james zitro

[slide_advantage_redoux]

Can anyone fill me in on this percussionist/drummer? I have seen his name appear of some recordings here and there. Recorded with Sonny Simmons and possibly on other ESP releases. Also led his own band ZYTRO.

thx

[brownie]

James Zitro has an album under his own name on ESP. ESP Disk' 1052.

No information about him on the cover. His name does not even appear on the front cover which had a black and white photo of him (or so I presume!).

No liner notes. Just some recording information and the names of the players;

Musicians in the group are:

Warren Gale, trumpet, Allan Praskin, alto, Bert Wilson, tenor, Michael Cohen, piano, Bruce Gale, bass.

All from California, if I remember well. The session was recorded in New York in April 1967.

[Tony Pusey]

The magazine Forced Exposure implied that Zitro et al were from San Fran, when they listed the German reissue ESP program.

[GA Russell]

Zitro was a major part of the Charles Lloyd Kapp album of 1971 called Moon Man. This was an attempt by Lloyd to capture the white jazz rock crowd.

I believe that he was on Lloyd's follow up album Warm Water as well. That album had The Beach Boys on it.

[clifford_thornton]

He had a pretty weak fusion record with Dave Liebman called "New Moon in Zytron," I think Zytron was his band as well.

San Fransisco/Oakland, played and studied with Smiley Winters, etc., recorded with him, Sonny Simmons, and his own great band on ESP 1052 while visiting New York for some months in 1966-7.

Who knows what he's up to these days, though.

[clifford_thornton]

Oh yeah, Simmons has said that Zitro studied tabla in India during the early '60s, which had a tremendous effect on his rhythmic conception. Great drummer, and underrecorded in his conceptual prime.

[Johnny E]

I know James Zitro and visit him every time I'm in Santa Cruz. He still plays with Bert Wilson from time to time (who now resides in Olympia, WA). He and Bert are actually from LA. Sonny Simmons and Barbara Donald were from SF I believe. James Zitro was hired by a TV network to teach Mickey Dolens of the Monkees how to play drums when they were preparing to launch that show in 67. He plays with local musicians every Sunday out on the pier in Santa Cruz in the summer time and currently works as a drug counselor for the city. A very wonderful man, and great drummer who has shown me a trick or two on kit. I interviewed him for a radio show I was doing a few years back. Boy has he got some crazy stories of his stay in NY circa his ESP days.

Edited September 26, 2005 by Johnny E

[clifford_thornton]

Thanks, guess my Bay Area info was incorrect.

Glad to hear he is still playing! Would he be up for another interview?

[Johnny E]

Thanks, guess my Bay Area info was incorrect.

Glad to hear he is still playing! Would he be up for another interview?

←

He may. He's a pretty personable guy. What would you want to interview him for, do you have a radio show?