Touching Minds Ratko Zjaca

• 1 Touching Minds 05:38
• 2 The Life Ahead 05:11
• 3 Dharma 06:26
• 4 First Prayer 05:30
• 5 The Story of Us 07:10
• 6 Here Nothing Begins 06:39
• 7 Liberation 04:28
• 8 Horizons (For Carlo) 03:59
• Total Runtime 45:01

Info for Touching Minds

Ratko Zjaca is back with a very distinctive world music project that finds the Croatian-born guitarist and long-time resident of Rotterdam interacting with musicians from Romania, England and India. The results of his 18th outing as a leader or co-leader are staggeringly beautiful and full of improvisational daring. Joined by Romanian cimbalom player Marius Preda, who is widely regarded as the world's first jazz soloist on that trapezoidal stringed instrument that is the distant cousin of a hammered dulcimer, along with British-born upright bassist Nick McGuire and the innovative, groundbreaking percussionist Trilok Gurtu, Zjaca and his interactive crew strike an uncanny accord on the eight delightful originals presented on Touching Minds.

With Zjaca bringing in all the compositions and Preda doing the arranging, they recruited McGuire for his rock-solid fundamental bass work. They next brought in Bombay-born Gurtu, an acclaimed master of the tabla who has also developed an abundance of chops over the decades on a hybrid drumming kit he designed and pioneered through his collaborations with John McLaughlin, Joe Zawinul, Bill Laswell, Jonas Hellborg, Jack Bruce, Terje Rydpal, Oregon, the Arke String Quartet and many others. Throughout Touching Minds, Gurtu brings the groove while also coloring the proceedings with nuanced shadings.

"I wanted a new sound for this album and the tabla and cimbalom together moved it all to a new spectrum. And when you have two of world's best players on their respective instruments, which Trilok and Marius are, you have some very special ingredients to make some incredible music", Zjaca says.

While he may have soaked up the influences of countless guitarists he has listened to and emulated at different times over the years, from Joe Pass and Jim Hall to John McLaughlin and Pat Metheny, he described his guiding principle throughout Touching Minds as: "I play what I hear and what the music asks of me at that moment."

“Marius’s unique approach to Ratko’s compositions creates an experience that transcends conventional boundaries.” (Arturo Sandoval)

“This recording confirms a unique vision of great and creative musicians going forward and presents its own personal style. Keep going Ratko!“ (Reggie Workman)

““Touching Minds” is like a breeze of fresh mountain air.” (John Riley)

Ratko Zjaca, electric & acoustic guitar, electronics
Marius Preda, cimbalom, piano
Nick McGuire, acoustic bass
Trilok Gurtu, percussion, drums

Ratko Zjaca
is an innovative musician, who is widely recognized as a technically advanced guitarist. He is known for being a relentless individualist, which is evidenced in his improvisational style. Ratko has had a prolific and extensive session history as a recording guitarist having played on many released recordings. He is a highly versatile player covering many areas of music but is best known for his work in the modern jazz and improvisation idiom. Ratko has released a number of albums as leader and has performed and recorded with many leading world American and European musicians.

Ratko Zjaca is considered a very gifted stylist, assumes many roles in his macrocosm of music: contemporary guitarist, composer, performer and educator. His unique musical vision absorbs and reflects all manner of music while retaining an enviable individualism and high quality craftsmanship that can span from quiet intimacy to searing intensity. Diverse musical backgrounds, which include jazz, world music, and free improvisation. He has been working on original compositions as well as crafting beautiful and haunting improvisations. He invented a unique style that is fearless, ambitious and volatile. He studied and graduated from Zagreb University. In his drive for the necessary knowledge and the enormous need for studies he sought his refuge in The Netherlands at the Rotterdam Conservatory. There he could get teachings by well-known masters. He also followed masterclasses and personal courses with Joe Pass, Jim Hall, Pat Metheny, Mike Stern, Bob Brookmayer, John Abercrombie, Mick Goodrick, Hariprasad Chaurasia and others.

Unlike some of his colleagues Ratko is not focusing only on saxophone phraseologies, but is continuously expanding the guitar's vocabulary within today's world of music. Whilst improving his performance to create his typical own sound and style, Ratko as a gifted teacher with a loaded teaching schedule, is capable of transposing most advanced phrases and concepts into structures, suitable for every musician. He gives master classes all around the world for guitar and fretless guitar, in countries like Slovenia, the Netherlands, France, Croatia and the United States.

After completing his study at the Rotterdam Conservatory where he studied jazz guitar, composition and Indian classical music, he also studied at New York University School of Music. He started to work with own group and with American trumpet veteran Benny Bailey group. Ratko participated at many international festivals and has been booked for the major club dates at the European and American scene. Ratko has constantly made major efforts to enrich his experience with appearances and recordings. He was also performing and recording with Benny Bailey, Gary Peacock, Reggie Workman, John Patitucci, Al Foster, Jimmy Cobb, Steve Gadd, Alvin Queen, Ron Carter, Randy Brecker, Miroslav Vitous, Jeff Tain Watts, Adam Nussbaum, Kirk Lightsey, Simone Zancini, Anders Bergcrantz, Shawnn Monteiro, Denise Jannah etc.

In April 2000 Ratko recorded 'A Day in Manhattan' in New York with members of John Coltrane and Miles Davis rhythm section, Reggie Workman and Al Foster.

Ratko is currently composing music and working on a new world music project on which he plays baritone, sitar, fretless, soprano, electric and acoustic guitars - this will be the second part of his previous record Shades of Spirit, Fretless Guitar Project.

This album contains no booklet.