Marion Hayden

the living room shed and other black spaces
Marion Hayden & Tariq Gardner with visuals by Saffell Gardner

This work explores the theme of NOW:FUTURE  through a musical exploration of current events that have impacted Marion Hayden’s life and household including loss, uncertainty, fear, interdependence, love, security, systemic betrayal, doubt and hyper-awareness of culture and identity.

This concert was recorded and can be viewed below or at Sidewalk Detroit’s Youtube Channel.

Sidewalk Detroit and Kresge Arts in Detroit Present: NOW:FUTURE Mobile Neighborhood Concert Series These pop-up, mobile concerts bring the artist directly to Detroit neighborhoods and are meant to be intimate, viewed from the porch, the front yard, or from the comfort and safety of one’s home. THE LIVING ROOM SHED AND OTHER BLACK SPACES MARION HAYDEN & TARIQ GARDNER WITH VISUALS BY SAFFELL GARDNER This work explores the theme of NOW:FUTURE through a musical exploration of current events that have impacted Marion Hayden’s life and household including loss, uncertainty, fear, interdependence, love, security, systemic betrayal, doubt and hyper-awareness of culture and identity. The concert is in collaboration with Detroit Sound Conservancy. NOW:FUTURE is a summer series of public art events and online engagements to highlight the contributions of Kresge Artist Fellows and Gilda Award recipients to Detroit’s dance, theatre, film, and music communities. The theme, NOW:FUTURE asks artists to reflect on their experiences and the world around them as it relates to our current cultural, political, and personal landscape.

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, Steve Turre, Lester Bowie, David Allen Grier, James Carter, Dorothy Donegan, Joe Williams, Lionel Hampton, Frank Morgan, Jon Hendricks, Hank Jones, Bobby Hutcherson, Larry Willis, Vanessa Rubin, Sheila Jordan, Mulgrew Miller, Jeff Clayton, 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- a 1year fellowship and grant award given an elite group of creative artists.  She was 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.

As an arts advocate, Hayden has served as Grant Panelist for the Detroit Council for the Arts and Cultural Affairs, Michigan Council for the Arts and Cultural Affairs, Art-Ops and Meet the Composer. She also serves as panelist or consultant for South Arts, Detroit Sound Conservancy, Charles Wright Museum of African American History, the Kresge Foundation, Jazz Education Network and Societie of the Culturally Concerned.

As an educator, Hayden holds faculty positions in the Jazz Studies Dept. at University of Michigan and Oakland University. She was King-Chavez-Parks Visiting Professor of African American Music History at University of Michigan – Dearborn for 4 years.  

A passionate advocate for youth education- Hayden is the Bass instructor for the Geri Allen Jazz Camp, Newark, NJ.  In 2020, Hayden was invited to join the faculty at Centrum Jazz, Port Townsend, WA.