Born in Detroit, MI, a crucible of jazz, Marion Hayden is one of the nation’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, Geri Allen, Regina Carter, David Allen Grier, Joe Williams, Lionel Hampton, Sheila Jordan and many others. She is a co-founder of the touring jazz ensemble Straight Ahead—the first all woman jazz ensemble signed to Atlantic Records. She is a member of the Detroit International Jazz Festival All-Star Ambassadors touring ensemble. Widely recognized as a standard bearer of culture and artistic history, Hayden received a 2019 Art X Grant and a Creators of Culture Grant for original musical works. She was Artistic Director for a 2018 Knight Arts Foundation Grant encouraging young women in jazz. In 2016 Hayden was honored for her work as a performer and educator with the prestigious Kresge Artist Fellowship. She was also the recipient of a 2016 Jazz Hero Award—a national award given by the Jazz Journalists Association recognizing people who have made a significant contribution through their artistry and community engagement. A passionate advocate for youth music education, Hayden teaches for Michigan State University, Community Music School Detroit and is an educator in residence for the Detroit Jazz Festival. She also conducts the Next Gen Ensemble—a performing group of some of the area’s best young musicians. Hayden holds faculty positions in the Jazz Studies Departments at University of Michigan and Oakland University. Learn more at marionhayden.com