Craig Akin

Jazz / Indie / Acoustic

New York, NY

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About

Craig Akin is a freelance upright and electric bass player in New York. He began playing piano at an early age and switched to trumpet in sixth grade. Playing trumpet in the school band program is where his passion for jazz started. While in high school, he played guitar in the jazz band, which led to a natural transition to electric bass upon entering college at Western State in Gunnison, Colorado. Still continuing to play trumpet his interest grew steadily to the bass bringing him to the University of Kansas to pursue the double bass and complete a degree in music education. In 1997, Craig began playing bass exclusively and was soon appearing at jam sessions in Kansas City. This exposure quickly led to a busy gig schedule playing with a vast number of musicians. In 1998 he moved to the Kansas City and enjoyed playing all styles of music in nearly every venue, as well as playing around the mid-west, and abroad. In 2007, he taught bass for the Music House School of Music, a music school that offers music education and performance opportunities for all ages by professional players in the area. His areas of expertise include music theory, sightreading, and improvisation. Craig enjoys playing electric bass and double bass equally in many different musical situations. His project, Topshelf Toons, is a jazz quartet that plays music by Kansas City composers. Some recent recording projects include music by Jake Blanton, Nathan Cook, Becky Bliss, Barnaby Bright, Rick Bruner, Mahesh Balasooriya, Arthur Dodge, Brandon Draper, Wayne Hawkins. Craig moved to New York in July '07.