2014v2Online

Eliot Zigmund
Joining Rob Scheps for KC Tour
Drummer Eliot Zigmund is mostly known from his
four years in the Bill Evans Trio in the 1970s, but this is
just one of the many greats who he has worked with, a list
that includes Lee Konitz, Michel Petrucciani, Jim Hall,
Eddie Henderson, and Benny Golson.
Eliot came into jazz at a great time. “I am rooted in
the great bebop drummers such as Max Roach, Art Blakey,
Philly Joe Jones, Paul Motian and even some of the earlier
drummers,” he shared in our recent phone conversation. “I
knew these guys, and was able to hear and see all of them.
Seeing them is really important. Playing drums is very
physical and visual. I’m basically an old-school drummer
of that style.
“When I was coming up, jazz was still this sliver of
show business. It was still a viable way to make a living.
There were a lot of working bands, and a good circuit of
jazz clubs across the country. The bands played a lot, a
luxury that few know today. When I was with Bill, that
era had already declined quite a bit, but Bill still had long
tours, usually with week-long stays at a club. So we played
a lot, and so the music was consistently at a high level.
Plus, the recordings would be done over three or four days.
There was no rush. We could be choosy of tracks to use.”
Zigmund taught at NYU and William Paterson
University for a decade after this. He enjoyed it, but after
a day in the classroom he did not feel like playing gigs at
night. “I didn’t want to look at drums at the end of the
CONTINUED ON PAGE 28
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by Roger Atkinson
APRIL + MAY 2014 • JAZZ AMBASSADOR MAGAZINE