By Charley Braun
The name, Buddy Rich, conjures up memories of impeccable drumming with big band and small jazz band excitement. To this day there is a deep interest not only his music, but also in his drums, equipment, and his choice of cymbals. During his career drum manufacturers vied for his endorsement of their product: Ludwig, Slingerland, Rogers, Fibes/ Trixon, and Vox. However, only one company received Rich’s longest endorsement for cymbals, Avedis Zildjian.
We have all seen his endorsements (one of my favorites was, “If I couldn’t play Zildjians, I’d change instruments!” showing Buddy wearing a Sousaphone!) Only briefly did Buddy did stray from A’s in the 1950’s and early 1960’s!
Starting in the ‘50s we have an endorsement for K. Zildjians and then in the late 50s-early 60’s, Paiste Formula 602s (See photos shown). Unfortunately little is known about these endorsements or why the switch. However, he did resume his lifelong affiliation with A. Zildjians up until his final concert. This brings us to the point of this article.
In October of 2020, I stumbled upon a post in Face book regarding a 1950’s K. Zildjian 13” hi hat bottom cymbal. It was an oddity. On the bottom was printed BUDDY RICH HI HATS BOTTOM in black blocked letters. A 13” K. Zildjian from the 1950’s always attracts drummers and collectors, but this one was special! The only piece of information known by the poster, Keith Szczesniak of Pocket Percussion in Pipersville, PA, was that the original owner’s father owned the bottom cymbal but not the “top” cymbal.
Being a collector of any and everything Buddy Rich, my curiosity was peaked. I contacted Keith to arrange for a visit to see the cymbal for further evaluation and arrange a possible purchase. Fortunately for me his store was only 20 minutes away!
When I examined the stamp on the cymbal, it was clear to me that it could be dated to the 1950’s, signed on the bell cup underneath. But onto the endorsement. Using a magnifying glass, I could see that the printing was professionally done, definitely not by an amateur. In fact the printing is very similar to the logos on today’s modern cymbals that we all own. It looked legit. I do not know why K. Zildjian produced this cymbal. I am reaching out to anyone who can help decipher the mystery of this cymbal. I have asked many cymbal authorities, and even reached out to the Rich family but no answers. This cymbal is the “Mystery Cymbal”!
Let me be clear, I am not implying that Buddy played this cymbal, owned it, or had a connection to it. But it is unusual to be sure. Incidentally, the cymbal has found a new home, archived safely in my collection. (see photos)
If anyone has any information about this cymbal, or even own a K. Zildjian, any size, with this kind of stamped endorsement please contact me by email listed at the bottom. I would sincerely appreciate it. Thank you!
Charley Braun, charleybraun95@gmail.com
Short bio of me, as a jazz drummer, I've been a fan of Buddy's since 1958 collecting his records articles, anything Buddy Rich since then. When I was old enough to drive I went to concerts anytime he was near the Philly area. In 1984 I decided to approach Buddy and ask his permission to start a fan club for him. That lasted for 20 years. Through Buddy, I gained many friends of his and sparked a friendship with Marie Rich and Cathy and Nick Rich to this day. I assisted Mel Torme on his book Traps The Drum Wonder, Doug Meriwether's excellent discographies, and Pelle Berglund's newest release, One Of A Kind, released by Hudson Music.