Driiiiiiiin.
Driiiiiiiin.
Driiiiiiiin.
"Ready!"
"Marco, do you want to come to Boston to visit the Zildjian?"
"When?"
"It starts on October 1st"
"Azz ... but it's my birthday and I'm 40, I wanted to have a mega-party in Torin ... I'm coming!"
And so Zildjian takes the chestnuts out of the fire: she avoids the hassle of organizing the party for my 40s and above all gives me the opportunity for a truly unique factory tour. It is not every day that you receive such invitations. And you can't say no when the invitation comes from the most important dish company in the world. You can't, it looks ugly.
The birthday cake
which I had to give up
The Turin-Paris flight passes in a heartbeat. On the Paris-Boston flight, on the other hand, I find myself in the same row as a beautiful child who screams more than Rob Halford at the time of "Painkiller". The child, to whom the hostesses will affectionately give the name of Belfagor, threw high pitches such as to break the crystal glasses (and they were not the only things he broke) for the whole 8 hours of flight, without stopping. The mother was also dissuaded from feeding him so as not to further feed his energies but the little one got the better of it. At one point we were hoping for severe turbulence as a distraction, but the flight went smoothly.
Belfagor, the flying child
I land in Boston and it seems impossible that there is no one there to scream,
so much so that I look around a bit bewildered in search of casino.
I am the first of the Italians to arrive, I sit in the waiting room and read a book while watching couples meet and hug each other in the departures area. Moved, I make myself a coffee.
Half an hour later, the general states of Mogar, the Italian distributor of the Zildjian brand, arrive.
I recognize Mauro Antonazzi and I know Francesco Monzino; with them, two of my colleagues: Giacomo from Cavalli Musica and Wilson from Essemusic, as well as Davide, representative for Lombardy. I invite them to one of the airport bars because they have to toast: it's my birthday. And above all they, who arrived in super economy via Barcelona, were not offered even a glass of water during the flight. So, beer for the thirsty!
Time for a drink and back to the arrivals area: two other colleagues appear, Leopoldo (Acustica) and Max (Mama's), accompanied by Massimo, representative for some regions of southern Italy and who will bump me during the whole trip asking me to open a based in Bari in order to have me as a customer.
We are taken to the parking lot where a limousine bus is waiting for us and we sink into the armchairs. Boston is a city I know well: many years ago it was my first visit to the USA and it is partly responsible for what I then did in life.
That's why I like to watch her from the window as we head to Rockland.
And in the meantime I think of when as a kid I used to leaf through the catalogs and I would have wanted a Zildjian set so much, which I could not afford.
And today they are among the Fab5: their most important retailers in Italy. What a strange life!
We arrive at the hotel and we are welcomed by Yves and Andy, two Zildjian heavyweights, who will accompany us for the following days. Quick check-in and go up to my room. The room is so big that I can't even see it all, I run down the hall and find the others: we head to a nearby restaurant on foot.
At the table the ice breaks and there is immediately a good feeling. When I was already trying a 24 ”Crash Of Doom t-bone steak (sorry, professional deformation!) A waitress arrives with a cake with a candle on it, chanting“ Happy Birthday ”. Beautiful surprise, everyone sings and I eat.
No oh well, the American portions are so large that we all ate from my plate and maybe there was something left for those at the next table as well.
Hotel, upset.
I wake up at just 4 in the morning and it feels like noon. I read.
I look out the window. I read. I await the dawn.
Breakfast all together and then we head to Norwell. You enter the temple.
At the reception there is a monitor that welcomes us, with our names: spelled correctly!
The entrance to the temple
I begin to wander around risking a dislocated jaw dislocation and I search among the memorabilia on display. Toh !, the set by Ginger Baker. Look, Ringo Starr's. How? Is it a replica? And oh well, I don't want to know. There is a racing car that belonged to Avedis Zildjian. Photos, records, autographs, certificates: wherever you turn there is something to see. Many rooms are named after famous artists and I am fascinated by the Gene Krupa Conference Room: I would like an office like this!
Ginger
Ringo
Among the many things seen, I found one very curious: the family tree of the Zildjian family on a beautiful mural. With a branch that turns behind the wall, almost hidden from view and bears the name of Bob Zildjian who, for the uninitiated, is the founder of Sabian. But now, they tell us, they have made peace. Too bad, I forgot to take a picture!
