Corcoran Holt, a son of Washington, DC, began playing djembe
and other West African percussion at the age of 4 as a member of Wose Dance
Company under the tutelage of Baba Aidoo Holmes & Mahiri Edwards.
Beginnings
As a keeper of the rhythm, Corcoran began his study of
upright bass at the age of 10 with the renowned DC Youth Orchestra (DCYOP).
Soon he learned that his great- grandfather, with whom he shares a birthday,
was a bass player who grew up in High Point, NC and lived next door to a very
young John Coltrane. Legend has it that he gave Trane music lessons. Corcoran
feels called to the bass and his work is about honoring the ancestors.
Training Grounds
While continuing his classical training at DCYOP, Corcoran
attended the prestigious Duke Ellington School of the Arts in Washington DC
from 1996 to 2000, where he studied classical bass with Carolyn Kellock and
jazz music with educators Davey Yarborough, the late great Keter Betts and Steve
Novasel. During these high school years, Corcoran realized his affinity for the
jazz and honed his performance skills by working frequently on the Washington
DC jazz scene.
Always performing, he completed a Bachelors of Arts in Jazz
Studies from Shenandoah Conservatory in 2004, where he studied bass with
Michael Bowie. He received his Masters degree in Jazz Studies from Queens
College in New York City in 2006 under the tutelage of Buster Williams, Michael
Phillip Mossman, and Antonio Hart.
Career Blessings
Corcoran feels blessed and gives thanks to the many jazz
legends and greats he has worked with which include:
Trombonists: Curtis Fuller who gave him his first real
break, Slide Hampton, Benny Powell, Steve Turre, Wycliffe Gordon, Robin
Eubanks, Fred Wesely, Delfayo Marsalis, amongst others
Saxophonists: Jimmy Heath, Benny Golson, Kenny Garrett, the
late Frank Morgan, Red Holloway, Billy Harper, Bobby Watson, Azar Lawrence,
Charles Davis, David Murray, Joe Ford, Tim Warfield, Javon Jackson, Renee
McLean, Antonio Hart, Steve Wilson, Vincent Herring, Greg Osby, Donald
Harrison, Hamiet Bluiett, amongst others
Trumpeters: Nicholas Payton, Roy Hargrove, Terell Stafford,
Randy Brecker, Wallace Roney, Marcus Printup, Jeremy Pelt, Freddie Hendrix,
Josh Evans, Duane Eubanks, Michael Phillip Mossman, amongst others
Guitarists: Bucky Pizzarelli, Russell Malone, Ed Cherry,
amongst others
Pianists: the late John Hicks, the late Hilton Ruiz, Ronnie
Mathews, Larry Willis, Mulgrew Miller, Eric Reed, Benny Green, amongst others
Drummers: Jimmy Cobb, Al Foster, Louis Hayes, Albert
"Tootie" Heath, Billy Hart, Carl Allen, Winard Harper, Billy
Drummond, amongst others
Flutist: Dave Valentine, Brother Ah (Robert Northern), and
others
Vocalists: Carmen Lundy, Vanessa Rubin, Diane Shur, Kevin
Mahogany, and others
Corcoran performs regularly at many of the top music
festivals and venues around the world. Some have included The North Sea Jazz
Festival, Monterey Jazz Festival, Newport Jazz Festival, The Village Vanguard,
The Blue Note, Dizzy's Club Coca Cola to name a few. Corcoran has performed
through North, Central and South America, Europe, Asia, Africa, and the
Caribbean. In 2009, he toured the Middle East as a Jazz Ambassador representing
the United States, under the US State Department with Alvin Atkinson & the Sound
Merchants. In September 2010, he traveled part of The Rhythm Roads tour with
Nasar Abadey and Supernova to East Africa, a collaboration between the U.S.
State Department and Jazz at the Lincoln Center.
Corcoran was semi-finalist in the Thelonious Monk Bass
Competition in 2009 and recorded on Jamison Ross' “Jamison”, Concord Records
2015, which was Grammy Nominated Best Jazz Vocal.
Currently, Corcoran leads his own group and is the regular
bassist in the Kenny Garrett Quintet, which received a Grammy nomination for
the 2013 recording “Pushing the World Away” recorded on Mac Avenue Records.
Corcoran also works with numerous bands throughout the world
and he is based in NYC and also serves as a djembe drummer/music therapist at
Greater Harlem Nursing and Rehabilitation Center, where he plays for his
elders.
Website: https://www.corcoranholt.com/
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