Difference between revisions of "Istanbul Agop Idris Muhammad Signature 22" Ride"

Latest revision as of 07:57, 9 February 2026

Istanbul Agops are made today as they were during the Cold War and Sputnik eras-the time window when Leo Morris, now known as Idris Muhammad, was appearing on countless records. Though he's often labeled as a jazz drummer due to his stirring work with pianist Ahmad Jamal, Muhammad has recorded more funky classics than you can shake a stick at. Accordingly, his 22" medium-heavy signature cymbal leaps musical genres with ease. It's an instrument that heralds a new wave of Turkish cymbals: light on trash, heavy on articulation.

We received one test model, which was all that was needed to verify that this cymbal is as useful a tool for rendering yesterday's folkloric "Poinciana" as it is for the electric urban vibe on John Scofield's Groove Elation.

This is a pretty cymbal, all shiny and bright with a crisp tone to match. It really shone brightly when placed aside my ancient Turkish Ks, cymbals made in similar a fashion but that are now oxidized and discolored from the passage of time.

To manufacture the Muhammad signature, Agop stamped a moderate-sized bell into a flat bronze plate. Then the hammerer bludgeoned the disc, forcing it into a fairly low profile. Quite obviously, various-sized hammers were employed, resulting in overlapping craters mighty and meager. One hammer pattern radiated like spokes of a moving wheel, diverging from straight lines as they weaved from bell to edge-evidence that the hammerer turned the disc with one hand while carefully striking with the other.

Next, the lathe operator chiseled narrow rings across the moon-like surface. Finely etched lathe lines tend to reduce "zing" that can emanate from deeper trenches, thus enhancing focus. The bottom side was hammered but not lathed, only scraped with a heavy wire brush. In addition, there were nearly 600 additional fine-peen hammer marks atop the cymbal, administered after lathing. This "over hammering" further compresses metal and fosters crisp tip sounds, without promoting a hard feel.

The bell, with no hammer marks, was thicker than the norm and sang brightly without being piercing. The Muhammad's smallish bell predictably restricted crashability.

In sum, the Muhammad is a cymbal rich in mid frequencies. Audiophiles, who extol the virtues of drivers that render the full spectrum of mids, would certainly approve of the Muhammad according to the old mantra: The music's in the mids.

This cymbal expresses a dichotomy where brilliant tip action and a bright bell emerge from a dark place. I noticed this on gigs ranging from roots rock to piano trio. Lots of ping was happening, but the effect was given extra dimension by the traditional Turkish undertones. Istanbul Agop literature describes this model as "dry." I'd agree but suggest that the stick attack is more than an arid click-it's a crystal ping.

I'm growing to appreciate heavier cymbals that balance old- world complexity with new-world brilliant focus, especially when the shank-against-bow effect isn't as crass as that high squawk you get from some modern cymbals. Try laying the shank of a stick across the bow of your rock ride, and you'll get my point. Chances are you'd likely employ the Agop Muhammad in lieu of your rock ride or Latin go-to cymbal. And once you "learn the cymbal," you'll evoke the darker mid-'60s vibe, which in this instance is more Tony Williams than Art Blakey. Agop's Scott Liken intimated that this cymbal was a sleeper initially, passed over by drummers scouring for the iconic thin, trashy jazz ride. But some of them gave it a go and then another. A bell went off, and they perked up."

