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 Drawing
from a multitude of influences ranging from elegant classical and
jazz styles to the rawest, most basic blues, country and soul,
Radoslav Lorkovic has taken on an unusually broad musical spectrum
and refined it into his distinctive piano stlye. His tenure on the
R&B and folk circuits has culminated in five critically
acclaimed solo recordings and numerous appearances on the
recordings of and performances with artists including Greg Brown,
Richard Shindell, Dave Moore, Andy White and Bo Ramsey. His twenty
year touring career has led him from the taverns of the upper
Mississippi River to the castles of Italy, The Yup'ik villages of
Alaska and Carnegie Hall.
Born in
Zagreb, Croatia in 1958, Lorkovic's initial exposure to music can
be attributed to two grandmothers. Antonija Bujas, his maternal
Grandmother, sang him Croatian, Slovenian and Czech folk songs
since birth. At age one he was reported to be singing back on
pitch. By age three he was putting on floor shows for his
grandfather and friends who would respond by showering him with
coins yelling "pivaj Radoslav pivaj!" During this time
classical music played in the home constantly due to the influence
of his paternal grandmother Melita Lorkovic, a internationally
renown classical pianist. After this blend of central European
musical influences Radoslav moved to the United States at age six.
He had a foothold on a classical music career when at age fourteen
he was sidetracked by a blues scale that a friend had taught him.
After several
years and countless hours of expounding on this spark, Lorkovic
began touring at age 20 with Bo
Ramsey and the Sliders. Lorkovic entered the band having
mastered the styles of boogie-woogie greats such as Albert Ammons,
Pete Johnson, Freddie Slack etc.. Ramsey's influence drove
Lorkovic deeper to the core of the blues. The music of Howlin'
Wolf, Muddy Waters and Little Walter shifted Lorkovic's focus to
the basics as he began to draw from the styles of Otis Spann and
Pinetop Perkins. Several years later Lorkovic and
Ramsey joined forces with Greg
Brown adding musical authenticity to his deep Iowa Roots. At
this time Lorkovic was simultaneously brushing up on his classical
heritage and looking south to the polyrhythmic sounds of Professor
Longhair and James Booker. He had picked up Tex-Mex and Zydeco
accordion as well. In 1990 he made his solo recording debut. Five
CDs later, Lorkovic currently tours the world regularly appearing
at prestigious events such as the Winnipeg Folk Festival, Falcon
Ridge Folk Festival, NYC's Bottom Line as well as a litany of
Italian castles and villas.
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