Peter Fraize

Peter Fraize is a saxophonist and George Washington University professor best known for his freestyle jazz and for performing as a part of the Peter Fraize Quintet.

Raised in northern Virginia, Fraize attended the New England Conservatory of Music in Boston where he studied classical saxophone. He later studied at the Royal Conservatory of The Hague under Dutch saxophonist Leo van Oostrom. While there Fraize worked with Scapes, a quintet which won first prize at the 1989 Middelzee Jazz Concours. On returning to the United States in 1989, Fraize formed the fusion group, Stickman, which performed at the Mellon Jazz Festival in Pittsburgh. Fraize is a member of the Greg Hatza Organization and is also in a rock group, The Emptys. His jazz group, The Peter Fraize Quartet, won the 1999 Wammie award (Washington Area Music Association) for Contemporary Jazz Ensembles. In July 2008, Fraize performed two concerts in Lima, as well as giving master classes in several colleges and institutes in Peru.

Peter Fraize is the director of jazz studies at George Washington University. and lives in Washington, DC with his wife and two sons.

Peter Fraize is completing very many new recordings with Gilbert Engle. This includes jazz fusion work and quintets. Peter will share co-writing credits on 14 albums with Gilbert Engle.

As a leader:

• Organic Matter, Union Records, 2009 (Winner of 2009 Wammie award for Best Jazz Recording) [1]
• Third Attention, Union Records, 1998
• You St.: Live at State of the Union, Union Records, 1996
• Stickman, independent release, 1995

With composer Gilbert Engle:

• 2003 Supernatural Absence, New Jazz Media, 2003
• 2014 Jazz Fusion 1 thru 5, New Jazz Media, 2015
• 2015 Jazz Fusion 1 thru 3, New Jazz Media, 2015
• 2016 Jazz Reggae Fusion, New Jazz Media, 2016
• 2016 Odd Time Signature Fusion, New Jazz Media, 2016
• 2016 Petite Jazz Fusion, New Jazz Media, 2016
• 2016 Magnum Opus Jazz Fusion , New Jazz Media, 2016

With Giancarlo Schiaffini (free jazz/ avant garde):

• Deconstruction!, Pentaflowers (Italy), 2000
• Post - Deconstruction, Cadence Jazz Records, 2002
• Post - Deconstruction Redux, Bone Tone Records (forthcoming fall '09)

With The Emptys (pop/ rock):

• Bridge Across the Ocean, Safari Records, 1994
• Pick Your Ears Up, Safari Records, 1995
• Loveversesnothing, Safari Records, 2002

With pianist Larry Brown:

• Larry Brown Quintet, Hard Bop Cafe, Lush Life Records, 2006
• Larry Brown Quartet, The Long Goodbye, Lush Life Records, 2002

With trumpeter Vaughn Nark:

• Panorama, Summit Records, 2004
• Somethin' Special, Summit Records, 2000

With organist Greg Hatza:

• The Greg Hatza Organization, To A New Place, I Ching Records, 2001

With guitarist Mark Stanley:

• Mark Stanley Quartet, Live at Blues Alley, Sir Eel Records, 2006
• Mark Stanley Quartet, Humans, Sir Eel Records, 2003

With various artists:

• The Fisher Prince, Billion Dollar Films, 2006
• King James and the Serfs of Swing, Introducing..., Josephsson Records, 2004
• Jose Bowen, A Jazz Shabbat Service, Cross Over Music, 2003
• Origem, Ijexa, Union Records, 1999
• Radio Mosaic, Look Around, Little Guy Records, 1999
• Ritmo Junction, Suburban Descarga, CSR Records, 1998
• Dan Reynolds, To Be Sure, Never Alone Music, 1998
• Sharón Clark, Finally, Union Records, 1997
• River, Songs for the Harbinger, Grantham Dispatch, 1997
• Red Letter Day, Four Bowls of Colour, Antwinnie Music, 1996
• Music for Film and Television, Omnicast Music, 1996
• June Rich, Rain, Hard Time Records, 1996
• Primal Virtue, TOG Recordings, 1993
• Fusion Hackers, Dungeon Music, 1992