And in order not to be blinded by the brilliance of the dishes (but actually for safety reasons) each of us are given protective goggles and are taken to the production area.
From the raw semi-finished product, a metal block, disks are subsequently pressed and hardened to withstand future stresses.
These will someday be flat!
They are then placed in a gigantic machine that cleans them of metal residues and from here the dish begins to take shape as we know it.
The semi-finished product is passed through a press
mechanical and water-cooled
One thing that many do not know is that the production process is the same for each dish: only in the last stages is it decided which series that dish will be part of and its weight. They are not workers: these boys from Massachusetts are artisans. Indeed, artists.
What does Zildjian mean?
Turkish for beginners
Now we are joined by Paul Francis, Director of Research & Design / Quality. It reminds me a little of Mark Wahlberg but despite this I decide not to ask him about his film career. I am fascinated by him and above all by his story: he is not 50 years old and he claims to have worked at Zildjian for at least 35. “The first day I worked here, I cleaned the floors. Then after cleaning a lot of them, I went into production as a worker ". And now he is at the top of the company.
A beautiful American story, of a nation that is sometimes contradictory but where merit is always rewarded.
Paul Francis
With Paul the tour continues: I ask him what exactly is in Zildjian's secret formula and the proportions between the various elements used. So, just to have me sent out to hang out. He smiles and says he doesn't even know about it. Although I don't believe him, I decide that Paul will be my mentor for that day and I won't give him up for a moment: I anticipate that when we get to the highlight of the day, I want him by my side.
Let's go through the other departments until we get to the Sound Testing Room. And here, dear friends, there is a lot of stuff.
No captions are needed
Imagine an encyclopedia of sounds, that's it. There is everything, absolutely everything you can think of. Every single dish produced by Zildjian, from the very beginning to the ones to come. And above all there is Leon Chiappini, of Italian origins, the company's true cymbal master. For almost 60 years he has been trying every single dish, comparing it with a reference sample, and deciding if that single dish will be marketed and how. In short, if you have Zildjians at home, know that he made the first selection. I hugged him, greeted him and thought about how much passion and professionalism it takes to do a job for so many years and still be smiling.
With the Maestro, Leon Chiappini
The Master's library
The “Master” plate as a champion
and reference for the whole range
Let's go back to the meeting room where we are joined by some managers of the company who present us the news of 2019: the new ones FX Stack, i K. Cluster Crash (I try in vain to hide one in my backpack) and the parabolic Crash Of Doom 22 ". A little later they talk to us about the new ones in ear monitor ZIEM1, a product that has never been in the catalog and on which curiosity is strong (and the numbers will prove us right).
The social media managers explain to us the desire to relaunch the Z Club (have you signed up?) With new initiatives and in this sense they focus a lot on the "Zildjian Underground": a series of videos shot mostly in New York, with drummers playing in urban contexts.
Truly American.
She has made up her mind and we are distracted by the catering: I admit that when they were explaining some technical things to us on the Zildjian website, out of the corner of my eye, I looked at the sandwiches on the opposite wall.
The lines are broken, the Zildjian sisters arrive and between a sandwich and a soup we chat freely about anything but work. They know that the day before was my birthday and they wish me well. Ah, this birthday thing got a bit out of hand for the whole group as my colleagues would occasionally leave with the stadium choirs singing “Happy Birthday” during the trip, especially during long bus trips.
There is time to go around the company a little longer, freely.
Hallway memorabilia
Tony
Elvin
Ringo
Yellow Dennis
In memoriam
Lars above all
A few platinum records
The world groove has passed through here
Here they didn't let me in:
it is the private collection of the Zildjian family
Making history
And finally, we enter the myth: The Vault
The Vault
What I had only seen in videos and photos, the inaccessible caveu that opens the doors for us today.
For two hours it's a free-for-all, like an early Black Friday:
everyone has their own shopping cart and is free to browse the shelves and choose what they want.
I have always thought that for an occasion like this it would be worth the risk and bring something truly unobtainable to Italy: for this reason I concentrated above all on the prototypes of the Zildjian Sound Lab Prototype Department and on some out of print models. What would be the point of bringing home dishes that we already have in the store?
I'm here for the unobtainable. And I find them.
