Earthwise welcomes Hannah Marks Quartet

Rising star jazz bassist leads her quartet in two Palo Alto shows. Multi-reedist Vinny Golia opens the show.
About this Event

Hannah Marks is a bassist, composer, and educator living in New York City. She currently leads a risk-taking acoustic jazz quartet that features NYC’s most in-demand sidemen, and has showcased her musical projects at festivals like the Detroit Jazz Festival, Hyde Park Jazz Festival, 80-35 Music Festival, Mary Lou Williams Jazz Festival, Iowa City Jazz Festival and Indy Jazz Festival. Produced by Jason Moran, her second album, Feed the Fire, was released in June 2026 on Endectomorph.

Hannah Marks - bass

Nathan Reising - saxophone

Steven Crammer - drums

Jonathan Paik - piano

Marks’ debut album, Outsider, Outlier, is an explosive rendering of her search for belonging and empowerment. A nod to her love for punk, noise and free improvisation, Outsider, Outlier released on Out Of Your Head Records on October 20, 2023. Citizen Jazz called Outsider, Outlier “…a very mature record from a young artist with very strong ideas who does not hold back anything.”

As a side-woman, Marks has been described as having “a fresh, modern, and original approach to playing the bass” by Marcus Printup. Marks tours internationally with NEA Jazz Master Dee Dee Bridgewater's project “We Exist!”, and has performed with Geoffrey Keezer, Nasheet Waits, Terri Lyne Carrington, Anna Webber, Miles Okazaki, Ingrid Jensen, Kalia Vandever, Matt Wilson, Ted Nash, Morgan Guerin, Marcus Printup, and Sasha Berliner. Marks’ discography includes playing on Geoffrey Keezer’s Grammy award winning composition “Refuge”, Amanda Ekery's Grammy nominated Arabé, Kristen Lee Sergeant’s Falling with saxophonist Ted Nash, and Heartland Trio’s debut album Year One.

Marks is passionate about jazz education, serving on faculty at Fordham University during the academic year, and at Interlochen Arts Camp, Stanford Jazz Workshop, and Jazz Camp West during the summer. She has also presented masterclasses at universities across the country (Brown University, Indiana University, and University of Denver) and adjudicated at the Reno Jazz Festival, Clark College Jazz Festival, and Simpson College Jazz Festival.

“The bassist has a way of giving riff tunes an extra bounce, an animation that might usually come from a drummer. Whether it’s a Geri Allen nugget or one of her own pieces, such as “Room 157,” the buoyancy she brings to the table helps fashion her still-evolving artistic persona. With the acoustic quartet record Feed The Fire (Endectomorph) arriving in early June, Marks is helping deliver updates to the mainstream jazz lingo. Live renditions of her own “Aggro” and Dewey Redman’s “Mushi Mushi” suggest that feistiness is zero problem, and with Jason Moran in the producer’s seat, her sophomore disc is surely one to anticipate.” — Jim Macnie

Vinny Golia musician, educator and label owner celebrates his 80th birthday in a solo set that will feature eight reed instruments.

The same artists also appear Saturday, October 3.

As a composer Vinny Golia fuses the rich heritage of Jazz, contemporary classical and world music into his own unique compositions. Also a bandleader, Golia has presented his music to concert audiences in Europe, Canada, Mexico, Japan, Australia, New Zealand and the United States in ensembles varying dramatically in size and instrumentation. Mr. Golia has won numerous awards as a composer, including grants from The National Endowment of the Arts, The Lila Wallace Commissioning Program, The California Arts Council, Meet the Composer,Clausen Foundation of the Arts, Funds for U.S. Artists and the American Composers Forum. In 1982 he created the on-going 50 piece Vinny Golia Large Ensemble to perform his compositions for chamber orchestra and jazz ensembles.

A multi-woodwind performer, Vinny’s recordings have been consistently picked by critics and readers of music journals for their yearly “ten best” lists. In 1990 he was the winner of the Jazz Times TDWR award for Bass Saxophone. In 1998 he ranked 1st in the Cadence Magazine Writers & Readers Poll and has continually placed in the Downbeat Critic’s Poll for Baritone & Soprano Saxophone. In 1999 Vinny won the LA Weekly’s Award for “Best Jazz Musician”. Jazziz Magazine has also named him as one of the 100 people who have influenced the course of Jazz in our Century. In 2006 The Jazz Journalists Association honored him with a Lifetime Achievement Award. 2013 Vinny won the Downbeat Critic’s Poll in the “New Star” category for Baritone Saxophone.

Golia has also contributed original compositions and scores to Ballet and Modern Dance works, video, theatrical productions, and film. As an educator Vinny has lectured on music & painting composition, improvisation, Jazz History, The History of Music in Film, CD & record manufacturing and self-production throughout the United States, Europe, Mexico, New Zealand and Canada. He currently teaches at California Institute of the Arts. In 1998 Golia was appointed Regent’s Lecturer at the University of California at San Diego. In 2009 Vinny Golia was appointed the first holder of the Michel Colombier Performer Composer Chair at Cal Arts.

Vinny has been a featured performer with Anthony Braxton, Henry Grimes, John Carter, Bobby Bradford, Joelle Leandre, Leo Smith, Horace Tapscott, John Zorn, Tim Berne, Bertram Turetzky, George Lewis, Barre Phillips, The Rova Saxophone Quartet, Patti Smith, Harry “the Hipster” Gibson, Eugene Chadburne, Kevin Ayers, Peter Kowald, John Bergamo, George Gruntz Concert Jazz Band, Misha Mengelberg, Han Bennick, Lydia Lunch, Harry Sparrney and the Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra amongst many other