Originally from Chicago, George Cotsirilos has been a member of the San Francisco Bay Area jazz community for many years and has performed with a wide variety of artists, from San Francisco jazz fixtures like Eddie Marshall, Mel Martin, Pharaoh Sanders and Mark Levine to internationally recognized blues singer Etta James, Bill Evans bassist Chuck Israels, and the jazz/soul vocal group, The Whispers. In addition to working as an accompanist, he was co-leader of the San Francisco Nighthawks which included legendary drummer Eddie Marshall, Bobby McFerrin pianist Paul Nagel, and former Cal Tjader bassist Robb Fisher.

A group of accomplished, veterans, the George Cotsirilos Quartet, features George Cotsirilos on guitar, Keith Saunders on piano, Robb Fisher on bass and Ron Marabuto on drums. The group’s 2022 CD Refuge is a Downbeat Magazine Editors’ Pick, spent 9 weeks on the Jazz Weekly top 50 charts, and Downbeat named it one of the best albums of 2022. The group’s 2018 CD, Mostly In Blue, was equally acclaimed, spent weeks on the national Jazz Weekly radio top 50 charts, rising to number 15, and Downbeat listed the recording among the best of 2018. The group performs primarily original modern jazz compositions along with some gems from the jazz canon.