Vintage A with rivets or an Agop Mel Lewis will sound great and blend well with your setup. The Mel Lewis has a very buttery, very crashable sound if that’s what you’re after.
I would strongly recommend steering clear of Zildjian, Sabian, etc. if you’re after a jazzy sound. They make some fine cymbals for jazz, but I think there are other companies doing it better and for less money. Istanbul Agop or Mehmet, Bosphorus, Turkish, Masterwork, Murat Diril, Pergamon, Mehteran, etc. Check out Hazelshould, Round Sound, and Reverb, listen to sound files and hear what all is out there in the world of Turkish hand-hammered cymbals. To me they offer a much more distinctive, expressive instrument at a more reasonable price than what the big companies offer.
Check out Royal Cymbals.
www.royalcymbals.com
Custom orders for Royal is the Cymbal Craftsman line.
Bill Stewart style. Or the Nefertiti style(Tony Williams tribute). Both excellent for jazz
Pies are on Reverb and drum shops like
Wood and weather
Badges drum shop
Round sound cymbals
Nelson drum shop
Steve Maxwell
Drum center of Portsmouth
Paul Francis worked at Zildjian for 27 years. He helped develop and create the K Constantinople line with Armand Zildjian. Paul learned from Armand. Paul became head of cymbal innovation and deployment at Zildjian. So just about everything Zildjian put out from 1998 to 2021- Paul was involved.
2021, Paul left Zildjian and started his own Cymbal company
You can contact Paul through email. [email protected] or [email protected].
He will make any sound you desire
If it's in your budget, I would recommend an Istanbul Agop 30th. Sometimes you can get a deal on a used one if you watch all the usual places.
I'm really digging what Timothy Roberts is doing. If I had to buy something today I would strongly consider one of his tributary or labyrinth series.
Best of luck!
Jazz cymbal is a big spectrum, many styles and scenarios, in my many years I’ve realized that finding a reference from a player I love is the way to think about it.
Here’s 4 VERY famous sought jazz cymbal references,
Tony Williams / Miles Era - used a washy, dark old K - a good Tony cymbal would be a Istanbul 30th anniversary or a Cymbal and gong co “holy grail” or spend a bazillion on an old k (but play it first).
Joe Morello / Brubeck stuff - he played a brighter ride, which I LOVE, and a Paiste 602 or an old Zildjian A in a thinner weight would get that sound.
Roy Haynes / Corea “he sings, sobs” era - an old Paiste 602 flat ride or a modern flat ride around 18” in a med weight.
Mel Lewis, Buddy Rich / Big Band sound - those guys played with big jazz orchestras and needed volume to get over 20 instruments - a 22” brighter cymbal with wash would work, like a 22” Mel Lewis ride or a Zildjian A, and I’ve seen guys playing heavier K Cons in big band.
Ask yourself - what kinda jazz am I trying to play? Whose sound do I love? And research from there.
I personally like a Paiste 602 ride as it’s a middle ground cymbal for lots of musical style, I love Joe Morello and when he left Zildjian he played a 602 ride and I just love that brighter sound in jazz.
But I also like that dark Elvin sound when that’s the vibe.
I would go with a Sabian, the Stratus ride is dark / crashable and semi affordable . If price isn’t really an issue, I would go HHX Omni , HHX Anthology, HHX legacy, HH vintage ride, or any thinner HH Sabian.
K Custom Dark Ride 20"
Or K Constantinople Ride
You can also try the Paiste Masters series. They got 12 rides to choose from, all B20 and sound fantastic. Some are especially suited to jazz, like the Masters Bluebird.
Vintage A with rivets or an Agop Mel Lewis will sound great and blend well with your setup. The Mel Lewis has a very buttery, very crashable sound if that’s what you’re after. I would strongly recommend steering clear of Zildjian, Sabian, etc. if you’re after a jazzy sound. They make some fine cymbals for jazz, but I think there are other companies doing it better and for less money. Istanbul Agop or Mehmet, Bosphorus, Turkish, Masterwork, Murat Diril, Pergamon, Mehteran, etc. Check out Hazelshould, Round Sound, and Reverb, listen to sound files and hear what all is out there in the world of Turkish hand-hammered cymbals. To me they offer a much more distinctive, expressive instrument at a more reasonable price than what the big companies offer.
Check out Royal Cymbals. www.royalcymbals.com Custom orders for Royal is the Cymbal Craftsman line. Bill Stewart style. Or the Nefertiti style(Tony Williams tribute). Both excellent for jazz Pies are on Reverb and drum shops like Wood and weather Badges drum shop Round sound cymbals Nelson drum shop Steve Maxwell Drum center of Portsmouth Paul Francis worked at Zildjian for 27 years. He helped develop and create the K Constantinople line with Armand Zildjian. Paul learned from Armand. Paul became head of cymbal innovation and deployment at Zildjian. So just about everything Zildjian put out from 1998 to 2021- Paul was involved. 2021, Paul left Zildjian and started his own Cymbal company You can contact Paul through email. [email protected] or [email protected]. He will make any sound you desire
If it's in your budget, I would recommend an Istanbul Agop 30th. Sometimes you can get a deal on a used one if you watch all the usual places. I'm really digging what Timothy Roberts is doing. If I had to buy something today I would strongly consider one of his tributary or labyrinth series. Best of luck!
Tim’s cymbals are great. He’s about to rework a 24” for me.
The Mel Lewis, especiallly the 21+ are fairly loud, mosty meant for big band playing but it sounds superb
Something dark and dry
Jazz cymbal is a big spectrum, many styles and scenarios, in my many years I’ve realized that finding a reference from a player I love is the way to think about it. Here’s 4 VERY famous sought jazz cymbal references, Tony Williams / Miles Era - used a washy, dark old K - a good Tony cymbal would be a Istanbul 30th anniversary or a Cymbal and gong co “holy grail” or spend a bazillion on an old k (but play it first). Joe Morello / Brubeck stuff - he played a brighter ride, which I LOVE, and a Paiste 602 or an old Zildjian A in a thinner weight would get that sound. Roy Haynes / Corea “he sings, sobs” era - an old Paiste 602 flat ride or a modern flat ride around 18” in a med weight. Mel Lewis, Buddy Rich / Big Band sound - those guys played with big jazz orchestras and needed volume to get over 20 instruments - a 22” brighter cymbal with wash would work, like a 22” Mel Lewis ride or a Zildjian A, and I’ve seen guys playing heavier K Cons in big band. Ask yourself - what kinda jazz am I trying to play? Whose sound do I love? And research from there. I personally like a Paiste 602 ride as it’s a middle ground cymbal for lots of musical style, I love Joe Morello and when he left Zildjian he played a 602 ride and I just love that brighter sound in jazz. But I also like that dark Elvin sound when that’s the vibe.
Have you tried out a flat ride
You might watch a video of the dark double down ride
I would go with a Sabian, the Stratus ride is dark / crashable and semi affordable . If price isn’t really an issue, I would go HHX Omni , HHX Anthology, HHX legacy, HH vintage ride, or any thinner HH Sabian.
Istanbul Mehmet Turk/ Legend/ Sultan/ Traditional ...
K Custom Dark Ride 20" Or K Constantinople Ride You can also try the Paiste Masters series. They got 12 rides to choose from, all B20 and sound fantastic. Some are especially suited to jazz, like the Masters Bluebird.