Jazz Articles about Ratko Zjaca

Ratko Zjaca: Continental Talk

by Karl Ackermann
July 30, 2010

When a group's credentials include bassist John Patitucci, drummer Steve Gadd and trumpeter Randy Brecker, it's not an unreasonable expectation to hear some quality jazz. What may be more surprising is that leader, guitarist and composer, Ratko Zjaca and his longtime collaborator, saxophonist, Stanislav Mitrovic, steal the show on Continental Talk. This revelation is almost entirely due to the relative obscurity of these Croatian musicians in the U.S. As a teenager, Zjaca was inspired by performances from both the John ...

Ratko Zjaca: Continental Talk

by John Barron
June 6, 2009

When guitarist Ratko Zjaca plans a recording session, he thinks big in terms of sidemen. The guitarist's 2006 release Crossing the Border (Nishville Records) featured bassist John Patitucci and drummer Al Foster, along with saxophonist and co-producer Stanislav Mitrovic. For Continental Talk, Patitucci and Mitrovic return and Foster is replaced by legendary drummer Steve Gadd. Trumpeter Randy Brecker is featured on three tunes.

The disc's twelve tracks--all original material written by Zjaca and Mitrovic--range from in-the-pocket funk to more open-ended ...