Zildjian Recreates K. Constantinople Cymbals

March 11, 1998 -- In the city of Constantinople, late in the 19th century, Kerope Zildjian put his name on his family's cymbals during his tenure as keeper of the Zildjian secret and a legendary sound was born. Made famous by the great Bebop drummers of the '50s and '60s, the 'K' sound became legendary and has been captured on the many classic recordings of the time featuring such greats as Max Roach, Art Blakey, Philly Joe Jones, Tony Williams and Elvin Jones. For years this sound was lost ... until now.

The Avedis Zildjian Company has now recreated these cymbals with the new K.Zildjian Constantinople cymbals. The result of a design project lead by Armand Zildjian himself, employing the time-honored techniques of original Turkish cymbal making and a still secret process dating back to 1623 has created these remarkable instruments.

"To recreate these legendary cymbals, our challenge was to determine the definitive 'K' sound. This we met with the help of some of our top Artists, most importantly, someone actually responsible for making this sound so famous ... the great Elvin Jones. Next we had to find a way to replicate that sound and manufacture it to a higher standard of consistency than previously possible," says Armand Zildjian.

These cymbals feature the closest in sound, weight, shape and cup size to the original K.Zildjians made in Turkey years ago. The highly elaborate and extensive hammering of ancient cymbal craftmanship has been recreated, yet with more precision and consistency. They are carefully hand lathed by skilled artisans using old-style cutting tools. Pit marks and impurities on the surface of the cymbal, that occur naturally during the manufacturing process, have not been removed as doing so would sacrifice total quality.

Every K.Constantinople cymbal exhibits the same rich feel under the stick and unique texture of sound as their ancestors. Though these instruments are given time to age in Zildjian's vault, their sound will improve even further with age.

For more information, visit their web site at www.zildjian.com.