May 20 Wednesday
Don’t Explain is an award-winning, deeply expressive performance project led by celebrated vocalist Jacqueline Tabor and pianist-composer Marina Albero. Inspired by the enduring influence of Billie Holiday and Nina Simone, the project blends original compositions with reimagined repertoire to create a powerful, contemporary jazz experience.
Rooted in jazz and blues, with classical influences and improvisation, Don’t Explain is intimate, soulful, and emotionally resonant. The collaboration between voice and piano anchors the music, allowing space for nuance, storytelling, and dynamic musical conversation, with select ensemble textures enhancing the performance.
This is not a tribute show, but a living dialogue with legacy music that honors the past while speaking directly to the present. May 20, 2026, marks the official album release performance of Don’t Explain at The Triple Door, offering audiences a rare opportunity to experience this project in one of Seattle’s most iconic listening rooms. Expect an evening of depth, elegance, and compelling artistry.
Ohhh those summer nights! From its earliest performance in a Chicago nightclub through its record-breaking Broadway run and hit feature film, Grease has remained one of the world’s most popular musicals. Featuring the many hit songs that became the soundtrack of a generation, like “Greased Lightnin’,” “Alone at the Drive-in Movie,” and “It’s Raining on Prom Night,” this 1950s pop culture satire is filled to the brim with grit, glam, and youthful exuberance.
In roles made famous by John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John, head “greaser” Danny Zuko and new girl Sandy Dumbrowski try to relive their sizzling summer fling as the Burger Palace Boys and Pink Ladies of Rydell High’s senior class navigate the peer pressures and social politics of high school in the 1950s. Directed and choreographed by Lisa Shriver (Beautiful: The Carole King Musical), this production of Grease promises nonstop, nostalgic, hydromatic fun. So throw on a poodle skirt, dust off that leather jacket, and rediscover the show that’s been winning hearts for generations!
Vincent Garcia is a Spanish bassist from Valencia, acclaimed as one of the most prestigious figures in the modern jazz and funk scene worldwide. He has over 14 years of professional experience, having developed a distinctive, modern sound marked by energetic and gritty execution.
Born into a musical family—his mother a vocalist and his father a trumpeter—Vincen was introduced to performance and touring at an early age. He began playing bass in his high school band and developed his craft entirely as a self-taught musician Vincen is among the most listened-to bassists globally in terms of streaming, amassing hundreds of thousands of followers and millions of views and reactions. Additionally, he has been one of the most impactful artists in the genre, performing at festivals such as the Montreux Jazz Festival (Switzerland), the North Sea Jazz Festival (Netherlands), or the Pori Jazz Festival (Finland). His first album, titled Ventura received an overwhelmingly positive reception in cities around the world. Vincen Garcia also collaborates on tours with international artists like Cory Wong and Jesus Molina.
The artist is presenting his second album, VIVACE, in 2026 with a world tour that will span every continent.
Welcomed by KNKX. Frank Vignola is one of the most extraordinary guitarists performing before the public today. His stunning virtuosity has made him the guitarist of choice for many of the world’s top musicians, including Ringo Starr, Madonna, Donald Fagen, John Lewis, Tommy Emmanuel, Lionel Hampton, the Boston Pops, the New York Pops, and guitar legend Les Paul, who named Vignola to his “Five Most Admired Guitarists List:” for the Wall Street Journal.
His dynamic genre-spanning music has brought him to 21 countries on three continents – and still growing – performing in some of the world’s most illustrious venues, including the Sydney Opera House, Carnegie Hall, The Palace of Fine Arts in San Francisco, New York’s Lincoln Center, The Blue Note, and the world’s oldest indoor concert hall, Teatro Olimpico in Vicenza, Italy.
Pasquale Grasso - It was the kind of endorsement most rising guitarists can only dream of, and then some. In his interview for Vintage Guitar magazine’s February 2016 cover story, Pat Metheny was asked to name some younger musicians who’d impressed him. “The best guitar player I’ve heard in maybe my entire life is floating around now, Pasquale Grasso,” said the jazz-guitar icon and NEA Jazz Master. “This guy is doing something so amazingly musical and so difficult. “Mostly what I hear now are guitar players who sound a little bit like me mixed with a little bit of [John Scofield] and a little bit of [Bill Frisell],” he continued. “What’s interesting about Pasquale is that he doesn’t sound anything like that at all. In a way, it is a little bit of a throwback, because his model—which is an incredible model to have—is Bud Powell. He has somehow captured the essence of that language from piano onto guitar in a way that almost nobody has ever addressed. He’s the most significant new guy I’ve heard in many, many years.”
