Placement of the cymbals.

[Hardbopjazz]

At the many jazz shows I’ve attended over the years, I’ve noticed most drummers don’t have the cymbals at the same height as the rest of the drum set.  The cymbals are higher.  Jonathan Blake, Kenny Barron’s drummer, keeps his cymbals at the same height as his snare drum and  tom-toms. Watching him play, having the cymbals at the same height as the other drum pieces seems to make it easier for him to get around the drum set.  Is there  any technical reason to have the cymbals higher up or just one’s  preference? 

[Dave James]

Cymbals placed higher are easier to splash or crash.

[JSngry]

It's essentially a personal preference, based on what you want to do with them and what works best for you to do that.

Regarding cymbal set-ups in general, here's a piece of vintage Zildjian-ism:

http://www.drumarchive.com/Zildjian/ZildjianSetups60s.pdf

They made these things well into the 70s, perhaps beyond.

 

[Shrdlu]

That is a superb article. Thanks for posting it.

I was surprised at some of the setups. E.g., Max having hihat cymbals of different sizes. One or two guys had setups that surprised me.

Re the layout, you put all the parts wherever is comfortable for you. The average right-handed drummer, from bop onward, would have 14" hats for the left foot, a crash a bit to the left of the snare, and a ride on the right, over the tom(s). It works well to have the ride and snare a bit above the tubs.

Zildjian is still going strong. Back in the days of the drummers in that article, they were made in Istanbul. Those were the best cymbals. Then, they moved to the States, and although their cymbals are still good, they aren't as good as the Turkish ones. Their K Constantinople rides are the best: I have four of them.

A factory continued in Istanbul, run by a guy called Agop. They brought out a range called Istanbul Agop 30th Anniversary. Those are the best today. I have their 14" hats, an 18" crash and a 22" ride.

When those hats arrived, I ached for Jo Jones to hear them. They are so rich that they are an orchestra unto themselves.

[Hardbopjazz]

Thank for posting the article Jim.

[JSngry]

fwiw, that ws not an article, it was a PDF of a promotional brochure that Zildjian published, and up dated, for years. You could send away for one.

[mikeweil]

I have a similar brochure from Paiste with setups of their endorsers. These manufacturers published an updated version every few years.

[Big Beat Steve]

On 26.8.2019 at 9:09 PM, Shrdlu said:

That is a superb article. Thanks for posting it.

 

A superb period piece.

BTW, weren't there TWO "Zildjian" companies? No, not Sabian - long before that. I somehow remember ads to this effect in jazz magazines from the 50s.

[Shrdlu]

There is only one Zildjian company. It has a proud tradition, going back to its founder, Avedis Zildjian. He was woking for the Sultan of Turkey, and made his first cymbal in 1618. Eventually, the Sultan gave Avedis permission to leave the palace and start his own company. They began in Constantinople and stayed there for a long time. They are now headquartered in Norwell, MA. Descendants of Avedis still own and run the company. (This is a very truncated history.)

Sabian was developed by Robert Zildjian after a family/legal dispute.

By the way, here are the Istanbul Agop 30th Anniversary items, theoretically limited editions, but not hard to get. There are videos demonstrating them.

https://istanbulcymbals.com/products.html

You don't wanna know what they cost. (gasp) I would like to hear their 24" and 26" rides, but I can't afford them. The other sizes of hats would be worth hearing, too.

[JSngry]

A. and K. lines.

Same company, though.

[medjuck]

Sabian cymbals are made in my home province of New Brunswick Canada.  Must be something about the North East. 

[Shrdlu]

Where in New Brunswick? I lived in Sackville from 1978 through 1981. I was a Math professor at Mt Allison University.

The K Zildjians are superior to the As. Our favorite drummers in the 50s and 60s used Ks made in Istanbul. They are the best ever cymbals. They would be worth a fortune today, but most will have been bashed to death.

In the article, a lot of the drummers had their ride(s) converted to sizzles: that is, holes were drilled in them and loose rivets were inserted. I would be scared to do that to my Istanbul Agop and K Constantinople rides, in case it ruined them.