Artist of the Week
The Jack Straw Artist of the Week Podcast highlights work created through the Artist Residency Programs at Jack Straw Cultural Center.-
LaVon Hardison - 28 Days (Live at Jack Straw)
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.
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William Chapman Nyaho - Silk Hat and Walking Cane (Price)
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.
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Christian Swenson - Good Walking
Performer Christian Swenson produced Off-Road Vocals, an album of vocal improvisations, as part of his 1999 Jack Straw Artist Support Program residency.
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Alex Keller - The Four Hundred Boys
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.
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Robert Francis Flor – The Christmas Snow Globe
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 play A Christmas in the Cordilleras.
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Maya Nguyen New Media Gallery Podcast
Jack Straw artist Maya Nguyen talks with Carlos Nieto about her Jack Straw New Media Gallery installation huh ugh uh hm mhm.
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Randal Bays - The Traveller's Return / Josie O'Neill's
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, harmonica; Clint Dye, guitar; and John Coyne, bouzouki.
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Sheila Bristow and Ellaina Lewis - The Want of You
“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 challenges of being the voice of a historical person and a historical period. The evening’s music will also include other music by Sheila, including Six Preludes on a Theme for solo piano, which she recorded at Jack Straw in 2022.
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Suchitra Iyer - Mazhe Mazhe
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 lyrical to percussive to devotional.
Inspired by these mentors, Suchitra composed the music for a piece of poetry by 14th century female poet Soyrabai. In “Mazhe Mazhe,” the poet urges us to remove ourselves from the illusion of the world and stop pursuing material success. Suchitra is accompanied by Manoj Deshpande on tabla (drums) and Deepashri Joglekar on harmonium (keys). Sunaad is available on all major streaming services: https://linktr.ee/suchitraiyermusic
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Bun-Ching Lam - Another Spring
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
