Compiler John Petters continues his illuminating commemoration of the 50th anniversary of Gene Krupa’s death by looking back first to Gene’s earliest recordings and then moving onto his post-big band small group playing, hence the album’s title.

Where Petters’ earlier Upbeat collection (Jazzwise 287) concentrated on Krupa at his most prominent in a series of brilliant sessions with Benny Goodman, here’s where it all started for him. Krupa then was just one among a host of other aspiring white players who were seeking to emulate the great African-American jazzmen they listened to on Chicago’s South Side. In Krupa’s case, that meant three New Orleanians: Baby Dodds, Zutty Singleton and Tubby Hall.

Happily, Petters, a drummer himself, is on hand to describe each track and pinpoint how well Krupa absorbed their lessons and developed his own extraordinary techniques and tricks. Petters calls Krupa “the most famous and important drummer of the early jazz era” and explains why. His booklet is worth the album’s price on its own.

It’s Muggsy Spanier’s forthright cornet that we hear first, with the tragically short-lived Frank Teschmacher on clarinet, Condon bouncy on banjo, Krupa well heard on these excellent restorations.

The sheer élan and creativity evident in much of this playing, easily transcends any need to excuse their vintage status, with Krupa constantly on the go, the infectious ‘hot’ jazz feeling still wearing well. All 25 sides are worthwhile, offering magic moments in abundance, with any number of potential greats at work, and racial mixing too, consider Coleman Hawkins and Pops Foster alongside Russell and Condon as long ago as 1929. Then again, there’s Bix. Not to be missed.