Nick Marks - Alpha Bete

NOMINATION: Work of the Year - Jazz

Nominator Statement

Since leaving Melbourne for New York in 2016, Nick Marks has established himself as an internationally sought after artist and composer. His track Alpha Bete illustrates his deep roots in jazz, as well as in following in the traditions of melding jazz with adjacent genres to create expansive, large ensemble through-composed pieces that have a cinematic aesthetic. Marks worked with the Budapest Art Ensmble, for which he composed and arranged a 21 piece string section to perform as part of the piece. The track draws influences from Chick Corea to Herbie Hancock, Donaldy Byrd and Quincy Jones, as well as more modern jazz fusion / cross-over artists such as Anomalie. Nick began writing the track in March 2020, when the pandemic was only just beginning to hit New York and the entire city went into lockdown. It started as a small set of chords improvised on his piano, before which he then fleshed it into a large ensemble piece. He wrote, arranged and performed the track with some of New Yorks most established and exciting new generation of jazz musicians: Andrew Gould, Jimmy OConnell, Chase Baird, Doron Lev, Dave Levy and Sarpay Ozçagatay. Following the tracks release, it received radio play on BBC, JazzFM, received great reviews and was picked for Spotifys Best of Fresh Finds Jazz 2024 playlist. Marks is an independent artist who has been making great strides all on his own accord.