The trombon changing   (Vincent Bessières – Jazzman, december 2000)

Born in Sevlievo, Bulgaria, on the 30th of september 1971. Georgi was still a teenager when he discovered jazz during his classical studies at the Sofia National Conservatory of Music and he soon began to play with the most famous bulgarian jazz musicians : Milcho Léviev, Antoni Dontchev, Gueorgui Dontchev, Stoyan Yankulov, Hristo Yotsov, Teodossi Spassov, Teodossi Stoïkov, Rossen Roco Zahariev, Ventsislav Blagoev, Anatoli Vapirov, Simeon Chterev, Vesselin Koïtchev, Vasil Parmakov, bands like Beli, Zeleni, Tcherveni and Akaga as well as with the folk music player Ivo Papazov (tours in Rumania, Greece,…). In 1994, he created / he formed / he founded his first New Orleans jazz band : The Dixie Jockers which participated to Apollonia Festival, the most important festival of performing arts in Bulgaria, and the year after to a concert-homage to Louis Armstrong for Radio-Sofia. In 1995, he joined the jazz departement of the National Conservatory of Music and Dance in Paris where he worked with François Jeanneau, Jean-François Jenny Clark, Hervé Sellin and François Théberge.

The following year, he obtained / he won the prize of best soloist at the Tremplin de Jazz in the city of Avignon chaired by Daniel Humair, and he also appeared in concert with the franco/german orchestra conducted by Albert Mangelsdorff and Jean-Rémi Guédon. During the Jazz Festival in La Villette in Paris, he has participated in a workshop under direction of Carla Bley in 1996 and Maria Schneider in 1997. In 1998, he won the first prize in the jazz departement of C.N.S.M. de Paris, and also 3th prize of soliste and the 2nd band prize with the sextet of Geoffroy Tamisier at the national jazz competition of La Défense . He also played in François Théberge’s jazz ensemble and in Antoine Hervé’s Big band.

In 1999, he composed his own band with Stéphane Guillaume (sax), Emmanuel Codjia (gt), Thomas Grimmonprez (dr) and Antonio Licusati (bass) with whom he received the 3th prize at the national jazz competition of La Défense . The same year, he also played with the big band “ Lumières ” of Laurent Cugny.

In 2000, Gueorgui participated to numerous projects, he has also been a substitute in Didier Levallet’s O.N.J. (National Jazz Orchestra) conducted by John LEWIS, and was a regular member when Paolo Damiani replaced Didier Levallet. He was part of Paris Jazz Big Band as were Nicolas Folmer, Pierre Bertrand, André Ceccarelli, Sylvain Beuf, Hervé Meschinet, Phil Abraham, Flavio Boltro... He also played for Toots Thielemans, Phil Collins and Henri Salvador in a band conducted by Quincy Jones.

In 2001 he registered his first album with his quintet as a leader : Staro Vrémé ( Old times ), participated to the second album of OLH acoustic, Geoffroy Tamisier’s band who had invited Kenny Wheeler, and played on Paris Jazz Big Band’s new album named A suivre ( To be continued ) . He created a quartet to pay homage to Jay Jay Johnson, the famous trombon player, with Denis Leloup, Pierre Paolo Pozzi and Stéphane Kerecki, and they played original compositions of Gueorgui for Radio-France.

Since 2002, he plays in Henri Texier’s new band : the Strada Sextet.

In 2004 Gueorgui Kornazov made a second album as a leader : Essence de roses, ( Roses oil , wich is a highly renown specialty from Bulgaria) for wich he invited Krassen Lutzkanov, a kaval player (traditionnal flute from Bulgaria).

In 2005 he joined in turns the Vienna Art Orchestra (conducted by Mathias Rüegg) with whom he recorded the album Swing and affairs (with Harry Sokal, Matthieu Michel, Thomas Gansch, Adrian Mears, Robert Bachner, Mauro Negri, Ed Partyka, Andy Scherrer, Alegre Correa, Herwig Gradischnig, Mario Gonzi, Georg Breinschmid,…), and Jean-Marie Machado’s Andaloucia Sextet.

In 2006 Gueorgui Kornazov creates two new bands : « Horizons » Quintet, with Emile Parisien, Manu Codjia, Marc Buronfosse, Karl Jannuska and the Kornazov/Codjia /Tamisier trio.

In 2007, invited by the NDR Big Band of Hamburg, he plays with Christof Lauer, Gene Calderazzo, Vladislav Sendecki, Gary Husband, Reiner Winterschladen, Sandra Hempel, Luts Buchner, Bob Brookmeyer, Al Jarreau, Eric Watson, Nils Wogram, Dejan Tersic and also with the composers and arrangeurs Steve Gray and Michael Gibs.

During all of those years, Gueorgui has crossed paths with a huge list of musicians such as : Bojan Zulfikarparsic, Laurent Dehors, François Jeanneau, François Corneloup, Claude Barthélémy, Marc Ducret, Louis Sclavis, Bruno Chevillon, Dominique Pifaréli, Vincent Courtois, Christophe Monniot, François Merville, Serge Lazarévitch, Edouard Ferlet, Frédéric Monino, Christophe Marguet, Renaud Garcia-Fons, Anouar Brahem, Michel Portal, Stefano di Battista, Didier Lockwood, Claude Nougaro, Sylvain Beuf, André Ceccarelli, Jean-Jacques Avenel, Jean-Loup Lognon, Tony Rabeson, Stéphane Huchard, Matthieu Donnarier, John Betch, Simon Spang-Hansen, François Méchali, Bertrand Renaudin, Andy Shepard, Patrice Caratini, Antoine Hervé, Wolfgang Puchnik, Yves Rousseau, Jean-Philippe Viret, Antoine Banville, Simon Goubert, Alain Jean-Marie, Stéphane et Lionel Belmondo, Médéric Collignon, Frédéric Favarelle, François et Louis Moutin, Linley Marthe, Michel Perez, Wolfgang Muthspiel, Christian Muthspiel, François Chassagnite, Joël Allouche, Olivier Sens, Diego Imbert, Franck Agulhon, Mourad Benhamou, Karl Jannuska, Michael Felberbaum, Franck Tortiller, Jacques Mahieux, Nicolas Mahieux, Klaus Stötter, Bart de Nolf, Yves Robert, Guillaume de Chassy, Gabor Gado, Alban Darche, Christian Saalfelner, Uli Langhaller, Mario Stantchev, Achim Tang, Eric Echampard, Gianluigi Trovesi, Denis Erwin, Eric Echampard, Nelson Veras, Sebastien Texier, Xavier Jirotto, Laurent Robin, Daniel Yvinek, Jean-Pierre Arnaud, Phillipe Macé, Benjamin Henoque, Francesco Béarsatti, Phillipe Soirat,Stephane Kercki, Huber Dupont…