George Mraz

After relocating to the United States in 1968, George Mraz quickly established himself as a sought-after bassist on straight-ahead sessions. He had begun on violin and alto before concentrating on bass studies at the Prague Conservatory, followed by a year of club work in Munich. Upon enrolling at Berklee that same year, he joined Oscar Peterson’s trio for tours spanning 1970 to 1972. Once settled in New York, Mraz served in the Thad Jones/Mel Lewis Orchestra from 1973 through 1976, collaborated with Stan Getz in 1974 and 1975, and subsequently accompanied an array of leading jazz figures that included Walter Norris, Pepper Adams, Roland Hanna, Zoot Sims, Tommy Flanagan, John Abercrombie, Carmen McRae, Jimmy Rowles, Stephane Grappelli, and numerous others. Apart from a little-known 1976 duo recording with Roland Hanna issued by Trio, he had no chance to head his own date until signing with Milestone in the mid-1990s. The resulting albums were Jazz (1995), Bottom Lines (1997), Duke’s Place (1999), and Morava (2001). George Mraz died on September 16, 2021, at the age of 77.