K. Zildjian

A 20"/51 cm K Zildjian ride cymbal. Photo by Joe Furr.

K. Zildjian a line of cymbals in Zildjian's current product range and formerly a separate company that rivaled the American Avedis Zildjian Company. The K. Zildjian Company was started by Kerope Zilcan in Constantinople, Turkey after Avedis Zildjian III left to make cymbals in America. The cymbals were called K. Zildjian Constantinople, but in 1923 the Turkish Republic was established and the name of Constantinople was officially changed to Istanbul, resulting in the change of the name to K. Zildjian Istanbul. Around 1926, Aram Zildjian signed an exclusive American distribution agreement for K. Zildjian cymbals with Fred Gretsch Co.

In 1968, the K. Zildjian Co. and all European trademarks were bought out by Robert Zildjian on behalf of the Avedis Zildjian Co, marking the end of the K. Zildjian Company. The K Zildjian cymbals were produced in Istanbul until 1975, when Robert Zildjian brought the production to Zildjian's Canadian Azco factory. The K Zildjian cymbals were produced there until 1979.

In the early 1980's, Agop Tomercuk and Mehmet Tamdeger, two former workers for the K. Zildjian Co., formed a new Turkish cymbal-making company called the Zilciler Kollektif and begin marketing a line of cymbals named "Istanbul". When Agop died in 1996, Agop's two sons and Mehmet split to form "Istanbul Agop" and "Istanbul Mehmet," respectively. After that split, many other Turkish cymbal companies emerged. A large company that emerged named Bogazici Zil began marketing a line of cymbals called "Bosphorus" Other Turkish cymbal companies include "Masterwork," "Grand Master," "Anatolian," and "Turkish."

The Avedis Zildjian Company started marketing a line of K. Zildjian cymbals in the early 1980's, hand hammered in the tradition of the original cymbals, but today the K. Zildjian cymbal line is no longer hand hammered. In 1998, the Avedis Zildjian Company released a line of cymbals called the K. Constantinoples made to replicate the sound of the original K. Zildjians made in Turkey.

Some famous players of K. Zildjian cymbals are Max Roach, Art Blakey, Elvin Jones, Tony Williams, Jimmy Cobb, Jon Christensen, and Bill Stewart.

See also

* Avedis Zildjian Company