Biography

The music of Zel is hypnotic and spellbinding combination of both ancient and modern sounds – the timeless sounds of flamenco guitar combined with ethereal keyboards that have it be unmistakably modern.

His debut album, True, is a masterful piece of work that is stunning for its virtuosity and command of both his instrument and his expression of it. It’s the music of a man who has journeyed long and far to be where he is today, and is making the most of it.

A practicing physician for years, Zel, who was born and raised in Dubrovnik, Croatia, began playing the guitar as a child. “My parents bought the guitar for my brother,” he remembers, “but I picked it up instead.” Dubrovnik is an ancient town with a rich cultural history, and Zel absorbed it all – the folk melodies passed down over the centuries, the compositions of Francisco Tarrega, as well as the sound of Jimi Hendrix and the flamenco of Paco DeLucia.

After getting his medical degree in Croatia, Zel came to the United States to do his residency, and he’s been here ever since. Despite his busy schedule as a practicing physician, Zel studied flamenco with the Spanish guitarist Enrique Vargas, which was hugely influential on Zel. He says, “A lot of my influences with technique are from flamenco, and when I studied with Enrique, it was a profound experience.”

But simply studying and becoming increasingly masterful with the guitar was not sufficient for Zel – making an album was next for him, and with that, the seed of what would become True, was planted.

Self-produced by Zel, with every instrument on the album played by him, True resonates with a spirit of discovery, of Zel communicating everything he’s learned and loves about the guitar and about music itself. Zel intended to make a statement, and indeed, the songs are a declaration of Zel’s philosophy of what to play, how to play it, and how to distinguish himself from the vast number of guitarists. “A lot of guitar records sound the same,” notices Zel. “What was important for me was to express my own sound.”

You can hear that singular sound on every song on True, from the title track, to the “melodic mood guitar” style of “Kingdom,” which showcases Zel’s emphasis on the melodic. He explains, “I sacrifice everything for melody – there’s nothing more important and I think that’s something that’s been lost in a lot of music today.” “Light” features Zel’s interpretation of Alegrias, a flamenco form and “First,” which is based on an old Croatian folk song, hearkens back to Zel’s boyhood, while adding his flamenco touches, making it completely Zel’s.

True has come into being for all the right reasons –because of Zel’s all-encompassing passion for music, and his expression of it. “This album is the logical result of my life in music. When I think about it, this album has been in the works forever.” And without a doubt, True resonates with the confidence of a man who in possession of a special knowledge of music, and finally, one that the world gets a chance to hear for themselves.