His cymbals have been used by drumming heavyweights including Neil Peart of Rush, Chad Smith of Red Hot Chili Peppers, Bill Cahn of the NEXUS percussion group, Terry Bozzio of Frank Zappa’s band, Keith Harris of the Black Eyed Peas, Daniel Adair of Nickelback, jazz great Jack DeJohnette and dozens more – and now New Brunswick-based Sabian Cymbals founder Robert Zildjian has passed away at the age of 89.
“It is with deep, deep sorrow that we announce the passing of Robert ‘RZ’ Zildjian, our beloved founder and leader,” reads the Sabian website. “A tireless and dynamic force within the drum industry, he inspired each one of us in the Sabian family to work harder, to reach farther, to make a difference – and he led us by example.”
According to the site, Zildjian came from 10 generations of Armenian cymbal makers, and his father emigrated to Boston in the early 1900s. His great uncle followed in 1928, bringing with him the family process and trade secrets of cymbal-making that would make the family famous across North American and around the world.
During World War II, the company almost went under because copper and tin – essential to the making of cymbals – were also key ingredients in shells and bullet casings. Ironically, the only thing that kept the business going was providing cymbals to army, navy and marine bands.
Then jazz went into full swing, followed by rock ‘n’ roll, and demand for the product soared – and in 1967, Ziljian’s father Avedis charged Robert with creating a subsidiary operation so the company could keep up with demand. According to Robert Zildjian’s bio, he opted to set up shop north of the 49th, in southwest New Brunswick.
“We could have located to New England,” said Zildjian at the time. “But there was one area that I knew well and believed in — southwest New Brunswick. I had been going there since 1946, and for 20 years since I had gone fishing with a local outfitter named Willard Way. I knew he was a dependable, hardworking guy who could manage men, so I got together with him, and we went looking for a location.
“I chose Meductic for two reasons. One was that the view up and down the river was simply beautiful. The other was that I wanted a rural place where the people who came to work for us would be self-sufficient, could be trained to our standards and would have no preconceptions about factory work. I told Willard to secure the land, and I put him in charge of building the factory and running the operation. And that’s how we started making AZCO cymbals in Meductic.”
The Meductic operations began in 1968; but the music turned sour a decade later, when Zildjian’s father passed away and a dispute arose between his two sons.
After a protracted legal battle, Zildjian received the company’s subsidiary in Meductic, where he opened a brand new cymbal company in 1981 called Sabian – named from the first two letters of each of his kids’ names: Sally, Bill and Andy.
The Sabian cymbals are considered some of the best in the world, and are the cymbal of choice for scores of top rock, jazz, and classical percussionists.
“I’d like to be the best cymbal company in the world,” said Bob Zildjian in an early Sabian interview. “I’m not that worried about being the biggest. But if we are the biggest, that’s good too. But being the best is primary…that’s my motivation.”
Now tributes from percussion aficionados are pouring into the Sabian website, with drummers paying tribute to the man behind their hat, crash and ride cymbals.
“We mourn his passing, and he will be forever in our hearts,” reads the Sabian website this week. “But we are better people for having known RZ, and we are richer for having worked alongside him. We draw comfort from the knowledge that his spirit will live on in the music made by drummers the world over.”
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