Hannah Marks Fires Up the Jazz World

Hannah Marks is a bassist, composer and educator living in New York City who leads a risk-taking acoustic jazz quartet that features NYC's most in-demand sidemen. Her career is on fire. She tours internationally with NEA Jazz Master Dee Dee Bridgewater's project "We Exist!" She was named to Downbeat magazine Critics Poll Rising Star Bassist list and just dropped a fantastic new album featuring her chops called Feed the Fire. Marks was also honored with a 2026 ASCAP Foundation Herb Alpert Young Jazz Composer Award and is set to perform with her quartet at the prestigious DC JazzFest in Washington DC on September 5. She'll appear alongside jazz greats Kurt Elling, Yellowjackets, Lisa Fischer, Nate Smith and many more. Here she talks with VERSED about her many passions as a composer and musician, the power of playing live and the advice she shares with the next generation in her role serving on the faculty at Fordham University. Visit Hannah's website Listen to her new album, Feed the Fire Watch Hannah Marks Quartet perform "Aggro" live at the Jazz Gallery Download the ASCAP Mobile App