Highland Park, MI
MARION HAYDEN
Marion Hayden is one of the world’s finest proponents of the acoustic bass. Mentored by master trumpeter Marcus Belgrave, Hayden began performing jazz at the age of 15. She has performed with such diverse luminaries as Bobby McFerrin, Nancy Wilson, Dee Dee Bridgewater, Geri Allen, Regina Carter, Steve Turre, Lester Bowie, David Allen Grier, James Carter, Dorothy Donegan, Frank Foster, Jon Hendricks, Hank Jones, Bobby Hutcherson, Larry Willis, Sheila Jordan, Mulgrew Miller, Carole Bufford and many others.
Her creative practice centers around her ensemble Legacy– formed in 2003. Legacy performs original, narrative driven compositional works within the framework of jazz and improvised music. The ensemble also specializes in preserving and expanding the legacy of musicians from her hometown of Detroit, MI.
She is a founding member of the Jazz Education Network’s Sisters in Jazz program and a co-founder of the touring jazz ensemble Straight Ahead- the first all-woman jazz ensemble signed to Atlantic Records.
In recognition of her artistic creativity and originality, Hayden was honored with the Kresge Artist Fellowship, a fellowship and grant award of unrestricted funds to support the fellows’ creative practice. She is a recipient of a U.S. Congressional Commendation, the Jazz Hero Award from the Jazz Journalists Association and the Vision in Excellence Award from the National Conference of Artists.
As an arts advocate, Hayden has served as panelist or consultant for numerous national and statewide arts organizations including Jazz Education Network, Chamber Music America, the McKnight Foundation, Arts Midwest, South Arts, the Detroit Council for the Arts, Michigan Council for the Arts, Detroit Historical Museum, and the Charles Wright Museum of African American History.
Hayden is a Lecturer in the Dept. of Jazz and Contemporary Improvisation at University of Michigan and Director of Jazz Bass and Jazz Ensembles at Oakland University.
A passionate advocate for community youth music education, Hayden holds youth education positions at Michigan State University, the Geri Allen Jazz Camp and the Detroit Jazz Festival. As well, she conducts the Next Gen Ensemble- a performing group showcasing emerging musicians.
RECENT PREMIERS:
Rev. S. S. Jones Home Movies: Silent Film Score. Artistic Director for Film Score created for historical African American silent film. Premier (Virtual) at Detroit Institute of Arts.
Ancestral Haiku- A video installation by artist M. Saffell Gardner, featuring original music for Quartet and dance.
Highland Park: City of Ogoun. A narrative score combining original music and interviews with residents of Highland Park, MI. Site of the first auto plant in the U.S.
Up South: Reflections of the Great Migration. Prose and Original music and arrangements for quartet with harmonica celebrating the spirit of African American migrants through the lens of one family.
CURRENT RELEASES
Detroit: Jazz City- Blue Note Records, Featuring Sheila Jordan, Marcus Belgrave and James Carter
Momentum: Portraits of Women in Motion. Pianist Ellen Rowe. Featuring Tia Fuller, Ingrid Jensen and Allison Miller
Marion Hayden – Visions. Featuring Kirk Lightsey, Steve Turre, Cecil Bridgewater, Wendell Harrison and Ralph Peterson
Friday, January 6, 2023
2:00 PM – 2:50 PM US EST