Many gifted musicians start playing at an early age, and Vitouš (his name is almost always spelled Miroslav Vitous, without the caron) began playing the violin at the age of six. He subsequently played the piano at age 10, before settling on the bass at 14. He studied under F. Posta at the Prague Conservatory in Czechoslovakia. ...show more

Many gifted musicians start playing at an early age, and Vitouš (his name is almost always spelled Miroslav Vitous, without the caron) began playing the violin at the age of six. He subsequently played the piano at age 10, before settling on the bass at 14. He studied under F. Posta at the Prague Conservatory in Czechoslovakia.

The history of the conservatory is fascinating, with noteables such as Antonín Dvořák serving as their director. The conservatory has a very disciplined program requiring all students to study for 6 years and pass stringent exams. During this time he played in a trio with his brother Alan, and Jan Hammer. After winning a scholarship to the Berklee College of Music in Boston, he came to the U.S.

A year later in 1966, Miroslav moved to New York & collaborated with musicians such as Bob Brookmeyer, Chick Corea, Miles Davis, Art Farmer, Stan Getz, Charlie Mariano, and Herbie Mann. In 1970, the group Weather Report was formed along with Wayne Shorter and Joe Zawinul. Three years later, he formed the Miroslav Vitous Group along with [artist]John Surman, Kenny Kirkland and Jon Christensen. In 1979, Vitous became the director of the Jazz Department at the New England Conservatory in Boston. ...show less