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THE 2003 AMERICAN DRUMMERS ACHIEVEMENT AWARDS
The Zildjian Company sponsored the second American Drummers Achievement Awards (ADAA) on Saturday, September 13, 2003 at a sold-out Berklee Performance Center in Boston, MA. This year the ADAA honored drumming legend Steve Gadd,
with a special tribute to Armand Zildjian. Like the first American Drummers Achievement Awards in 1998, which honored Louie Bellson, Roy Haynes, Elvin Jones and Max Roach, this year’s ADAA will endow scholarships in both Steve Gadd’s and Armand Zildjian’s names at Berklee College of Music. More than two years in the making, the event was hosted by comedy legend Bill Cosby, and featured an all-star Los Angeles based band including: Vinnie Colaiuta and Rick Marotta on Drums, Mike Landau - Guitar, Jimmy Johnson - Bass, Larry Goldings - Keyboards and special guest appearances by Will Lee - Vocals and Tom Scott - Saxophone.
The evening was chock full of incredible musical performances, video tributes to Armand Zildjian and Steve Gadd, and moving commentaries by Craigie Zildjian (CEO) Debbie Zildjian (VP), Mrs. Armand “Andy” Zildjian, Rab Zildjian, Lee Berk (President of Berklee College), Louie Bellson, John Beck, Anthony Jackson, Rick Marotta, Vinnie Colaiuta and Steve Gadd. Bill Cosby’s impeccable comedic timing kept the show evenly paced and created some very funny exchanges with the Zildjian Family, Rick, Vinnie and the rest of the band.
There was, of course, plenty of great music throughout the evening. The rhythm section of Rick Marotta and Jimmy Johnson anchored the band in a version of “Watching The River Flow”, featuring the soulful vocals of Will Lee and blistering slide work of Mike Landau. Closely followed was Tom Scott’s “Dirty Old Man”, with Tom taking many opportunities to stretch. Paul Simon made a special appearance closing out the first half, performing his timeless classic and showcasing Gadd’s signature beat, “50 Ways To Leave Your Lover” with the honoree himself, Steve Gadd, joining him to a standing ovation from the audience.
The second half of the show featured the much anticipated Vinnie Colaiuta who flew in that day from London while on a promotional tour with Sting. He and the band performed an incredible rendition of Chick Corea’s “Nitesprite” and Stuff’s “Subway” with lots of great moments for the entire band to shine, especially Vinnie, who rose to the occasion to pay tribute to one of his heroes, Steve Gadd. After his performance with the band, Vinnie invited Rick Marotta back up on stage where they both performed a surprise version of “Duke’s Lullaby”, a drum solo written by Steve for his oldest son, Duke. Then, both Vinnie and Rick presented the ADAA award to Steve, bringing the audience to its feet once again for a standing ovation as Steve took the stage to accept his award.
Steve Gadd commented: “I was especially proud to be honored along with Armand Zildjian, due to our close personal friendship”.
James Taylor, backed by the nucleus of his band including Steve Gadd on drums, closed the evening with “October Road”, followed by a stirring rendition of “Country Road”, giving Steve plenty of room to stretch, which worked the audience into a frenzy. James made a touching speech, stating how fortunate he feels to play with Steve, then Steve and the band brought the house down with a rousing rendition of Duke Ellington’s “Things Ain’t What They Used To Be”; Steve again having plenty of room to stretch as only he can. The show closed on the highest possible note and Steve was gracious enough to remain on stage and sign autographs for the many fans who made their way to the front.
Also in attendance were three of 1998’s honorees; Louie Bellson, Roy Haynes and Elvin Jones, as well as drumming luminaries: Steve Smith, Horacio Hernandez, Chris Parker, Freddie Gruber, John Riley, Russ Miller, Dave Mattacks, Ian Wallace, Casey Scheuerell, Dave DiCenso, Kenwood Dennard and Jim Keltner to name a few…
“Steve is perhaps the most influential drummer of our generation”, said Craigie Zildjian. “And he is more than deserving of this honor. It's probably easier to list the people Steve hasn't played with, than those he has."
John DeChristopher, Zildjian Director of Artist Relations who produced the show, stated “This was an incredible showing of love and respect for Steve. Vinnie, Rick, all the guys in the band, the Zildjian staff, Bill Cosby, Paul Simon and James Taylor, all donated their time and energy. And we’d do it all over again in a heartbeat”.
A DVD of the event now available.
Sponsoring The Celebration Of Zildjian's 380th Anniversary
The following organizations and companies sponsored the celebration of Zildjian's 380th Anniversary and the second American Drummers Achievement Awards held on September 13, 2003 at the Berklee Performance Center in Boston. For more information about each sponsor click on the sponsor's name to visit the web site.
The Zildjian family would like to extend thanks to all who participated in this great event.
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