Past Present

It's a minimalist approach to the music with the accent on swing....look out, the ride is wonderful.
Sonny Buxton, KCSM, San Mateo

With Past Present, the Bay Area trio of guitarist George Cotsirilos, bassist Robb Fisher and drummer Ron Marabuto build on the musical success of 2006's On the Rebop and apply a progressive, modern, but gimmick-free jazz treatment to a mix of original and classic compositions. From hard swinging post-bop to Latin-infused cookers to acoustic ballads, the challenging and rewarding jazz guitar trio format appeals to the discerning ear, attuned to the use of space, interplay, and dynamic range in support of collective expression. Past Present reflects the years this trio has spent establishing the rapport required to reach a balance of originality, subtlety, swing, past and present.

Production Info:

Produced by George Cotsirilos and David Luke
Recorded by David Luke
at C-Change Studios, Berkeley, California
on June 17 and August 11, 2009
Mixed & mastered by David Luke at
Argyle Studios, El Sobrante, California
Cover design by John Bishop

Reviews of Past Present

Oregon Jazz Scene (George Fendel)
I'm always a bit wary of guitar albums. Will a jazz guitarist really show up? Certainly one did in George Cotsirilos. He plays gimmick-free guitar, and his trio, with Robb Fisher on bass and Ron Marabuto on drums, cooks up several nicely conceived originals, moving with ease between swinging post bop to shimmering ballads. And always using space ef ...

All About Jazz (C. Michael Bailey)
Mainstream guitar trio jazz possesses a soundtrack quality that makes it perfect for sleek and sophisticated noir movies boasting sardonic shamuses and dangerous dames. George Cotsirilos typifies this type of jazz guitar playing. If jazz guitar had an aroma, Cotsirilos' brand would smell of Yardley Soap, single-malt scotch, and unfiltered cigarette ...

Jazz Review (Veronica Timpanelli)
Past Present is the third release from guitarist George Cotsirilos, and the second for the trio. It is a strong follow-up to the trio s first release together, On the Rebop. This latest production offers up a good mix of original compositions and standards and remains fresh and swinging throughout. Of special note is the lead-off tune, Good Woo ...

Midwest Record (Chris Spector)
One of the cool things about the deconstruction of the record business is that ace players that are stars in little provinces and parishes have just as much chance to get their stuff heard far and wide as any body. With distribution decentralized, the playing field is leveled. What a boon for Bay area guitarist Cotsirilos and us as this vet of over ...

All About Jazz (Woodrow Wilklins)
This recording delivers vintage jazz guitar but nothing that sounds trite or old. The George Cotsirilos Trio delivers that with a mix of original tunes and standards on Past Present. Born in Chicago, Cotsirilos has been a fixture in the San Francisco area since the early 1990s. Trained with the violin, he switched to guitar after becoming frustr ...

I Hear Sparks Music Blog (Jordan Richardson)
Unassuming and without airs, George Cotsirilos' guitar snakes through Past Present with velvety simplicity. The new record from his trio, comprised also of bassist Robb Fisher and drummer Ron Marabuto, is a fulfilling ten-song set that rises and falls like the smoke from a good cigar. Out now on OA2/Origin Records, Past Present is a delight. Fil ...

Jazz Chicago (Brad Walseth)
George Cotsirilos is another Chicago-born musician who found himself on the West Coast - in this case the Bay Area - where he is busy jazz guitarist. Bassist Robb Fisher was a fellow member of the San Francisco Nighthawks. Both Cotsirlios and Fisher, as well as the third member of the trio - drummer Ron Marabuto have worked with people like Cal Tja ...

Dave Walker Music (Dave Walker)
George Cotsirilos is a hidden treasure of jazz - one of those wonderful players that you know are out there somewhere working away without the wider recognition they deserve. This guitarist has paid his dues for almost thirty years now, and with this - his second CD - he shows that he has earned full membership to the club. Past Present is a fin ...

All About Jazz.com (Bruce Lindsay)
Guitarist George Cotsirilos has nearly thirty years experience as a musician, working with acts as diverse as Etta James and Pharoah Sanders. He was also, with bassist Robb Fisher, a founding member of the San Francisco Nighthawks. Past Present is the second album from the Cotsirilos Trio, following On The Rebop (OA2 Records, 2005), and it's a grac ...

CD Hot List (R.A.)
Bay Area guitarist George Cotsirilos has the kind of soft touch and effortlessly artful phrasing that other guitarists would kill for, and he also has a near-magical ability to improvise melodies that are simultaneously surprising and inevitable. This is unapologetically old-fashioned, straight-ahead jazz that nevertheless feels fresh and new, whet ...

All About Jazz.com (Raul d'Gama Rose)
George Cotsirilos' meticulous and tasteful guitar work is marked by remarkably subtle shifts in accents, and minute changes in expression and dynamics. On Past Present, he also displays an impeccable sense of timing especially in revealing the hidden rhythms of complex melodies. His approach to harmony is whimsical, but patently beautiful at all ti ...

Vintage Guitar Magazine (John Heidt)
Veteran jazz guitarist Cotsirilos' latest record is a swinging set driven by his considerable chops and skill at composing and interpreting music. Hie bandmates, Robb Fisher (bass) and Ron Marabuto (drums), are the perfect match with their ability to follow their leader's moves. On "Good Wood," Cotsirilos mixes chords and single notes to state ...

Cadence, Oct-Dec 2010 (Jerome Wilson)
Past Present is a no-nonsense, straight ahead Jazz guitar trio session that even is described as "blue collar" in the liner notes. Cotsirilos is a supple guitar player who hits all his notes chords, and melodies with little fuss. He can do blazing Bebop runs, work a smart bossa nova rhythm and, as he shows on Past Present, even has decent acoustic ...

Vintage Guitar Magazine (John Heidt)
THE POWER OF THREE The intent behind George Cotsirilos' new record was simple - capture the chemistry of a seasoned jazz band and mix it with the right bunch of original tunes and a few standards. The versatile guitarist, along with bassist Robb Fisher and drummer Ron Marabuto, refined the tunes during gigs. "The hope was we'd capture ensemble p ...

Jazz Society of Oregon (Kyle O'Brien)
Guitarist Cotsirilos is a veteran Bay Area player with a polished grit to his playing. Here he appears with bassist Robb Fisher and drummer Ron Marabuto in a stripped down swing trio. The opener, "Good Wood," features Cotsirilos on his deep hollow body, strumming and picking over a minor blues groove. He alters the chords enough to keep things inte ...