May 21 Thursday
It’s been five decades since drummer/producer Bobby Colomby and friends assembled the first group to successfully blend rock and jazz into a genre-crossing sound and style. So successfully in fact, that the band’s second album, Blood Sweat & Tears, topped the Billboard charts for many weeks and beat out the Beatles’ Abbey Road for the prestigious Album of the Year Grammy award. That album produced three major hit singles: “You Made me so Very Happy,” “Spinning Wheel,” and “And When I Die.”
But now Colomby is looking for much more as he develops Blood Sweat & Tears into a contemporary voice, one that reaches beyond a single, nostalgic audience.
In celebration of its 30th anniversary, the Washington State Historical Society invites you to explore the history of building the State History Museum. 30 Years and Counting: The Making of the Washington State History Museum is a special exhibition that uncovers the vision, effort, and community spirit that brought this iconic Tacoma landmark to life.
Discover the bold ideas and architectural ingenuity that shaped the museum’s distinctive look. From early sketches to final blueprints, see how the building’s design reflects both innovation and reverence for Washington’s past. Go behind the scenes of the museum’s construction. Through photographs and artifacts from the building process, witness how a dream took shape—brick by brick, beam by beam.
Staff Picks: 30 Objects for 30 Years
In a special feature area, museum staff share their favorite objects from the collection—each one a personal reflection on the power of history to inspire, surprise, and connect us.
Never Turn Back: Echoes of African American Music unveils the profound legacy of Gospel, Blues, Jazz, and Soul artists who shaped the soundscape of American culture and used their music as instruments of resistance, identity, and representation.
Gospel, Blues, Jazz, and Soul embody the profound influence of African American music on culture and history. From the spiritual foundations and transformative movements of Gospel hymns to the revolutionary improvisations of Jazz, the Blues’ Southern roots rising from the Mississippi Delta, and Soul’s powerful amplification of the Civil Rights and Black Power Movements, these genres have defined the unique sound and undying spirit of a nation that continues to echo through contemporary Black music today.
LeMay – America’s Car Museum proudly presents The Birth of the American Supercar, a groundbreaking exhibition guest curated by renowned automotive innovator Steve Saleen. This one-of-a-kind display invites guests on an exhilarating journey through the evolution of American supercars. From early speed pioneers to cutting-edge modern marvels, visitors will experience a stunning lineup of vehicles that have redefined engineering, speed, and style, built by a wide range of American automotive manufacturers like Ford, Chevy, Dodge, Saleen himself, and even some more obscure ones like Vector, Cunningham, and Hennessey. From roaring V8s to sleek carbon-fiber bodies, discover how American automakers pushed boundaries, challenged European rivals, and redefined what a supercar could be. This exhibition offers a rare opportunity to see some of the most thrilling and historically significant American-made performance vehicles ever built—all under one roof.
This is a permanent exhibition. Since time immemorial, Tribal nations have existed in this place we call Washington. This Is Native Land invites visitors to understand Washington State through the lived experiences and voices of its Native people.
Tribal nations are sovereign nations. Today, Native history, culture, and community thrive in our state. Through everyday acts of sovereignty – big and small – Indigenous peoples demonstrate they are still here, they have persevered, and they will always be here.
This Is Native Land is guided by three teachings:We are of the land and watersWith knowledge comes responsibilitySovereignty protects people, lands, and waters
These teachings are shared through multimedia, artwork, and interactive objects designed for guest engagement. They represent a contemporary continuation of Tribal stories and traditions.
Over 100 Native contributors from more than 60 Tribes shaped the exhibition’s stories and content. We thank the Native Advisory Committee and all community participants for their contributions.
This nine-week series will allow you to jump into the basics of Norwegian language and culture in a supportive, face-to-face classroom environment. Students will learn essential vocabulary, everyday phrases, pronunciation, and simple grammar structures through interactive activities, conversation practice, and cultural activities. No prior foreign language experience is required; ages 16+.
Every Thursday, April 2 - May 28 NOR1A: 5-6:30pm - NOR1A is for absolute beginners with no prior language experienceNOR1C: 6:45-8pm - NOR1C is for students who may know some basic Norwegian and want to grow their skills
