Miroslav Vitouš
Miroslav Vitouš (December 6, 1947 in Prague, Czechoslovakia) is a jazz bassist and composer. He was a founding member of the Weather legendary jazz-rock formation known report.
Life
Vitouš began six years playing the violin, with ten piano since the age of 14 he plays bass. In his youth he participated successfully in competitive swimming - this was enough for a nomination in the Czech Olympic team. One of his first music groups was the Junior Trio with his brother Alan on drums and his Czech friend Jan Hammer on keyboards. He enjoyed a classical double bass studies at the Prague Conservatory with Frantisek Posta and won in 1967 with his trio the Friedrich Gulda Competition in Vienna, which he and Jan Hammer earned a scholarship to the Berklee College of Music in Boston.
Vitouš ' virtuoso jazz bass playing prompted critics classified him in a league with Scott LaFaro, Dave Holland, Niels -Henning Ørsted Pedersen and Christian McBride. A characteristic example of Vitouš ' bass playing can be heard on the record Now He Sings, Now He Sobs (1968 ) with Chick Corea on piano and Roy Haynes on drums. This album shows his strong rhythmic sense, innovative walking lines, and intensity and nonchalance when improvising.
His first album as a bandleader, Infinite Search from 1969, In The Clouds published with minor changes later than Mountain, he played with key figures of the emerging rock jazz / fusion era, John McLaughlin, Herbie Hancock and Jack DeJohnette, but also with Joe Chambers and Joe Henderson. At the same time it was pointed out on Larry Coryell's Spaces album (1969).
He also worked with Jan Hammer, Herbie Mann, Freddie Hubbard, Charlie Mariano, Stan Getz, Bob Brookmeyer and Joe Zawinul; In 1970 he was a founding member of the band Weather Report. Vitouš has several interviews given to his controversial exit from the group Weather Report, specifically about his relationship with Joe Zawinul. Later, he was playing in a trio with Corea and Haynes, but also led his own groups with John Surman, Terje Rypdal and Jan Garbarek.
From 1984 he headed the jazz department of the New England Conservatory in Boston. In 1988 he returned to Europe, concentrating now on composing, but also plays every now and then at jazz festivals. For example, on the Elbjazz Festival 2012 with Joachim Kühn, Rolf Kühn and Christian Lillinger. He has also recorded with the group Between the Times (ACT, 2007).
Discography
- Infinite Search ( Mountain in the Clouds ) ( Atlantic Records, 1969)
- Purple ( Columbia Records, 1970)
- Magical Shepherd (1976 )
- Miroslav ( Freedom, 1976)
- Majesty Music ( 1979)
- Guardian Angels ( Evidence, 1978)
- First Meeting ( ECM, 1979)
- Miroslav Vitous Group ( ECM, 1980)
- Journey's End (ECM, 1982)
- Emergence (ECM, 1985)
- Miroslav Vitous & Larry Coryell ( Dedicated to BILL EVANS and SCOTT LA FARO ) ( Jazz Point, 1987)
- Atmos (ECM, 1992)
- Conviction: Thoughts of Bill Evans ( Challenge, 2000)
- Universal Syncopations (ECM, 2003)
- Universal Syncopations 2 (ECM, 2007)
- Remembering Weather Report (ECM, 2009)