Peter Fraize

Known as a regular presence in Washington's jazz circles, tenor saxophonist Peter Fraize explores multiple musical approaches, earning widest recognition for hard bop that edges into freestyle jazz. Growing up in northern Virginia, he pursued classical saxophone studies at Boston's New England Conservatory of Music before traveling to Europe for further instruction under Dutch saxophonist Leo van Oostrom at the Royal Conservatory in The Hague. While based there, Fraize led a quartet and collaborated with various ensembles, among them the free bop quintet Scapes, which captured first prize at the 1989 Middelzee Jazz Concours. He returned to Washington, D.C., in 1989 and assembled the fusion group Stickman, whose schedule included an appearance at Pittsburgh's Mellon Jazz Festival. Since 1994 he has toured widely with his freestyle trio and maintains additional ties as a member of the Greg Hatza Organization and the rock band the Emptys. Fraize also serves as director of jazz studies at George Washington University.