I take Paul Francis by the arm. "Show me the most beautiful things you have". Luckily he doesn't misunderstand and takes me to another room dedicated to symphonic dishes. "Come over there and let's be quiet". Fortunately, I don't misunderstand either.
It is a room full of dishes whose value is incalculable. Paul first shows me a soundproof room which is used by endorsers. There is a latest generation audio system that allows you to select a series of different scenarios to obtain the sound performance in different contexts: arenas, small clubs, in acoustic, in the recording studio, jazz, heavy metal, reggae, etc. I enjoy playing around a bit and actually when I select the "Rock Arena" mode I feel like I'm Tommy Lee in Pasadena in 1987. But there are no groupies around, only Paul. And let's not get it wrong.
A glimpse of the Symphonic Cymbals Room
I find two 24 ”K Constantinople. "These are not in the catalog, they are unique pieces and one was used by Matt Johnson to record Jeff Buckley's 'Grace'". Taken. I find dishes that will come out perhaps in a few years. Taken. I find dishes that are out of print. Taken. I head to a shelf where I see a tag: endorser.
These are the cymbals used by their most prestigious artists for live and studio sessions. Taken hands down.
Rain of Costantini
Corridors of infinite beauty
When after two hours I look at the trolley I realize that I got carried away. A little like what happens to you when you come to our shop. Each of us is always someone else's customer.
First round
Yves, Zildjian's European marketing manager, smiles at me slyly. It reminds me of certain scenes seen in the shop. Everything is backfire on me. In his eyes I see the OLED 100 ”TV that he can finally buy with the commissions on my purchase. Without fear, I look him in the eye and add more dishes.
Fortunately, the slaughter game is interrupted: recreation is over, we go back to work.
The exact moment when I realize how much I spent
#solodaringo
You can find all the dishes that I have personally selected here
Coffee, meeting room, another meeting with marketing managers. We find a backpack with gadgets and gifts, together with a plate autographed by the Zildjian sisters, which I had already received a few years ago on the occasion of RingoMusic's tenth anniversary and which I proudly exhibited in my office.
We walk around the company again, making a bit of a racket. Then silence falls. "Zildj, take care of it, won't you?". These are the last words spoken by Buddy Rich to his friend Avedis Zildjian, on the verge of death: it was recommended to take care of his historic mother-of-pearl white Slingerland. And we have it in front of us, a piece of history of our instrument. In turns and in religious composure we caress her and pose for a photo. I don't publish it because I'm not worthy but sitting behind those drums I felt very small.
Unique emotion.
Amen
Cases that should be able to talk
We continue our tour, I ask for posters for the shop and they prepare me a folder with a lot of material.
It's drizzling outside, I pose for a souvenir photo in front of the Zildjian sign.
Only the Invicta backpack is missing
We get on the bus and leave for Boston. We are all tired but happy. And a little poorer too.
Our hotel for tonight is in the heart of Boston. Time for a quick shower and rushing down for dinner in a Brazilian churrascaria in Copley Square, one of the city's crossroads, a beautiful square.
Debbie and Craigie take their seats at the table and I try to sit next to them: not for pimping, but I am genuinely curious to talk to them and get feedback on our sector internationally. In reality and fortunately we talk little about work and we chat amiably about everything. It is a riot of food and wine. There is a lot of talk about Italy, about the United States: my interlocutors are curious to know what is said in our country and I gladly answer every question.
It is an evening from which I come out very enriched and not only professionally.
We say goodbye outside the restaurant, it's 11pm. What do we do?
A stroll down Newbury Street, Boston's cool street, to get you started.
It's Tuesday night, I remember it's the day at Slade's there is a funk night of those really not to be missed.
"Guys, let's go". Mauro, Leopoldo, Wilson and Giacomo welcome the invitation. Uber takes us to our destination.
I offer a drink because I still feel in a party mood and we listen to good music. The band on stage, notified of my birthday the day before (aridaje!) Sings "Happy Birthday" in the version that Stevie Wonder had dedicated to Martin Luther King. I feel honored, although the only right I've really fought for in my life is tennis,
that sometimes I just don't get it right.
"Shall we go back to the hotel on foot or by taxi?". Feet. We arrive at the hotel quite late.
I do not sleep a lot. It's 5. I get dressed and go down. Sunrise in Boston is blue.
Blue sunrise in Boston
We leave early for the second stage: a trip to the Vic Firth.
The story coming soon.
