Boris Kozlov

Boris Kozlov is a Russian-born bassist, composer, and arranger who has served as bassist and Musical Director of the Mingus Big Band, Mingus Dynasty, and the Mingus Orchestra since 1998, making him a central keeper of the Charles Mingus repertoire on the New York scene. Born in 1967 in Moscow, he came up through classical training before turning to jazz, and moved to the New York City area in the early 1990s. A two-time Grammy winner, he appears on the award-winning Mingus Big Band album Live at Jazz Standard. As a leader he recorded First Things First, his 2022 Posi-Tone debut, which features collaborators including Donny McCaslin, Art Hirahara, Behn Gillece, and Rudy Royston. Fluent on double bass, electric bass, and piccolo bass, his playing ranges from straight-ahead jazz to funkier, more electric settings.