School of Music Faculty

Dennis Marks

Associate Professor, Bass, Jazz Ensemble

Dennis Marks is one of the most in-demand bass players on the jazz scene and has been playing with Arturo Sandoval for 13 years. In addition, he has performed with many of the great musicians of today, including Dizzy Gillespie, Dave Liebman, Bob Mintzer, Maynard Ferguson and Pat Metheny. Dennis has appeared on Sandoval’s last six recordings, including the Grammy-Award Winning “Hot-House.” For one of the recordings, “My Passion for the Piano,” he wrote two of the compositions. Marks has performed at almost every major jazz festival during the last several years, including the JVC Festival in New York, the Playboy Festival in L.A. and the North Sea Festival in Holland. In 1996, Marks recorded his debut album “Images” on the Fantasy/Contemporary label. This album, which contains all original compositions, has received much critical acclaim. Marks has been very active in the educational field, teaching at Florida International University for nine years and at the University of Miami for two. He has given clinics at Virginia Tech, the University of Illinois and the University of Texas. Marks holds a B.M. in jazz performance and a M.M. in studio jazz writing from the University of Miami.

Contact: (904) 620-3843 | dmarks@unf.edu