestra. And I wasn’t the only one. As I looked around the refurbished, curry scented room, everyone’s feet seemed to be tapping, everyone’s shoulders seemed to be swaying to the sound of genuine swing music played by berkowitz.jpgseasoned pros. For a little over an hour, it felt as if we were all back on 52nd Street where jazz clubs once proliferated, when we were young and the world seemed a lot less troublesome.

To aid and abet on vocals, Mr. Berkowitz introduced Anthony Apicella and Leslie Anderson.  Mr. Apicella has the good looks of a young Sinatra and the sound of the era down pat, as he gracefully glides through standards like “I’ve Got The World On A String,” “All Or Nothing At All” and “Saturday Night Is The Loneliest Night of the Week.” And Ms. Anderson, never a slouch when it comes to swing, flawlessly belts her way through a boogie then slides into “Our Love Is Here To Stay” with honey-voiced ease. Bravo and brava!

Mike Berkowitz plays and conducts with confidence and makes you feel like you’re sitting in his living room, but his band could easily fill a stadium. I have no idea how long Dillon’s has booked them for, but I hope it’s going to be a long stay. 

My only regret is that there isn’t room for dancing in the aisles. From the looks of last night’s eager crowd, there seemed to be enough of us who could still do a nifty jitterbug or a lindy hop.

Thursday, 25 October 2007

Off to Baltimore to work with Liza Minnelli at Meyerhoff Symphony Hall on Saturday Night...

Until the next time...

October 22nd, 2007

From David Miller's www.bigband-era.com website.

Gene Krupa Swings Again

I've taken several polls among big band fans over the years. Never has the Gene Krupa band ranked in the top ten in popularity. It's a mystery to me, since Krupa had a fantastic orchestra, kept it going well after the era was supposedly over, and made many outstanding recordings.

I'm happy to report that the Krupa band is back, big time. The new leader is Michael Berkowitz. He formed the band in 2004 and was featured in an interview on Program #1116 ("Gene Krupa Legacy"). Now the band has issued its first CD, entitled "Thinking of Gene."

The music on the CD is outstanding. Mr. Krupa would flash his trademark smile if he could only hear what Berkowitz and his sidemen have wrought. He would recognize all the tracks but one, the title track. Thinking of Gene, an instrumental, was composed by Steve Allee.

The CD runs the gamut of Krupa's most noted performances. There's a quartet rendition of the Gene Krupa Trio masterpiece, Stompin' at the Savoy, featuring Mike Tomaro recreating Charlie Ventura's tenor sax solo, Paul Henry on bass, Tony Nalker on piano and Berkowitz on drums. Rockin' Chair, originally a showpiece of Roy Eldridge, is most competently brought back to life by trumpeter Steve Hawk.

I recall asking Michael how he planned to handle the fact that Krupa's band featured a one-of-a-kind jazz singer, Anita O'Day. Well, he admirably met that challenge, by enlisting the talents of another one-of-a-kind vocalist, Annette Sanders. She has a style all her own but still manages to conjure up the marvelous sounds that O'Day provided on tunes such as Massachusetts, Boogie Blues and Gene's Boogie.

I loved the Annette Sanders reading of That's What You Think, one of my favorites.  I asked Berkowitz if he had that song in his band book when we talked in 2004. If I recall correctly, he said he was not familiar with it. Obviously he has done his homework since then, and I find it one of the highlights of the CD.

The Gene Krupa band will appear at Dillon's in New York City on Wednesday of this week. Future engagements are listed on his website, www.berkmusic.com.

-October 22, 2007

October 15th, 2007

Hello World,

It's me...back again for another Edition of NOTES!

First of all, October 21st, at the Luther Burbank Performing Arts Center in Santa Rosa, Ca.!!! A TRIBUTE TO NELSON RIDDLE with the Santa Rosa Symphony with guest vocalists, Rachael Price and Michael Civisca. The best of Riddle's arrangements for Sinatra, Nat Cole, Ella, Dean, Ronstadt and also his great Instrumentals...LIFE IS JUST A BOWL OF CHERRIES, BROTHER JOHN, LISBON ANTIGUA, LET YOURSELF GO and many more.

October 6th I did the Opening Concert with the Carolina Pops in Greensboro with perhaps one of the best Pops Shows I've ever conducted: SPECTRUM. The best of Motown, great singing, great choreography, great rhythm section, great arrangements. I'm telling everyone I can about this group. The audience went wild!

October 13, we were in Long Island with Liza for a Benefit for CW Post at the Tilles Center. Once again, the audience was on their feet, applauding and screaming in the middle of songs. She's an amazing performer.

For you Angelenos, the Gene Krupa Band will be returning to Charley O's in the Valley on December 3rd. Make reservations NOW!

And last but not least...OCTOBER 24th, the Krupa Band will be at DILLON'S in NYC.

254 West 54th Street. 2 sets starting at 8 PM. New room, great Big Band...Come out and say Hi!

Until the next time...

Best to you all,

Mike Berkowitz