Corcoran Holt, a son of Washington, D.C., began playing djembe and other West African percussion at the age of four as a member of the Wose Dance Company under the tutelage of Baba Aidoo Holmes and Mahiri Fadjimba Keita.

 

As a keeper of the rhythm, Holt began studying upright bass at the age of ten with the renowned D.C. Youth Orchestra Program (DCYOP). He soon learned that his great-grandfather—whose birthday he shares—was also a bassist who grew up in High Point, North Carolina, and lived next door to a very young John Coltrane. Legend has it that his great-grandfather gave Coltrane his first music lessons. Holt feels called to the bass, and much of his work is about honoring the ancestors.

 

While continuing his classical training at DCYOP, Holt attended the prestigious Duke Ellington School of the Arts in Washington, D.C. (1996–2000), where he studied classical bass with Carolyn Kellock and jazz with Davey Yarborough, the late Keter Betts, and Steve Novasel. During these years Holt discovered his affinity for jazz and honed his performance skills by working frequently on the D.C. jazz scene.

 

Always performing, he went on to complete a B.A. in Jazz Studies from Shenandoah Conservatory in 2004, studying bass with Michael Bowie, and earned his M.A. in Jazz Studies from Queens College in New York City in 2006 under the tutelage of Buster Williams, Michael Phillip Mossman, and Antonio Hart.

 

Mentors & Collaborations

 

Holt feels blessed and gives thanks to the many jazz legends and greats he has worked with, including:

    •    Trombonists: Curtis Fuller (who gave him his first real break), Slide Hampton, Benny Powell, Steve Turre, Wycliffe Gordon, Robin Eubanks, Fred Wesley, Delfeayo Marsalis, among others.

    •    Saxophonists: Jimmy Heath, Benny Golson, Kenny Garrett, the late Frank Morgan, Red Holloway, Billy Harper, Houston Person,  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, The Late Hamiet Bluiett, among 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, among others.

    •    Guitarists: Bucky Pizzarelli, Russell Malone, Ed Cherry, among others.

    •    Pianists: John Hicks, Hilton Ruiz, Ronnie Mathews,  George Cables, Larry Willis, Mulgrew Miller, Eric Reed, Benny Green, among others.

    •    Drummers: Jimmy Cobb, Al Foster, Louis Hayes, Albert “Tootie” Heath, Billy Hart, Carl Allen, Winard Harper, Billy Drummond, among others.

    •    Flutists: Dave Valentine, Brother Ah (Robert Northern), and others.

    •    Vocalists: Carmen Lundy, Jazzmeia Horn, Vanessa Rubin, Diane Schuur, Kevin Mahogany,  and others.

 

Performances & Tours

 

Holt performs regularly at top music festivals and venues around the world, including the North Sea Jazz Festival, Monterey Jazz Festival, Newport Jazz Festival, The Village Vanguard, The Blue Note, and Dizzy’s Club Coca-Cola, among others. His career has taken him throughout North, Central, and South America, Europe, Asia, Africa, and the Caribbean.

 

In 2009 he represented the United States as a Jazz Ambassador with the U.S. State Department, touring the Middle East as both performer and clinician. That same year, Holt was a semi-finalist in the world-renowned Thelonious Monk Bass Competition.

 

Recordings & Accolades

 

Holt has worked as an educator and clinician with Jazz at Lincoln Center (Jazz for Young People program) since 2010. He leads his own ensembles, released his debut album The Mecca in 2018, and appears on three Grammy-nominated recordings: Kenny Garrett’s Pushing the World Away (2013), Jamison Ross’s Jamison (2014), and The Baylor Project’s The Journey (2017). Kenny Garrett’s Sounds from the Ancestors (which Holt is featured on) won the NAACP Image Award for Best Jazz Instrumental in 2021.

 

Current Work

 

Holt recently joined the faculty at Arizona State University’s School of Music, Dance, and Theatre as Assistant Professor of Jazz Bass, where he mentors the next generation of artists and integrates community engagement into the classroom. He is also the Co Artist-in-Residence for the DC Jazz Festival for 2024 and 2025.