The Two Questions: Summertime Bass Edition

 

It's always nice when you go to a jazz performer's gig and find yourself equally impressed by the playing of their sidemen.  That's how I first encountered bassist Boris Koslov.  He was with the Misha Piatigorsky band, backing Mark Murphy at a NYC gig.  My friend and I actually paid rapt attention during the bass solos!

I soon learned that there are many more sides to Boris' music.  He performs with various configurations of the Mingus band, generally on Monday nights at Jazz Standard.  (Often you can find him playing Mingus' own lion-headed bass.)  He's been involved in the popular BeatleJazz project and is co-leader of Opus V, along with Alex Sipiagin, Seamus Blake, Dave Kikoski and Donald Edwards.  (Allow me a little plug for the latter:  they've just done a second recording for Criss Cross and will be touring in August.)  Among the many other jazz artists he's worked with are Jaleel Shaw, George Colligan, Bobby Watson, James Moody, Benny Golson, Donny McCaslin, Brian Lynch, Ray Vega, Eddie Palmieri, Michel Petrucciani, Michel Legrand, Joe Locke, Mark Whitfield, Jeff 'Tain' Watts, Robin Eubanks and Urszula Dudziak.

In spite of being such a busy guy, Boris answered my usual two questions, during a break between sets by the Mingus Big Band.

1.    What made you decide on a career in music? 

Rather hard question because I made the decision when I was 15.  I just loved the way it felt and I just loved the way the music made me feel and I always thought that, if it makes me feel so good maybe if I can learn to play it and, you know, change something to the way I feel I can make other people feel better.  Also I kind of felt that it connects people.  By the time I was 15, we had a program in Soviet Union, when you would enter the competition and you could enter college before finishing your high school after the 8^th grade.  Then you would finish your high school while in college, while already getting a professional education.  So, I wanted to play bass guitar and at the same time, I was really into another connecting type of hobby or potential career, which was transportation, in particular, railroad.  I had to make a decision when I was 15 basically, and I thought I made the right one, because now I am on the plane and train so much that sometimes now I’m wondering if it’s still my hobby or not.  But I thought it was initially all about connecting people.

2.     What is it you love about jazz that made you decide to focus on that type of music? 

It was the love of jazz definitely.  But when I say jazz, I really mean the love for the time-based music, because I think most of the music that comes out of folklore:  African, Caribbean, Indian, funk and everything that we know as pop and jazz music in the American music; it’s all time-based.  The notes matter less than the rhythm.  That’s the key that’s what interestingly enough oftentimes is being overlooked during the jazz education process, as I see it.  And it took me a while to realize that, but it’s that initial attraction that really made me move towards jazz.  I was attracted to rock and roll as many young kids initially.  We had a very scarce supply of rock and roll or jazz things back in Soviet Union, and I was also really into Dixieland and Louie Armstrong and whatever my father had in the house.  It’s just the groove or the rhythm that really got me.  And later on, it was the level of conversation that potentially happens with other players and subsequently, the audience, that got me really attracted eventually in '91 to the decision to move to New York and try myself out, where it was basically to learn how to better groove and deal with time and how to better communicate.   I found myself as sort of like hitting a wall a little bit, because I was invited to play with all the best bands at the young age of 22/23.  They put me "Number 1" Young Jazz Musician, and I knew that I was very green, very raw.  That’s what decided on my career in New York, as opposed to staying in my hometown of Moscow.

You can get a good idea of Boris Koslov's marvelous bass technique by watching this video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6yZ67KvDFX8.

To get even more information on Boris Koslov, go to his site at http://www.borisbass.com. 

Fat Cat

Been a while since I've done a post, mainly because I've been waiting for more of my jazzy friends to step forward with answers to my "two questions." (Hmmph!) As a result, my blog has been idle for too long. Therefore, I decided to do my latest post on a strange but interesting venue I've started going to when I want to hear good jazz but not break the bank, Fat Cat.

Fat Cat is located at 75 Christopher Street near 7th Avenue in NYC. Once I go down the stairs, the first one to greet me is a guy who takes the $3 cover (cash only). I pass the bar area, then head over to a small section filled with couches near what you might call the "stage." Meanwhile behind me are dozens of pool tables, ping pong tables, foosball tables, tables with chessboards and checkerboards on top, etc., as well as people loudly involved in the different activities. All this makes for an interesting non-musical accompaniment to the jazz, which bands of various sizes are attempting to play for whoever is seated on the couches and trying to listen.

The gigs I generally check out at Fat Cat are those with reed man extraordinaire Peter Brainin on tenor and soprano. One of the most memorable also included Mark Soskin on piano, Boris Koslov on bass and Mike Clark on drums. Great music played by some of the greatest musicians on the planet--it doesn't get any better than this! (Definitely not an upscale kind of club like Blue Note or Birdland, but with jazz of this caliber at wallet-friendly prices, who cares? Plus I kinda dig the weird atmosphere of the place!)

Mark Murphy at the Kitano in NYC

On July 31 and August 1 Mark Murphy had a gig which proved why the legendary vocalist's club appearances are still such exciting events. Although he is now 77 years old, his voice is still strong and surprisingly flexible, his phrasing, scatting and sense of swing are impeccable, and his sense of drama is masterful. The singer was accompanied by some of the finest musicians around today: Vinny Valentino on guitar, Jon Cowherd on piano, Boris Koslov on bass, and Willard Dyson on drums. (Personal note: when Mark sang "My One and Only Love," his performance was so profound it moved me to tears.)

The Kitano was sold out for two nights and a majority of the audience members were other singers, including ones who had participated in workshops which Mark conducted over the years. The love for the great legend was palpable and there seemed to be a long line of admirers who wanted to convey their good wishes during breaks. Everyone agreed that we had all witnessed a true musical miracle in the fact that Mark had managed to make his performance during all four sets even more moving than any of us had expected. A perfect example of a true jazz singer who doesn't let age stand in the way of continuing to develop as an expressive and powerful artist.

To see videos from the gig, click on this link, which will take you to a You Tube channel featuring videos by various artists. Go to "see all" at the right of the page, and a brief search will lead you to performances by Mark Murphy at the Kitano.

(Photo courtesy of The Jazz Paisan)


Special Note: For a discussion of Mark Murphy's entire career, go to my post from May 17, 2009, "The Fearless Singer."