Josh Cohen is a Toronto-based composer, bassist, author, and educator whose work spans jazz composition, improvisation, groove, counterpoint, rhythmic architecture, and the expanded possibilities of the electric bass. He first became widely known for his virtuosic solo electric bass performances, and has since developed a broader musical practice that includes ensemble writing, composition, teaching, and the study of rhythm through jazz, counterpoint, and konnakkol.

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Cohen’s new album, We Are Home, marks his first full ensemble recording as a leader and represents a significant new chapter in his work. Supported by the Ontario Arts Council, the album features Jeremy Ledbetter on piano and keyboards, Rob Christian on woodwinds, Lucian Gray on guitar, and Mateo Mancuso on drums. While distinct from Cohen’s solo bass work, We Are Home reflects his growth into a broader compositional world: music written for specific musicians and shaped by collaboration, trust, ensemble interaction, and the individual voices of the players involved.

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Cohen has performed on two JUNO Award-nominated albums and earned first place in the NAMM 2020 PJB Solo Bass Competition. He was also featured in Titans of Bass, a book profiling 130 bassists, named a 2018 Madison Magazine Honoree for Innovation in the Arts, received No Treble’s No. 1 Bass Video of the Year in 2015, and was awarded second place in the 2016 Phil Jones Bass Solo Bass Competition.

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Cohen first developed his solo electric bass approach through tapping, counterpoint, chordal playing, independent parts, and extended techniques, creating complete arrangements and original compositions in real time without the use of loop pedals. That work can be heard on his albums Out of the Bassment and Freedom. His solo bass compositions and arrangements have been performed by musicians internationally, including in university recital settings, and remain an important part of his identity as a bassist and composer.

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As a performer and clinician, Cohen has appeared throughout North America at festivals, concert series, and educational events including Gerald Veasley’s Bass Boot Camp, Gruv Gear’s Clinic Series, Bass Break Live, the Waupaca Bach Festival, Solo Bass Night VI and VII, Markham Jazz Festival, T.U. Jazz Fest, Beaches International Jazz Festival, Isthmus Jazz Festival, Glenn Gould Studio, Harbourfront Centre, Mel Lastman Square, and Sankofa Square, formerly Yonge-Dundas Square.

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In addition to his performing and composing career, Cohen is the author of two instructional and transcription books: Tapping Grooves: Vol. 1 and Josh Cohen – Freedom Solo Bass Transcriptions. His writing reflects his long-standing interest in helping musicians develop technique, musical independence, rhythmic control, and a more personal relationship with the instrument.

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Cohen holds a Master of Arts in Music Composition from York University and a Bachelor of Music with Honours from Humber College, where he received multiple awards including the Mike Downes Bass Award. His formal studies in composition, jazz performance, counterpoint, and improvisation continue to inform his work as both an artist and educator.

Alongside his creative work, Cohen leads a busy online teaching studio, working with students in bass, piano, guitar, improvisation, composition, arranging, and music theory. His students include emerging and professional musicians who have earned recognition from the Mingus Jazz Festival, DownBeat Student Music Awards, and major fingerstyle guitar competitions, while also gaining admission to leading music programs including McGill University, the University of Michigan, Berklee College of Music, Humber Polytechnic, and Lawrence University.

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Across his work as a performer, composer, author, and teacher, Cohen is guided by a commitment to craft, curiosity, discipline, creativity, and the search for a personal musical voice. Whether writing for ensemble, performing solo bass, or helping students develop their own artistic direction, his work is rooted in the belief that technique and theory are most powerful when they serve expression, connection, and musical identity.