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.
Read moreDrumming is in the ear of the beholder
Dynamics is the key to a musical performance.
Read moreRuffs & Rolls
Mat Marucci's performing credits include jazz greats Jimmy Smith, Kenny Burrell, James Moody, Eddie Harris, Buddy De Franco, Les McCann, Pharoah Sanders, and John Tchicai among others and has numerous critically acclaimed recordings to his credit as both leader and sideman.
Mat is the author of several books on drumming and has written numerous articles on drumming for Modern Drummer and Downbeat magazines. He is an endorser for Zildjian, Vic Firth, Remo and formerly both Gretsch and Mapex.
Mat's latest books with Mel Bay Publications are 'Mastering The Snare Drum' and 'Essential Snare Drum Exercises' (both reviewed on Not So Modern Drummer) and 'Jazz Drumming Essentials....And More.' His music and discography can found at Spotify.com and Reverbnation.com and can be heard on most streaming platforms.
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?
Read moreFrench Pax Snare
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...
Read moreHistory of the Chicago Drum Show
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.
Read moreRare 1 of a kind French Snare Drum - 1946 MetJazz "Card" custom made
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 !!…
Marcel FAIVRE full dress drumset
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…
Read more1920s Cirichelli Snare Renovation
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 ..
Read more1950s METJAZZ brand French Drum Set
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.
Read moreFrench vintage BUSATO drum set restored
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 !!
Read moreImperator Mondus 1920s drum set - Ultra rare French instrument
This is the only complete IMPERATOR MODUS drum set known to date ! This "Jazz" (drumsets were called "Jazz" in France before the WWII) dates from the late 1920s and is the "Luxury" model of the brand.... A full dress drum set decorated with marquetry and nacrolac (plastic pearl)...
Read moreEmile Boulanger/Duplex Snare Drum circa 1897
Difficult to date precisely, but this model appears in a 1885 catalog, and a patent of 1887 represents a perforated snare drum... This model must date from the late XIXth, circa 1897... Nickel-plated metal drum shell, 15'' x 5,5'' for dimensions, with 12 skeleton rods (as Boulanger called them... His patent which revolutionized drum history), with very fine tension rods in 5/16 ... This snare drum was made for street bands… This ultra rare snare is more than 110 years old, but after restoration it remains a pure jewel !!
Read more1950s French ASBA set with nesting floor tom
This brand was created in 1928 by Alfred and Simone BOUDARD. Pre-war, ASBA produced accessories for musical instruments (music stand, trumpet mute, instruments stand, etc...). It was only after WWII that ASBA began to produce drums and percussions and eventually became internationally successful !
Read moreFrench Brand: 1932 Campanella "Paramount" model snare
There is no badge or brand stamp on this snare, as often on the French snares, which are sometimes difficult to identify. This snare drum appears in Campanella catalog of 1932. The "Paramount" model snare of Campanella was a luxury snare drum in the thirties ! It cost 700 francs en 1932, that is to say 5 months of french average salary of the era or approximatively 500$ nowadays.
Read moreGaillard & Loiselet "Jazz Band" snare drum
Gaillard & Loiselet is the successor of several manufacturers who exist and succeeded since 1812... This brand has succeeded to "Couturier Pelisson Blanchon". Gaillard & Loiselet was created in the early 1930s and exist still exist on the early 1960s. The factory and the manufacture was in Lyon, at 273, Cours Lafayette and produced essentially wind instruments (trumpet, saxophone, tuba, etc…) and some marching drums and bass drums.
Read moreMarcel FAIVRE Mambo drum set - French circa 50s
The brand: “Marcel FAIVRE Pigall’s Swing” was a music store in Paris. Their drum sets were manufactured by a little Parisian craftsman (P. Casadei who manufactured “Gary” brand)
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