Music: Drummer Bobby Z is keeping the beat

Bobby Z's heart stopped. Twice. In the hospital.

His family was summoned. So was his rabbi. But Z survived.

Now, 12 months later, he is drumming, producing and celebrating with the band that made him famous -- Prince & the Revolution.

Sunday at First Avenue, the "Purple Rain"-era Revolution will reunite -- Dr. Fink, Brownmark, Wendy & Lisa and Bobby Z.

And Prince? "Out of respect, he might not come," Z said. "It's not a dis, it's the opposite."

Prince didn't attend rehearsals last week. In 2003, the Revolution, sans Prince, did a cameo performance at a charity gig organized by Sheila E in Los Angeles.

"It seemed so natural at that time," keyboardist Lisa Coleman said last week from Los Angeles. "We just counted off one of the songs. I think they're so ingrained in our bodies."

Over the years, the Revolution has talked about getting together. "Schedules got busy and someday, someday, someday," Coleman said. "We could have lost Bobby and lost the chance. It made us say: No more waiting."

And no holding out for Prince. "He is not really sentimental" about anything, Melvoin said, including his group that disbanded in late 1986.

"He was concerned when Bobby first had his heart attack and offered a lot of support and love to Bobby," Coleman pointed out.

That was the day before the Super Bowl last year. Z thought he had a pinched nerve. His wife insisted he go to the hospital. Things got worse as he received three stents during a 13-day stretch.

Now Z, 56, can explain the ins and outs of heart disease. In fact, he's formed MyPurpleHeart.org to help raise awareness about heart health. Education will be part of Sunday's program at First Avenue. Z figures he's already made a difference.

Z chose "My Purple Heart" because the color purple has been identified with Prince and the Minnesota Vikings. "No disrespect to the military. Those guys die for theirs," Z said. "Mine comes from keeping the beat. If people identify me from Prince & the Revolution and as a heart attack survivor, then it's my purple heart."

In December, Z spoke at the American Heart Association gala in front of perhaps 1,000 people. Since his hospitalization, he has gotten himself "in the best shape in a long time." He hits the gym, the treadmill and occasionally the drum kit.

Z's main job is running a record label, CCE, which has put out projects by Alexander O'Neal, Sounds of Blackness, Shannon Curfman and others.

Last fall, Z hatched the idea for a Revolution reunion as a fundraiser/education event for heart health. Fans will get to see special guests, including saxophonist Eric Leeds, who joined Prince in 1987, and guitarist Dez Dickerson, who played with the Purple One from 1979 to '83. ?uestlove, drummer for the Roots and a hardcore fan of Prince and the Revolution, will offer a post-Revolution DJ set.

What was the Revolution's contribution to Prince's music?

As for Prince's view of this reunion, Z simply says, "He's been supportive and great about it. It's a big deal that he's letting this happen. He's totally invited. First Avenue is his house. And we're just house-sitting. He can come. I think he knows the material."