Known for his work with the legendary drummer Elvin Jones and piano titan Cyrus Chestnut, Obasi Akoto is a veteran double bass player, composer and educator. Obasi performed extensively and recorded with some of the most important Jazz Artists in North America. For two years, he had the privilege of touring as the bassist with Elvin Jones and Jazz Machine and worked four years with Cyrus Chestnut Trio. He is the bass player on two of Mr. Chestnuts Atlantic Recordings: the Dark Before the Dawn and Earth Stories. Obasi has also performed in club and/or concert hall settings with Wynton Marsalis and Jazz @ Lincoln Center, opera star Kathleen Battle, legendary Jazz vocalist Abbey Lincoln, Jazz violinist Regina Carter and The Joanne Brackeen Trio featuring Horatio "El Negro" Hernandez. Obasi recorded with saxophonist James Carter, and plays bass on Carter’s 2001 Atlantic label release: Chasin’ The Gypsy as well as his 1997 release In Carterian Fashion. He toured with trombonist and shell master Steve Turre; Blue Note recording Artist Jacky Terrasson; and the Lee Morgan Tribute Band featuring Joe Lovano, Eddie Henderson, Benny Green and Winard Harper. In his St. Louis days, he played professional rhythm and blues gigs in with Ike Turner and Albert King alumni. He then toured with Lester Bowie and eventually Lester Bowie's Brass Fantasy.

In addition to his busy performing career, Obasi received his Masters Degree in Jazz Composition from the Manhattan School of Music in 2002 and became the Director of Jazz Studies at The University of Manitoba from 2003 - 2017. In 2017, Obasi released his first full length orchestral recording featuring all of his own compositions, entitled All Over The Map, which features Warren Wolf on vibraphone. It has been described as “impassioned and transformative” and has cemented him as a prolific composer and orchestrator. After 15 years of teaching at the college level, Obasi is now pursuing his performing career full time playing all over Baltimore, Washington and New York with top musicians. He is currently the bass player for Cyrus Chestnut and Affirmation, he has his own trio/quartet with saxophonist Tim Green and has a band fronted by vocalist Keith Snipes. He is performing with the great George Colman coming up in May of 2023. His extensive work over 25 years with his wife Anna-Lisa is outlined in the other area's of this application.

Photographer: Lucia Madariaga - Vignudo

Musician: Steve Kirby

Event: Rent Party 2, Park Theatre, Winnipeg 2009