Marion Hayden will return to The Station at Michigan Central on May 8 for a special Mother’s Day-themed installment of the Fridays at The Station concert series, joined by the Grammy-nominated ensemble Straight Ahead.
The Detroit native, regarded as one of the country’s leading acoustic bassists, previously opened the inaugural Fridays at The Station event in April 2025. With a career spanning decades, Hayden has performed alongside prominent artists including Regina Carter, Nancy Wilson, Lionel Hampton and George Benson. She began performing professionally at age 15 under the mentorship of noted musicians Marcus Belgrave and Wendell Harrison.
In 2025, Hayden received the Kresge Eminent Artist Award, further cementing her reputation not only as a performer but also as a champion for preserving jazz’s cultural legacy.
She is also a cofounder of Straight Ahead, recognized as the first all-women jazz group signed to Atlantic Records. Over the years, the group’s members have shared stages with major figures such as Ray Charles, Tony Bennett, George Duke, Stanley Clarke, the Yellowjackets and Dianne Reeves.
“Straight Ahead will present a celebration of women as creatives, composers, arrangers and conceptualists,” Hayden said. “The band will open a musical conversation, engaging the audience in themes of womanhood, power and intentionally creating a space where women are uplifted.”
The performance lineup features Hayden on bass, Alina Morr on keyboards, Gayelynn McKinney on drums, Ingrid Racine on trumpet and vocalist Kymberli Wright. Known for blending genres, the group’s sound moves fluidly between jazz, Latin influences and elements of hip-hop.
Doors open at 6 p.m., with two performance sets scheduled from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m. and 9 p.m. to 10 p.m. Between sets, DJ erika.irie will perform. The DJ, who headlined the AfroFuture festival last year, is expected to draw a strong audience in her own right.
Contact Free Press arts and culture reporter Duante Beddingfield at dbeddingfield@freepress.com.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Mother’s Day jazz night set at Michigan Central this weekend
Reporting by Duante Beddingfield, Detroit Free Press / Detroit Free Press
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