| Opus 21 - Jazz Drums |
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The jazz drums shown here were commissioned specially for Opus.
The development of drum sets is directly linked with that of popular music. Today, jazz drums usually include a small bass drum, several tom-toms mounted above the bass drum and tuned to set pitches, a snare drum, foot cymbals operated with the left foot, cymbals suspended above the bass drum, and a large tom-tom on a low floor stand. This drum set is also used in orchestral performances, of George Gershwin's music, for example, and a variety of film scores by composers such as John T. Williams (of Star Wars fame). 
Raymond Ayotte 
Video ExcerptAyotte Drum Company Vancouver, British Columbia 1991-1992 Raymond Ayotte makes drums exclusively to order. Four or five artisans are employed in his workshop, but each drum is individually crafted, thus ensuring complete originality. Ayotte is a professional drummer, who was drawn to drum making through repairing the instruments. He has operated his own workshop since 1983, where he and his colleagues have developed specialized machinery and tools. Raymond Ayotte has achieved international recognition. Many of his bass and snare drums are owned by symphony orchestras, not to mention jazz and rock musicians who order custom-made drum sets from him. His constant quest for superior quality has led him to develop a drumhead tension-adjustment system and the Ayotte Sensor System, which amplifies the vibraphone.
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In the
late nineteenth century, jazz and ragtime flourished, and
bass drums, snare drums and cymbals, generally associated with
military bands, were adopted to provide rhythm in popular
orchestras. Little by little, the percussion section took shape. In
the 1920s, drummers borrowed cowbells, woodblocks, cymbals and
Chinese tom-toms from the music hall and the circus. Other
significant innovations of that time were the Charleston foot pedal
and wire brushes for playing the cymbals and the snare drum, which
gave more freedom of movement to the drummer.
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