Mention the name Karl Ratzer and you will hear tales told, many between myth, truth and half-truths, rumors stretching out of the past, making the image of the great Austrian guitarist all that more full of mystic and panache. He is one of the few Austrian musicians to have emerged successful on the North American continent, with the likes of Joe Zawinul, Hans Koller and Fritz Pauer. His trademark guitar style is one of pure clarity and authenticity, combined with a powerful and impressive performing style he has the ability to pull audiences into his musical wake. The famed musical journalist, Bill Milkowski has mentioned Ratzer in the same breath as John Scofield, Danny Gatton, Roy Buchanan, Lowell George, Larry Carlton, Robben Ford, Sonny Landreth and Amos Garrett. He describes Ratzer’s style as “possessing a rich, creamy tone, a daring improvisational streak, a vibrato technique to die for and a penchant for real-deal blues, funk and soul, Ratzer rates as an authentic guitar hero on par with the best plectorists, six-stringers and chicken-pickers on this side of the pond.”
Karl Ratzer was born in Vienna, in 1950, to the artist and Holocaust survivor, Karl Stojka. The state of affairs of post WWII Vienna did not make things easy for a young and driven musician, simply because, the resources, the schools and the infrastructure for studying an instrument were not yet put back into place, and simply not available. That didn’t stop Ratzer, who began to teach himself guitar, with the inspiration of Elvis Presely and Ted Herold, his idols of that time. As time went on he made friends with Hans Salomon and Richard Schönherz, from whom he received instruction in music theory and harmonic structure. About that time Ratzer comments gleefully, “I used to just play, and not know what!”
Hi career began at 14 as the guitar player for the “Vienna Beatles” who were then one of the best bands in Vienna, following which he went on tour with The Slaves, an R&B band who were popular through Germany and Switzerland. After participation in two other projects, “Charles Ryders Corporation” and “C-Department” Ratzer formed the group “Gypsy Love” in 1971, with which he quickly garnered attention in his hometown of Vienna.
In 1972 he was invited to New York where he auditioned with the R&B, Soul and Funk band, “High Voltage” later renamed “ Rufus & Chaka Khan” with which he went on to play a longer stint with. In the meantime he had moved to Atlanta, Georgia from which he moved back to NY in 1977 and formed a band with Jeremy Steig, Dan Wall, Eddie Gomez, Joe Chambers und Ray Mantilla. He went on to record his first album with this group in 1978, “In Search of the Ghost”, even while he was performing with the like of Jazz Greats such as Bob Mintzer, Tom Harrell, Bob Berg, Joe Farrell, Steve Grossman and Chet Baker.
In 1980, after a tour throughout Europe, and with eight formative years in the USA of high level music-making and recording, Ratzer returned to Vienna, where he continued his intense study of Soul, Jazz, Rock and especially Blues, for which he had developed a unique aptitude and expressive style.
Back in Vienna Ratzer became the most desired side-man of the international touring Jazz circuit; playing with the likes of such masters as Art Farmer, Clark Terry, Lee Konitz, Chaka Khan, Eddie Lockjaw Davis and James Moody. He became a member of the Austria Radio Bigband and was bandleader for a variety of high-level Austrian formations such as “Guitar Special” and “Beat the Heat”. Ratzer describes this part of his career with the statement, “ I don’t just play guitar anymore, I make music”.
Karl Ratzer is unrivalled within Austria for his ability to explore new musical forms and express the essence of the genre without it becoming cliché. In his long and at times bumpy career, he has released almost 20 CDs, which exemplify the full spectrum of his talents through multiple genres, both on the guitar as well as a vocalist. In 2002 he was awarded he was awarded with the official Medal of Honor, doled out by the canton of Vienna. In order to truly appreciate Karl Ratzer one should make the effort to catch him live, either at Porgy and Bess in Vienna, or wherever one has the opportunity; an experience of his remarkable and soul-moving performance, which is unforgettable.
http://www.karlratzer.com/