Zlatko Kaučič
Visits to the village cinema in Medana were, for Zlatko Kaučič (1953), one of Slovenia’s most internationally acclaimed jazz musicians — without whom the local scene would be entirely different — a kind of tunnel into dreams. In the rural landscape of the Goriška Brda, westerns and Hollywood classics awakened in him a desire for freedom and travel. On his walks to the cinema, he developed a particular sensitivity to nature and natural sounds. He explored music while listening to the radio, playing on his mother’s kitchenware, and quickly developed a deep love for it. His first drumsticks he carved from acacia wood, and for drums he used cardboard boxes from Italian detergent packaging and Fructal cans. He discovered music gradually in record shops in Gorizia, beginning with Italian pop rock and progressive rock bands such as Le Orme, while a decisive moment was his discovery of jazz drummer Max Roach. He bought his first drum set with money saved from school lunches. As a self-taught musician, he learned by listening to records — this “doctrine of listening” became central to his formation.
His international path between 1970 and 1992 led him through Italy, Switzerland, England, Spain and the Netherlands. Among other things, he opened for James Brown with the Italian band Upupa, lived in a hippie commune, and in Switzerland found himself in a squat with a group of free jazz musicians, including the legendary drummer Allen Blairman. There he immersed himself fully in the study of jazz. With his move to Spain, after the fall of Franco’s dictatorship, his professional and pedagogical path began. In the Barcelona club Celeste, he became the resident drummer. He performed in a wide range of ensembles — from bebop to salsa and rock — toured clubs, held residencies, and accompanied various icons. He played there at a time when the cult figure Ornette Coleman lived in the city. This was followed by a period in Amsterdam, where he lived as a squatter for a decade and established himself as an improviser.
After returning to Slovenia, he shaped his path in the field of free jazz improvisation through organising concerts at the Strelišče club and collaborating with local and international musicians. In 1993, he founded the Kombo Music School, whose method radically differs from classical approaches. He trained several generations of Slovenian musicians who today shape the local scene, including Vid Drašler, Jošt Drašler, Samo Šalamon, Vitja Balžalorsky, Marko Lasič, Urban Kušar, Žiga Ipavec, Tomi Novak, Robi Erzetič, Gal Furlan, Anton Lorenzutti, Timi Vremec, Marek Fakuč, Peter Kastrin, Jure Boršič and many others. These musicians are active in numerous ensembles such as Etceteral, Kavasutra, Grunt, Eating Sports, Spranga Farbat, TiTiTi, Perkakšns and Kombo A, B and C. With his current ensemble Kombo D, composed of the youngest students, he released the album Slavje v času grenkobe in 2024.
As a drummer, percussionist, improviser, educator, Prešeren Award recipient (2011), and cyclist, his desire to push beyond his own limits has accompanied him throughout his life. His remarkably extensive discography and performance record include collaborations with artists such as Steve Lacy, Alexander Bălănescu, Evan Parker, Peter Brötzmann, Paul Bley, Kenny Wheeler and Paul McCandless. In 2021, he received the JSKD Golden Plaque for lifetime achievement for his contribution to Slovenian jazz and the international recognition of Slovenia. Zlatko Kaučič remains an unstoppable creative force who, with characteristic Brda stubbornness and a genuine musical vision, has profoundly enriched the diversity and vitality of the Gorizia and Slovenian music scene.
Avtor: Jaša Bužinel
