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Zildjian celebrates with 385th anniversary event
Rob Hughes Oct 6 2008, 3:27pm
Ginger Baker to be honoured at Drummers Achievement Awards
To celebrate its 385th anniversary, leading cymbal manufacturer Zildjian will host its Drummers Achievement Awards in London this year. The awards will take place for the first time in the UK at the Shepherds Bush Empire on Sunday December 7, 2008.
The event is set to be a performance led night with drumming legend Ginger Baker (due to be honoured at the ceremony) joined onstage by Cream sidekick Jack Bruce and African legend Tony Allen. Also in attendance will be some of the world’s greatest drummers including Simon Phillips, Steve White and Keith Carlock. More special guests are to be announced in the coming weeks and tickets will be made available to the public.
Zildjian – meaning ‘son of a cymbal maker’ in Armenian – is one of the oldest and longest running family businesses in the world. In 1998, the family created the American Drummers Achievement Award to acknowledge the remarkable contribution that drumming has made to contemporary music. The awards honour those individuals who have made extraordinary contributions to the art of drum set playing and to music itself.
South London born Ginger Baker enters the Zildjian hall of fame having shot to fame in the 60s after joining one of the most successful and influential British blues-rock groups ever - Cream.
Ginger, alongside band mates Eric Clapton and Jack Bruce went on to receive five gold albums and were one of the first ever bands to attain a platinum disc. His flamboyant performances and pioneering use of two bass drums in place of the conventional single kick drum instantly set new standards for rock drummers throughout the world.
In 1969 Ginger left Cream with bandmate Eric Clapton to form Blind Faith with Rick Grech and Steve Winwood and later went on to release his own material including Ginger Baker’s Air Force. Cream re-formed in 2005 and packed out arenas around the world to critical acclaim.
For ticket information visit: www.shepherds-bush-empire.co.uk or to book tickets online visit: www.ticketweb.co.uk. The box office can be contacted on 0844 477 2000
The Zildjian Drummers Achievement Awards are sponsored by Rhythm Magazine UK and Yamaha Music UK.
zildjian385.com
