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.-
Obo Addy and Julian Priester - For Your Information
In 1999, Jack Straw brought together Ghanaian percussionist Obo Addy and jazz trombonist Julian Priester for a composer residency, commissioning them to create new work together. The project, titled Confluence, culminated in a concert at On the Boards on October 18, 1999 as part of the Earshot Jazz Festival. “For Your Information” is one of the pieces Obo and Julian created together, along with their ensemble: Gary Harris, saxophone; Jim Cheek, trumpet; Janice Scroggins, keyboards; Israel Annoh, drums; Nii Ayi Armah, percussion; Tim Young, guitars; and Phil Sparks, acoustic bass.
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Black Imagination: Sites of Power
Jack Straw Artist Natasha Marin‘s multimedia online exhibit, Black Imagination: Sites of Power is now available at black-imagination.com. In this excerpt from the audio portion of the project, Salma Siddick responds to the prompt, “What is your relationship to Africa, real or imagined?”
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Dennis Rea - Altai By and By
Dennis Rea‘s album Giant Steppes, produced in part through the Jack Straw Artist Support Program, is now available from MoonJune Records. This track features Jack Straw artists Juliana and PAVA.
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LaVon Hardison - Center of My Gravity
LaVon Hardison wrote “Center of My Gravity” in response to the work of Jack Straw Writer Helen K. Thomas, as part of the Bushwick Book Club Seattle‘s 2020 collaboration with the Jack Straw Writers Program. Hear more collaborations on Jack Straw and Bushwick’s websites and social media.
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James Falzone - La Veuve Dans Sa Cabane
“La Veuve Dans Sa Cabane” is the first track from Jack Straw Artist James Falzone‘s project Fallow, a year-long series of digital releases. This track and more of James’s music is available for purchase at allosdocuments.bandcamp.com.
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Russell Duke - Discrete Flows and Continuous Objects
This is an excerpt of a piece created by Russell Duke through his 2017 Artist Support Program residency, working with Jack Straw engineer Doug Haire. The full piece, dedicated to Stephen Kennedy, consists of sounds recorded from 78 rpm records and run through tape loop iterations to degrade the quality of the sound. This project was part of Russell’s Ph.D. work at the University of Greenwich, demonstrating the role of medial noise (tape, vinyl, digital) in sound recording. Learn and hear more at nostalgital.co.uk.
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Nic Masangkay - No More Childhood
Jack Straw and Bushwick Book Club artist Nic Masangkay created this song in response to the work of 2020 Jack Straw Writer Maisha Banks Manson, as part of the 2020 Jack Straw x Bushwick Book Club project. Hear more music from this project by visiting Jack Straw or Bushwick Book Club Seattle on Facebook, or at thebushwickbookclubseattle.com/jack-straw-writers-2020-and-the-bushwick-book-club-seattle.
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Ela Lamblin: Kelphorn Beach
Sculptor, composer, and performer Ela Lamblin – known for his work as half of the duo Lelavision – produced Sculptaural, his first album of original music, as part of the 1996 Jack Straw Artist Support Program.
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Trinidad Marquez - Entre Los Dos
This performance was recorded at a concert in Granger, WA as part of Gritos del Alma, a project that began in 1992 in collaboration with Washington State Arts Commission and Radio KDNA to recognize and honor the diverse traditions of the people of Mexican descent residing in Washington State. The resulting 23-page bilingual booklet and 60-minute cassette provide an excellent introduction to the Chicano/Mexicano music traditions of the Yakima Valley.
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Seattle Baroque Orchestra - Vivaldi's Chamber Concerto in D Major
Byron Schenkman and the Seattle Baroque Orchestra produced an album of chamber works by Vivaldi through the Jack Straw Artist Support Program. The album was released by Centaur Records in 2015.
