Anglo-American sax and flute player who has lived in the UK for over 20 years and has built up a great reputation for the power and ‘visceral excitement’ in his playing.
A protégé of Marcus Printup (Lincoln Center Orchestra) I have come to develop a unique sound of my own that stands out in my many musical involvements.
I have featured with artists like Kasabian, Lack of Afro, Haggis Horns, Nitin Sawhney, This is The Kit, Mr Benn, Chris Monkey and I’m at the forefront of popular Bristol bands Phantom Ensemble, Baila la Cumbia, Dockside Latin Orchestra, Radio Banska and Dub From Atlantis to name a few.
I have also shared the stage with jazz greats including Wynton Marselis, Maceo Parker, Dr Lonnie Smith, John Faddis, Pee Wee Ellis, have featured on BBC Radio 4 “Loose Ends” and worked at world renowned venues like Ronnie Scotts and The Blue Note in New York City.
Teaching Experience
As an educator I have been teaching for over 20 years with much of that time as assistant director of the highly acclaimed BlowoutSax School in Bath.
I have helped many of my students into world famous music programs including Trinity, Royal Academy, Royal Welsh, Leeds School Of Music and Chethams School Of Music.
As these young musicians have come out of further studies they have turned into working professional musicians in their own right!
I am one of Headwind‘s recommended saxophone teachers and I work closely with them to arrange equipment for my students when needed.
I’m also highly sought after for educational workshops and I continue to encourage and promote the jazz genre to young people.
See more about my availability for events and one to one saxophone lessons in Bristol & Bath.
Very good impression from the first lesson
“Very good impression from the first lesson. I have already been playing for a while (9 years) and wanted now… to keep improving by taking lessons with someone with experience and that could teach me useful things, it seems I found the right guy :)” Read more “Very good impression from the first lesson”
He has not just been a teacher to my son for 10 years but a friend and mentor.
Craig made every exam entry so easy by submitting the forms, preparing and supporting. There’s so much I could write about Craig, he has not just been a teacher to my son for 10 years but a friend and mentor. At times when my son had confidence issues Craig’s patience, caring nature and belief in his ability carried him through and by the time he was 16 passed his grade 8 with Merit. Craig made every exam entry so easy by submitting the forms, preparing and supporting. Craig has had regular contact with my son’s music teacher at school keeping them up to date. Craig also makes loads of effort arranging gigs for fun for his students in his own time! so it’s not all lessons the students get real performance time. My son still enjoys his lessons with Craig. Read more “He has not just been a teacher to my son for 10 years but a friend and mentor.”
Can teach all ages to play and have FUN
My advice to anyone, Young or Old who wants to play the Saxophone, PLEASE don’t delay, call these Guys “My son Lewis and myself now play the Tenor Saxophone. Lewis started blowing at the age of nine on alto sax, and myself, Tenor sax at Thirty plus Eight years young as a Front Lounge Player. Lewis first had lessons by a Local Ex Military Sax Player at home for about a year and was taken as far as he thought he could take him. In fairness the guy didn’t ‘milk’ the student situation and said that he needed to go forward with a more professional teacher. Lewis was heartbroken to learn that his first teacher was no longer to teach him. My wife and I searched for months to find another tutor, but to no avail. Then one of Lewis’s primary school teachers found out about The Blowout Sax School in Bath. I called them and left a message, Mark Archer suggested that we could attend a Blowout Sax Student Gig that just by chance was on the next week in Bath. Lewis and myself were blown away by the whole thing, the sound of Craig Crofton, Mark Archer (The Eccentric Master) and all of the chosen students just blew both of us away. It was then that we both started to blow the Tenor sax. We came out of there BUZZING and we both couldn’t wait to pick up our horns. Lewis’s first lesson with Craig Crofton was then arranged; From that day on, our Saxophone Affair started big time, and it’s still going from strength to strength. Craig and Mark together can teach all ages to play and have FUN using a unique way of playing using simple notes that are presented in terms that even a seven year old can understand ( you also go home each time with a backing track). They teach you not only in this manner, but also Notation Sight Reading, Playing by training your ‘Ear’ and also Improvisation. Lewis is now Fourteen and is taking his Grade six in Jazz (even played on stage with Kasabian’s drummer). As for me, Craig says I am now an Advanced Student and at Forty plus Eight I’m just about to start playing in a group. I would like to thank Craig and Mark for both of their Passion and FUN approach to learning the Saxophone. My advice to anyone, Young or Old who wants to play the Saxophone, PLEASE don’t delay, call these Guys.” Read more “Can teach all ages to play and have FUN”
Opened a whole new world of music to me
He has seen me grow personally and musically, and has guided me through for these years, from timid novice to a well-rounded confident young musician. “When I first started playing the sax I loved it, but it quickly became more of a chore than enjoyable because of the teacher had at the time. A week later I met Craig Crofton at The Blowout Sax School, who from then on has opened a whole new world of music to me. He has now been teaching me for ten years. He has seen me grow personally and musically, and has guided me through for these years, from timid novice to a well-rounded confident young musician. Not only has he taught me musically, he has also taught me about the industry and has written me references, one of which was a major part of me wining a young talent award from the Musicians Benevolent Fund. He has also set up gigs for me, which have eased my transition from playing in my room, to being paid to perform in public. With that my confidence has grown and I now play in two Jazz quartets and a Ska/Funk Band who have won several competitions. There are also Blowout Sax School gigs that are always packed, which is an opportunity to play with some amazing musicians and to have fun. All in all I’m sure that if 10 years back I had stayed with the teacher I had originally I would no longer play the sax. “ Read more “Opened a whole new world of music to me”
He taught loads of important lessons on jazz
Before I had lessons with Craig I questioned going to a university but he made me think twice, so I applied to Trinity College of Music. “The first time I met Craig was at a jam night in Bristol. It was a great evening and the standard was pretty high and listening to Craig I knew he had his playing down. I came back to the jam a week later and Craig was there again. I overheard him talking about lessons to someone and later that evening I asked if he could give me a few. We met up every other Monday. It was great. He taught loads of important lessons on jazz — for example we got quite deep into modes and how to use them on chord changes. What he used to say to me was ‘you got to tame the beast man’. I am quite an aggressive player so I would go for it in every solo, but it was a lesson to draw people into my solos by taming the beast. We looked at other devices to use in soloing such as Eddie Harris’s solo on ‘Listen Here’ and how he was able to make a fantastic solo on just a C blues scale and not add in any outside notes, also the way Eddie made that solo sound like a question and answer by repeating a little phrase every other bar. Before I had lessons with Craig I questioned going to a university but he made me think twice, so I applied to Trinity College of Music. I got an audition date and that’s when Craig and I set about how I would get in. He got two tunes for me to play, ‘Scrapple from the Apple’ and ‘Maiden Voyage’. The two tunes are totally different, ‘Scrapple’ is a fast bebop tune and ‘Maiden Voyage’ is slow and modern in relation to ‘Scrapple’. We looked into the tunes in depth and I felt confident that I might get in to Trinity and Bob’s your uncle I did. Well worth having lessons of Craig — he’s a great guy too. “ Read more “He taught loads of important lessons on jazz”
