This last weekend I attended the 20th anniversary of the Chicago Vintage Drum show. There were more exhibitors than ever and the show was truly first rate. I decided not to have a booth, but I exhibited at the Drum Experts Slingerland display booth that presented its history to the hundreds of drummers that attended. They accomplished this in spades.
Perhaps the best part of the whole show was getting together with old friends and fellow drum collectors. Paul Mason, the owner of Tempus Drums, was his usual jovial self. Ronn Dunnett, the owner of Dunnett Custom Drums, seemed to be everywhere...taking pictures, talking up his drum line, and hinting at new projects he's working on.
Terry Hawkins, the owner of Skins and Tins Drum Shop in down state Illinois, brought his usual fine collection of vintage drums for sale. In fact, my only purchase was done with him. He had a very fine Paiste 602 ride cymbal that, for my tastes, was perfect. Even over the din of many drummers banging away on various drums, that cymbal cut through. I looked at many snare drums and drum kits, but decided against buying anything else.
There was a Premier piccolo drum and a Slingerland Buddy Rich piccolo that sparked my interest, but I didn't buy either one. Perhaps next time... Joe Morello, the great jazz drummer with Dave Brubeck, was scheduled to put on a clinic, but canceled due to health concerns. The other clincians that were there, particularly Danny Seraphine from CTA, put on a great show. And finally, I'd be remiss if I didn't mention the Asian and European buyers who attended. These gentlemen were in a buying frenzy. They knew what they wanted and had the cash to buy. And buy they did. All in all, it was a fabulous weekend.
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