HFL170 Brooks Tegler

HFL170 Brooks Tegler Interviewed October 6, 2020 Interview released August 4, 2026

Brooks Tegler on Leading from the Drum Kit and Gene Krupa’s Legacy

studioHFL host Larry Powell interviews drummer, bandleader, and Gene Krupa historian Brooks Tegler. Brooks describes decades as a full-time musician, forming his own swing band modeled on the Benny Goodman Quartet/Sextet, and leading from behind the drum kit, praising players like Kenny McGee. The discussion centers on Gene Krupa as Brooks’s lifelong hero: Krupa’s melodic, contextual drumming, minimalist setup, innovations in feel, technique, and drum sizes, and his long Slingerland endorsement. Brooks outlines Krupa’s career arc (Goodman 1934–1938; own band success in 1941 with Roy Eldridge and Anita O’Day), the 1943 frame-up drug bust and its lasting impact, and later work with Norman Granz’s Jazz at the Philharmonic and international touring. Brooks is finishing a heavily illustrated book on Krupa’s equipment history and related biography.

00:00 Welcome Back Update 00:11 Interview Series Origins 01:09 From Brass To Everyone 02:43 Meet Brooks Intro 03:08 Career And Bandleading 06:51 Trumpet Players And Egos 10:42 Leading From The Drums 12:15 Gene Krupa Hero 14:36 Writing The Krupa Book 17:30 Critics And Showmanship 22:23 Early Style Innovations 24:21 Minimal Kits And Recording 31:12 Krupa Timeline And Goodman 35:26 Roy Eldridge And Anita ODay 36:19 Framed In 1943 37:37 The Krupa Frame-Up 38:45 Benny and Dorsey Come Through 40:05 Marriage and Aftermath 42:20 Faith and Lingering Stigma 44:56 Post-1943 Career Rebuild 46:58 JATP and World Touring 48:55 Vegas Tales and Lost Drum 50:45 Meeting Gene in Person 54:49 What Made Him Innovative 59:32 Sing Sing Sing Legacy 01:03:56 Finishing the Krupa Book 01:07:56 Wrap-Up and Thanks