Boris Kozlov Interview/Performance

In this video, we meet the incredible Boris Kozlov, whose playing I've been a fan of for a long time. Known particularly for his work in the esteemed Mingus Big Band, Boris's hard-hitting bass lines and virtuosic solos have led him to play artists such as Michael Brecker and Bobby Watson, as well performing as the musical director of the Mingus Big Band. This conversation covers a wide range of topics such as entering the New York jazz scene in the 90s, meeting Ray Brown, practice techniques, use of the bow in jazz, playing Mingus's bass, keeping the music of Mingus alive, solo records and more. There is so much packed into this interview, including an improvisation on themes by Mingus and more, so I hope you enjoy this one.

Meet Boris

Hailing from the USSR, Boris Kozlov began his musical education at the Gnesin Academy studying electric bass. After serving a mandatory two years in the Soviet Army, he moved over to the infamous New York jazz scene of the ‘90s. From there, his career was kick started, and he is now a two time Grammy-award winning double bassist, the first with Bryan Lynch and the second with the Mingus Big Band. Boris is known as the ultimate sideman who mixes virtuosic technique with a deep respect for the jazz bass tradition. As a bandleader, he has released multiple acclaimed albums, including Double Standard (solo bass) in 2007 and First Things First in 2022.

A huge thank you to Boris for taking time out of his tour schedule to join me and talk all things bass!

Timecodes:

00:00 Introduction
01:24 What are you doing at the moment?
02:53 New York jazz scene in the 90s
10:24 Playing with Michael Brecker
18:16 What do you practice?
28:33 Borrowing basses
34:58 The Mingus Bass
42:00 The Mingus Big Band
54:12 Any new projects in the pipeline?
63:18: Solo performance