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ToolshedP. MauriatPMT-700:Well-BalancedTrumpetThe P. Mauriat PMT-700 B-flat professional trumpetbalances its lightweight bell with a heavyweightmid-section. The light finger buttons, recessedvalve caps and heavyweight bottom caps not only addto the distinctive look of the horn but simply feel great tothe touch. The horn features a free-blowing 11.68 mm medium-largebore, a 122 mm yellow brass bell and stainless steel,hand-lapped valves.I tried both the lacquered matte and silver plated models. Bothhorns feel very light and balanced in your hands, and both slottedwell and responded evenly throughout all registers. I was particularlystruck by how live the lacquered matte horn felt. It was incrediblyresponsive, requiring very little effort to produce a warm, full sound.After playing only a few notes, I was drawn to toss on a JameyAebersold play-along to see how soloing on the horn would feel. Itdidn’t disappoint. The horn simply requires less work—once I backedoff on the pressure and effort, it really began to sing for me.Jazz and lead trumpet player Pete Olstad, who endorses the 700Gmodel, says he has found the one horn that he needs for all his work.“I was impressed by how well in tune the horn played and the easeand stability of the upper register,” he said.“P. Mauriat didn’t want to produce a copy of something already outthere,” said Dan Greenberg of MonteVerde Music, the North Americandistributor for P. Mauriat instruments. “They wanted to produce a newhorn, but something well constructed with high-quality brass that theycould still sell at a competitive price point.”If the company was looking to produce a solid, distinct horn, they’vereached their goal.—Mike Pavlik»Ordering info: monteverdemusic.comZildjian K Rides: High-Definition StickingZildjian has made three outstanding new additionsto its K and K Constantinople lineswith the 22-inch Bounce Ride, the 22-inchThin Ride/Over Hammered Ride andthe 20-inch K Light Flat Ride.The 22-inch K ConstantinopleBounce Ride was designed in conjunctionwith jazz drummer KennyWashington. It features wide lathing,a relatively thin weight (2,400 gramson my review cymbal) and a wider,lower-profile bell. The Bounce Ride featureseight different “over hammered”areas, giving the cymbals’ sound a little moretrashiness.The K Constantinople Bounce Ride is one of themost outstanding jazz rides Zildjian has produced in more than30 years. If you prefer the sound of the Turkish-made Zildjian K’s fromthe 1940s–1960s (as most jazz drummers do), this cymbal comes reallyclose. In a live situation the cymbal performed beautifully, providinggreat stick definition at all dynamic ranges coupled with a shimmering,dark wash underneath. The cymbal can explode when accented orshoulder crashed but quickly gets out of the way. The bell is sonicallywell integrated with the cymbal and has a darker sound. Mallet rolls onthe cymbal draw out beautifully dark and complex colors.The 22-inch K Constantinople Thin Ride/Over Hammered weighs amere 2,250 grams (on my review cymbal), but has outstanding stickdefinition for being so thin. The cymbal has little flex to it and has ahigh bow, giving it a higher pitch with less wash and overtones. Thetop surface of the cymbal features severalsmall-peen “over hammering” areas togive the cymbal a drier sound.In a live situation, this cymbal reallyshines on up-tempo stick patternsand faster straight-eighthpatterns. There is a controlled,underlying wash that is presentbut never gets in the way. Theoverall sound of the cymbal isdrier, but the thin weight makesshoulder crashing possible. The bellis excellent and blends well with theoverall sound of the cymbal.The 20-inch K Light Flat Ride has a beautifulcombination of stick definition coupled with awispy, breathy bed of wash underneath. It weighs in at anultra-thin 1,785 grams (on my test cymbal). The top surface featuresvery large hammering and tight pin-style lathing. This is not a particularlyloud cymbal, but in a trio or quartet setting it really works well.From playing a straight-eighth feel to playing delicately behind a basssolo, it does it all and has a wide range of sounds available, which israre in a flat ride.Zildjian has three fantastic new offerings with these cymbals. Whilethese sonically complex and thin cymbals are obviously targeted moretoward jazz players, they would work well in a variety of other low- tomedium-volume musical situations.—Ryan Bennett»Ordering info: zildjian.com110 DOWNBEAT May 2010