Jack Straw Artist of the Week

LaVon Hardison performed her song “28 Days” as part of her set with Cyd Smith at the Jack Straw Artist Showcase in April 2023. The whole showcase is archived on Jack Straw’s YouTube channel. The post LaVon Hardison – 28 Days (Live at Jack Straw) appeared first on Jack Straw Cultural Center.

This recording of Florence Price’s “Silk Hat and Walking Cane” is included on William Chapman Nyaho’s album Kete: Piano Music of Africa and the African Diaspora, produced through the Jack Straw Artist Support Program and released in 2020 on MSR Classics. The post William Chapman Nyaho – Silk Hat and Walking Cane (Price) appeared first on Jack Straw Cultural Center.

Performer Christian Swenson produced Off-Road Vocals, an album of vocal improvisations, as part of his 1999 Jack Straw Artist Support Program residency. The post Christian Swenson – Good Walking appeared first on Jack Straw Cultural Center.

Alex Keller recorded his electro-acoustic work The Four Hundred Boys, based on the Mayan Book of Creation, as part of his 1998 Jack Straw Artist Support Program residency. The post Alex Keller – The Four Hundred Boys appeared first on Jack Straw Cultural Center.

Robert Flor produced radio adaptations of a number of his plays through his Jack Straw Artist Support Program residency. In The Christmas Snow Globe, a young, wheelchair-bound Filipino girl accidentally drops the family’s snow globe, which held her favorite ice skater and inspiration, breaking it. Her mother seeks to repair the family heirloom. Link: Robert’s […] The post Robert Francis Flor – The Christmas Snow Globe appeared first on Jack Straw Cultural Center.

Jack Straw artist Maya Nguyen talks with Carlos Nieto about her Jack Straw New Media Gallery installation huh ugh uh hm mhm. The post Maya Nguyen New Media Gallery Podcast appeared first on Jack Straw Cultural Center.

Randal Bays‘s new album Trad and True, produced in part through the Jack Straw Artist Support Program, is a collection of Irish traditional music and original tunes, recorded in Ireland and the US over the last few years with contributions from Susan Waters, fiddle; Willie Bays, flute; Owen Bays, concertina; Geraldine Cotter, piano; Mick Kinsella, […] The post Randal Bays – The Traveller’s Return / Josie O’Neill’s appeared first on Jack Straw Cultural Center.

“The Want of You” is from a new song cycle based on the poetry of Harlem Renaissance writer Angelina Weld Grimké by composer/pianist Sheila Bristow and soprano Ellaina Lewis, recorded through the Jack Straw Artist Support Program. On November 21st at Jack Straw, Sheila and Ellaina will perform the songs and discuss the joys and […] The post Sheila Bristow and Ellaina Lewis – The Want of You appeared first on Jack Straw Cultural Center.

Suchitra Iyer’s album Sunaad, produced through her artist residency at Jack Straw, is a collection of Hindustani classical compositions by Indian-American composers from the Pacific Northwest. The album reflects the nurturing community of classical music practitioners who have created a space for shared learning and growth. The songs showcase different aspects of North Indian music, from […] The post Suchitra Iyer – Mazhe Mazhe appeared first on Jack Straw Cultural Center.

Bun-Ching Lam produced the album Mountain Clear Water Remote through her 1995 Jack Straw Artist Support Program residency. The album was performed with the New Performance Group: John Weller, violin; Ella Marie Gray, violin; Melissa Hamilton, viola; Walter Gray, cello; Paul Taub, alto flute, piccolo; Matthew Kocmieroski, percussion; Thomasa Eckert, piano; and Bun-Ching Lam, piano The post Bun-Ching Lam – Another Spring appeared first on Jack Straw Cultural Center.

Trío Guadalevín’s project El Noroeste – produced in part through the Jack Straw Artist Support Program – is a musical exploration of the historic presence of Latinos in what is now Washington State. Serving all who want to learn more about the Pacific Northwest, it is a necessary project to acknowledge a legacy of more […] The post Trío Guadalevín – Presente Estoy appeared first on Jack Straw Cultural Center.

This week we feature one of the poems Gabriela Denise Frank recorded at Jack Straw as part of her 2025 Artist Support Program project, producing recordings of poems that will appear in installations and public-facing venues. “How to Live on a Damaged Planet” is a cento. Gabriela writes, “I chose this form, which involves stitching […] The post Gabriela Denise Frank – How to Live on a Damaged Planet appeared first on Jack Straw Cultural Center.

In its original form, Jack Straw Artist Scott Morgan (aka loscil)’s project Adrift is a collection of 4 pieces of endless music presented as a mobile application. The application uses structured random selection to continuously play the discrete musical components with no beginning or end. The pieces were conceived as aural backdrops, seascapes of sound […] The post loscil – Ryou-Un Maru appeared first on Jack Straw Cultural Center.

Jack Straw artists Jonathan Rodriguez and Sandesh Nagaraj of Till the Teeth talk with Carlos Nieto about their Jack Straw New Media Gallery installation we being so. The post Till the Teeth New Media Gallery Podcast appeared first on Jack Straw Cultural Center.

“Secret Festival: September Moon” is from singer/pianist/composer Carolyn Graye‘s album Poems by Denise Levertov, a collection of the poet’s works set to improvised music. The album was produced in part through the Jack Straw Artist Support Program. The post Carolyn Graye – Secret Festival: September Moon appeared first on Jack Straw Cultural Center.

Jack Straw artist Laura Luna Castillo talks with Carlos Nieto about her Jack Straw New Media Gallery installation Onix y Marmol. The post Laura Luna Castillo New Media Gallery Podcast appeared first on Jack Straw Cultural Center.

“Heat Check” is the title track from Greg Kramer‘s upcoming full length album. The song features members of the Seattle based bands True Loves, Polyrhythmics, and High Pulp.  Greg’s music is a blend of hip-hop, soul, jazz and pop, featuring layered trombones and tight arrangements.  Greg’s album was mixed at Jack Straw Cultural Center by […] The post Greg Kramer – Heat Check appeared first on Jack Straw Cultural Center.

Zambuko African American Marimba Ensemble recently produced their debut CD, Bridges: The Legacy Continues, through the Jack Straw Artist Support Program. The first track, “Ngoma,” is a traditional celebration song from the coastal region of Kenya. It was introduced to Zambuko by Anita Achien Mwamba and Khalfani Mwamba. The post Zambuko Marimba Ensemble – Ngoma appeared first on Jack Straw Cultural Center.

Jack Straw artists Hannah Simmons and Leah Crosby have launched their project Field Guides – In Transit, a site-specific audio piece designed for the Link Light Rail, produced in part through the Jack Straw Artist Support Program. The post Hannah Simmons and Leah Crosby: Field Guides — In Transit appeared first on Jack Straw Cultural Center.

Jack Straw artist Shin Yu Pai has launched the fourth season of her award-winning podcast Ten Thousand Things, produced in part through the Jack Straw Artist Support Program. This week we’re sharing an excerpt from the first episode, which you can hear in full on Apple Podcasts or any other podcast platform. When Yowei Shaw […] The post Shin Yu Pai – Ten Thousand Things appeared first on Jack Straw Cultural Center.