METJAZZ is a french brand created just after WWII by Jean METZGER. He was working with his 3 sons, Henry, Jean Claude & André, and the workshop was located in SUCY EN BRIE near Paris. They made banjos and drums, and quickly knows a great success for their high quality instruments because METJAZZ was a very innovative brand, by design, and patented inventions.

Dynamics is the key to a musical performance.

We all know the standard short rolls included in the “Standard 26 American Drum Rudiments” and the Percussive Arts Society’s “40 International Rudiments” which are the 5-Stroke Roll, 7-Stroke Roll, 9-Stroke Roll, 10-Stroke Roll, 11-Stroke Roll, 13-Stroke Roll, 15-Stroke Roll and 17-Stroke Roll. But what happened to the others that are missing: 8-Stroke, 12-Stroke, 14-Stroke and 16-Stroke Rolls?

With more than 15 lbs of engineering, this snare is very complex ! Léon AGEL wanted to create a snare drum whose top and bottom heads can be adjust with a single screw... and snare wire under each head... An aluminum shell, 2 strainers, 2 wire tensions screws, 2 mufflers, 2 fixed hoops and a big internal tension system...

In 1991, Jack Hutchinson of Jack’s Drum Hutch organized a Drummer’s Swap Meet which was held in a lower level conference room of a Holiday Inn in Loves Park, Illinois. Participants included Rebeats, Randy Rainwater and Bun E Carlos, Chuck Scalia, Joe Luoma, Blair Holben, Jack Brand’s Percussion Express, Skins N Tins, and a couple of others.

Before its restoration, this instrument was brutalized : metric shell "badly resized" to have a 14", 10 extra-holes, totally flat bearing edges (1cm large), white painted shell interior (wood and screws), like gray painted hoops and nailed wrap... Just an horrible handyman !!…

Probably a special order... a "custom" drumset as we say today. This drumset was manufactured by METJAZZ brand (Jean Metzger drum maker), whose specialty was those very decorated drumsets, very fashionable in France from the 30s to the early 50s…

Adolphe CIRICHELLI would have started to make drums in 1908, and created the IMPERATOR MONDUS brand in the 30s... But before IMPERATOR MONDUS, Adolphe CIRICHELLI was associate to create CIRICHELLI CONSOL & Co in the 20's... Adolphe CIRICHELLI was Jacques CAPELLE grandfather's, who manufactured CAPELLE drums until 2010, but also ORANGE drums in the 70s ..

This full dress drum set dates back to the mid fifties, and its beautiful "fan" decor is made of painted engravings and inlaid brilliants ... Three ply shell with re rings, rounded bearing edge ... Nickel-plated zamack lugs, polished aluminum hoops and nickel-plated brass rods... Metric sizes GC 60cm (23.6") / CC 35cm (13.8") / Tom 30cm (11.8")... and calf skins.

I've completely restored this drum set which was shown during the exhibition "Roll & Swing, the drum set's birth in France" at the MUPOP french museum.

Busato was a recognized jazz guitar manufacturer in France, and he produced beautiful guitars, very decorated. He also produced accordions and top of the line drumsets, but drums production was only a small activity for BUSATO's workshop, so they are very rare !!