The George Cotsirilos Quartet

Tahoe Music Alive proudly presents the George Cotsirilos Quartet, featuring one of the San Francisco Bay Area’s most respected and expressive jazz guitarists in a program of inventive, deeply swinging modern jazz. This concert promises an evening of nuanced musicianship, soulful swing, and inspired collaboration—an ideal showcase for jazz lovers seeking depth, energy, and artistry.

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Originally from Chicago, George Cotsirilos has been an integral part of the Bay Area jazz community for many years, earning a reputation for lyrical phrasing, harmonic sophistication, and a distinctive voice that blends straight-ahead jazz, blues, and classical influences. Over the course of his career, he has performed with a remarkable range of artists—from Bay Area jazz legends such as Eddie Marshall, Mel Martin, and Mark Levine to internationally renowned figures including Etta James, Pharaoh Sanders, and the soul-jazz vocal group The Whispers.

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Cotsirilos’ most recent quartet recording, Refuge (OA2 Records), released in 2022, has been widely praised by critics and audiences alike. Named a DownBeat Editors’ Pick and reaching the Top 30 on the JazzWeek radio charts, the album showcases a newly formed quartet featuring Keith Saunders on piano, Robb Fisher on bass, and Ron Marabuto on drums. The music on Refuge pushes into bluesier, more challenging territory than the quartet’s previous release, Mostly In Blue (named one of DownBeat’s best recordings of 2018), with more intricate compositions and demanding arrangements that heighten the ensemble’s collective interaction.

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The quartet’s sound is defined by intelligent interplay and a rare balance between structure and spontaneity. Guitar and piano often function as equal partners, trading ideas and supporting each other in imaginative ways, while Fisher’s bass lines provide both melodic counterpoint and rock-solid rhythmic grounding. Marabuto’s drumming adds propulsion and subtlety, shaping the music’s dynamic arc. Cotsirilos’ compositions are deceptively complex—marked by unexpected intervals, rich harmonic movement, and rhythmic tension—yet remain tuneful, memorable, and deeply engaging.

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Highlights from Refuge include the swinging opener “Devolution,” the jazz waltz title track, the spirited “Planet Roxoid,” and the hard-bopping closer “Let’s Make Break For It.” Written during the isolation and uncertainty of the pandemic era, the music reflects a thoughtful, collective search for connection and creative refuge.

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Cotsirilos’ earlier trio and solo recordings have also earned high praise. His trio albums Past Present and Variationswere lauded for their fluidity and cohesion, while his solo classical-jazz guitar release Silenciosa was described by All About Jazz as “a superb solo guitar recital.” A graduate of the University of California, Berkeley, Cotsirilos studied jazz with Warren Nunes and classical guitar through the San Francisco Conservatory of Music.

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SEE ALSO:

April 20: The ATTACCA Quartet

May 3: California Guitar Trio

May 30: Awadagin Pratt

July 2: The Dolphins Quartet

September 11: Trio Bohémo

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