Review written by Modern Drummer ("Idris Muhammad Signature Ride", Modern Drummer, March 2009, p.33)

Artist/song where it can be heard:

Difference between revisions of "Istanbul Agop Idris Muhammad Signature 22" Ride"

Latest revision as of 07:57, 9 February 2026

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@@ Line 49: / Line 49: @@
 [https://youtu.be/lUShnFkyCUg?si=9-9y3bwjh3K7Slj2 Idris Muhammad Signature 22" Ride] <br>
 '''Istanbul Agop's Description:''' [[Istanbul Agop Ride#Idris Muhammad Signature|<<< - >>>]]<br>
-'''Review:''' <br>
+'''Review:''' "Wobbly-edged plates that exude dark, even trashy overtones and a significant wash that drummers learn to play like a fish on a line. The stereotypical Turkish overtones arise, in part, from cymbalmakers hammering a flat B20 bronze casting into shape-as opposed to the North American way of hydraulically bumping the entire disc into the familiar cymbal shape, and then dressing it with hammer blows.
-Review written by <br>
+Istanbul Agops are made today as they were during the Cold War and Sputnik eras-the time window when Leo Morris, now known as Idris Muhammad, was appearing on countless records. Though he's often labeled as a jazz drummer due to his stirring work with pianist Ahmad Jamal, Muhammad has recorded more funky classics than you can shake a stick at. Accordingly, his 22" medium-heavy signature cymbal leaps musical genres with ease. It's an instrument that heralds a new wave of Turkish cymbals: light on trash, heavy on articulation.
+We received one test model, which was all that was needed to verify that this cymbal is as useful a tool for rendering yesterday's folkloric "Poinciana" as it is for the electric urban vibe on John Scofield's Groove Elation.
+This is a pretty cymbal, all shiny and bright with a crisp tone to match. It really shone brightly when placed aside my ancient Turkish Ks, cymbals made in similar a fashion but that are now oxidized and discolored from the passage of time.
+To manufacture the Muhammad signature, Agop stamped a moderate-sized bell into a flat bronze plate. Then the hammerer bludgeoned the disc, forcing it into a fairly low profile. Quite obviously, various-sized hammers were employed, resulting in overlapping craters mighty and meager. One hammer pattern radiated like spokes of a moving wheel, diverging from straight lines as they weaved from bell to edge-evidence that the hammerer turned the disc with one hand while carefully striking with the other.
+Next, the lathe operator chiseled narrow rings across the moon-like surface. Finely etched lathe lines tend to reduce "zing" that can emanate from deeper trenches, thus enhancing focus. The bottom side was hammered but not lathed, only scraped with a heavy wire brush. In addition, there were nearly 600 additional fine-peen hammer marks atop the cymbal, administered after lathing. This "over hammering" further compresses metal and fosters crisp tip sounds, without promoting a hard feel.
+The bell, with no hammer marks, was thicker than the norm and sang brightly without being piercing. The Muhammad's smallish bell predictably restricted crashability.
+In sum, the Muhammad is a cymbal rich in mid frequencies. Audiophiles, who extol the virtues of drivers that render the full spectrum of mids, would certainly approve of the Muhammad according to the old mantra: The music's in the mids.
+This cymbal expresses a dichotomy where brilliant tip action and a bright bell emerge from a dark place. I noticed this on gigs ranging from roots rock to piano trio. Lots of ping was happening, but the effect was given extra dimension by the traditional Turkish undertones. Istanbul Agop literature describes this model as "dry." I'd agree but suggest that the stick attack is more than an arid click-it's a crystal ping.
+I'm growing to appreciate heavier cymbals that balance old- world complexity with new-world brilliant focus, especially when the shank-against-bow effect isn't as crass as that high squawk you get from some modern cymbals. Try laying the shank of a stick across the bow of your rock ride, and you'll get my point. Chances are you'd likely employ the Agop Muhammad in lieu of your rock ride or Latin go-to cymbal. And once you "learn the cymbal," you'll evoke the darker mid-'60s vibe, which in this instance is more Tony Williams than Art Blakey. Agop's Scott Liken intimated that this cymbal was a sleeper initially, passed over by drummers scouring for the iconic thin, trashy jazz ride. But some of them gave it a go and then another. A bell went off, and they perked up."
+:Review written by Modern Drummer ("Idris Muhammad Signature Ride", Modern Drummer, March 2009, p.33)<br>
 '''Artist/song where it can be heard:'''