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Tim Sparks has been redefining the acoustic guitar repertoire since he won the National Fingerpicking Championship in 1993 with a ground breaking arrangement of Tchaikovsky's Nutcracker Suite. Sparks continues to surprise, challenge, and thrill audiences with his diverse repertoire and stunning technique. Equally at home with Country Blues, Jazz or World Music, Sparks' extraordinary ability has earned him an international reputation as one of the most innovative guitarists working today.
Trained by Segovia protégée Jesus Silva at the North Carolina School of the Arts, Sparks has continued to study classical music throughout his ca- reer. His adaptation of Tchaikovskv's Nutcracker Suite has been cited as a significant contribution to solo guitar literature. For Sparks it was a labor of love that earned him the National Fingerstyle Guitar Championship in Win- field, Kansas in 1993
His wide travels inspired his interest in European and Mediterranean styles, particularly the music of the Balkans. Upon his return to Minnesota, Sparks immersed himself in the ethnic music scene, performing on Oud and Saz in Middle E a s t e r ensembles and playing guitar in Greek, Klezmer, and Sephardic groups. This work culminated in the recording of Sparks' Balkan Dreams Suite, a remarkable collection of odd-meter guitar arrangements.
Sparks' work came to the attention of John Zorn, the saxophonist, composer, and curator of Tzadik Records in New York and thereby led to a new cycle of compositions inspired by traditional Jewish melodies. Neshamah (1999) is a solo effort; Tanz, (2000) which garnered Downbeat Magazine's highest praise, five stars; and At the Rebbe's Table (2002). In 2003 Tzadik released Masada Guitars, featuring interpretations of John Zorn's music by Tim, Bill Frisell, and Marc Ribot.
In recent years, Sparks' musical focus has come full circle, returning to the country blues and classic jazz that served as a springboard for his world- wide guitar explorations. He toured with Dolly Parton in 2005 and recorded Roots, Rags a n d Blues for Truefire Acoustic Guitar Workshop.
Sparks released Sidewalk Blues on the ToneWood label in February 2009 and recorded Little Princess, his fifth CD for Tzadik, in New York in 2009. Post-Modern Fingerstyle Guitar was released on Truefire in 2011.
Sparks released Chasin' the Boogie, his 10th acoustic guitar recording on May 30, 2014. This was followed by the Fingerstyle Blues Tool Kit on True- fire in 2016.
Beginning in 2015, Tim has resumed performing with the original members of the legendary vocal jazz ensemble Rio Nido. In 2017 he was a recipient of a McKnight Music Fellowship. He released a collection of solo guitar renditions of Stravinsky, Prokofiev and Shostakovich in 2019.
Leo Kottke: "He's one of the best musicians I know."
Bill Frisell: "Tim Sparks is a complete original. Every guitarist on the planet should hear this."
Yoshie Fruchter is a guitar, bass and oud player whose playing and composing combines a unique blend of rock, jazz, experimental, and Jewish styles.
Fruchter is notable for his work in composing and interpreting Jewish music, and has forged new directions with his performance, regardless of genre. His current project, Sandcatchers, in which he plays oud and is joined by lap steel player Myk Freedman and Erik Friedlander on cello, explores the sounds of the Middle East combined with the American South.
He has released two albums on John Zorn’s Tzadik record label with his band Pitom and played on several others. His interest in early Jewish cantorial music also led him to do a project called He Schizophonia, which recorded arrangements of music by classic cantors of the early 20th-century in a unique style heavily influenced by progressive rock and jazz.
Yoshie is also a sought after sideman, and has performed and recorded with a wide variety of artists in concerts around the country and overseas. He has been a member of the Eitan Katz Band, Jon Madof’s Zion80, Joey Weisenberg’s Hadar Ensemble, David Krakauer’s Mazal Tov Cocktail Party, Zeb Bangash and Sandaraa, Frank London’s Shekhina Big Band, Ruthless Cosmopolitans (Eprhyme and Jon Madof), Basya Shechter, Shlomo Katz, Soulfarm, Moshav, and Michael Winograd’s Pillars among others. He has also performed with John Zorn, Matisyahu, Katrina Lenk (The Band’s Visit), Daniel Carter, Lorin Sklamberg (Klezmatics), Daniel Kahn, So-Called, Tyshawn Sorey, Erik Friedlander and many others.