About

Collin Shook, native to Dallas, Texas, is a jazz pianist, composer, and double bassist. Studying instruments from all around the bandstand through high school, Collin moved to Austin in 2007, before moving to Tucson where he performed and recorded from 2009 to 2014. Returning to Austin in 2014, he became an in-demand side man, primarily as a jazz pianist, steady work as a double bassist in folk and Americana bands, and began tuning pianos professionally, a hobby he’s had since he was 17 years old, servicing pianos for many Austin venues, festivals, notable Texan artists.

In collaboration with the art co-op Topology in East Austin, Collin created Monks Jazz Club, a pop-up listening room concept in September 2016. Inspired by the small jazz rooms around the world, along with his experiences gigging over a decade, this twice-a-month or so series provided a space for musicians and fans to experience the music with a performance hall vibe in a small club setting. Collin has hosted nearly 100 pop-up events, each event at varying DIY spaces such as art galleries, cafes, breweries/distilleries, and bicycle shops. Since the pandemic, Monks transitioned to live-streaming, producing over 600 livestreams at Shook’s studio space doubling as his piano servicing venture, East Austin Piano Shop.

Shorter Version:
Collin Shook, native to Dallas, Texas, is a jazz pianist, composer, and founder of Monks Jazz. During high school, he studied instruments from all around the bandstand, moved to Austin in 2007, performed and recorded in Tucson from 2009 to 2013, and finally returned to Austin in 2014. In September 2016, Collin collaborated with the art co-op Topology in East Austin to create Monks Jazz Club, a pop-up listening room concept.

Having hosted nearly 100 pop-up concerts in over a dozen venues from 2016-2020, Monks transitioned to a live-streaming format in response to the pandemic, and in 2021 landed a permanent brick and mortar space in the heart of East Austin, where Collin has produced over 600 Monks live-taping concerts.