Versatile bassist, composer, and educator Dr. Eric Hitt is known for his musicality and unifying groove.
After relocating to Kansas City and joining the UMKC Conservatory faculty in 2022, Eric began performing frequently at venues including The Blue Room at the American Jazz Museum, The Majestic, Green Lady, Black Dolphin, and the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts. He has performed with respected jazz artists such as Ed Soph, Brad Leali, Tatiana “LadyMay” Mayfield, Quamon Fowler, Fredrick Sanders, Dave Meder, and Quincy Davis. Eric has performed on electric bass multiple times with the Dallas Symphony Orchestra for programs including “Queens of Soul” featuring Shayna Steele and live-to-picture screenings of Toy Story.
Eric earned his BM in Double Bass Performance from the University of Nebraska–Lincoln and his MM and DMA in Jazz Performance from the University of North Texas, studying with renowned bassists and pedagogues Dr. Hans Sturm and Prof. Lynn Seaton, respectively. While at UNT, he was a member of the acclaimed One O’Clock Lab Band and performed in the double bass section for the world premiere of Rich DeRosa’s “Life in Poetry and Music.” Eric was awarded an Outstanding Performance Award for Graduate College Jazz Soloist in the 44th annual DownBeat Student Music Awards (2021) and was selected to be a semifinalist in the International Society of Bassists Competition–Jazz Division multiple times (2021 and 2023), earning the distinction of Honorable Mention in 2021.
As a recording artist, Eric has contributed to releases on labels including MAMA Records and Outside in Music with artists and groups such as John Wasson’s Strata Big Band, Nick Finzer, the One O’Clock Lab Band, Masa Ishikawa, and Christine Hitt. He recorded a PBS-TV Christmas Special with Preston Hollow Presbyterian Church and recorded bass lines on the play-along One Hour Ride Cymbal Workout for UNT Jazz Drum Professor Quincy Davis.
Prior to UMKC, Eric was a faculty member at Tarleton State University and Collin College. During the summer, he has taught for jazz camps at Shell Lake Arts Center, the University of Arkansas–Fort Smith, and UMKC. Eric is a Featured Artist for KRUTZ double basses.
