Juraj Griglak

Was born to a family of musicians.His father played clarinet in the Czechoslovak Radio Symphony Orchestra, his mother sang in SĽUK Folk song and Dance Ensemble. Juraj studied piano at a Primary Music School, at the age of twelve he began playing drums and guitar. With such variety of interests, his father decided he would study double bass at the Bratislava Conservatory (1978-1984). At the conservatory he played in funk groups Tamis and Tagore, In the Bratislava Conservatory Big Band, in Martin Kratochvíl’s Jazz Q, in Esprit band, and Vlado Valovič’s VV System.(Performed on Copenhagen Jazz Festival 1987) Between 1987 and 1991 he furthered his studies of double bass at the Academy of Music and Dramatic Arts in Bratislava, and he played with professional bands – the Czechoslovak Radio Big Band and the Czechoslovak Television Big Band. He scored succes as the member of the fusion music group Stop Time (led by Matúš Jakabčic).Group performed on Jazz festivals- Jazz in Duketown (Hertogenbosch, Holand), Jazz festival Aix en Provance ( France) He has appeared repeatedly at the Bratislava Jazz Festival. Many peoples still remember hiss jam session with Stanley Clark, at BJF 1985. http://www.bjd.sk/In the early nineties he played in ASH Band and The Quartet. With The Quartet he recorded CD Alice in Jazzland(1992) the music of which reflects the mainstream of the nineties. The group performed to high acclaim in the Czech and Slovak Republics. Juraj also is a very successful studio musician (he recorded about 50 CD,s ).In the 2000 he recorded his first CD “Bass Friends” with special guest from New York,guitar player, Ron Affif. The CD “Bass Friends” was highly evaluated by the very well known and internationally acclaimed magazine “Bass Player”. The composition “Codfish”, a track from the CD has been featured on the “CD Sampler Station “, released by another respected US magazine “Bassics“, as a recommended new release alongside such bass - greats as Marcus Miller, Matt Garrison and Ray Brown. In 1994,the Slovak Jazz Association awarded him with the Ladislav Martoník Prize “Jazzman of the Year”.He is also a Sadowsky Artist, www.sadowsky.com.Presently he plays with Juraj Griglak & Company, Deep’n Space, Ron Affif Trio, Acoustic Colours www.acousticcolours.velvetmusic.sk, Martin Valihora Funk Punk Project www.martinvalihora.com.Juraj divides his time between jazz and classical music. In 1988, he toured Europe as a member of the Gustav Mahler Youth Orchestra conducted by Claudio Abbado, Václav Neumann, and James Judd. Since 1991 he is a member of the Slovak Philharmonic. Whith S.P. he performed in most European countries, Japan, and the United States.Concerts and tours with: Ron Affif, Greg Hopkins , James Morrison, Larry Smith, Georg Cables, Charlie Mc Coy, Jigg Wigham, Zbigniew Namyslowski, Cennet Jonsson, Andy Middletone, Sheila Cooper, Harry Sokal, Nicolas Simion, Janusz Muniak, Damon Brown, Eta Cameron, Karen Edwards, John Whitney, Andy Jaffe, Mark Weinstein, Piotr Baron, Igor Butman, Georgij Garanjan, Melvin Canady, Uli Bartel, Allan Praskin, Martin Kern, Oliver Kent...

International Jazz Workshop In Prague and Leszno

Ron Affif Trio ,Slovakia Tour, September 2008