Community Calendar

Whatcom Youth Pride presents a number of events the last week of May.

WYP Movie Night at the Pickford - Monday, May 26
Drag Panel with Elle! - Wednesday, May 28
Queer Youth Karaoke - Thursday, May 29
Poster and Button Making - Friday, May 30
Parade & Festival - Saturday, May 31 - Parade begins at Halleck and Cornwall at 11:00 AM (line-up by 10:45 AM) and the Festival at Bellingham High School runs until 2:00 PM.

Kick off Pride Month at the Eastside's largest LGBTQIA+ event! Enjoy a lively walk through Bellevue Downtown Park, followed by a celebration filled with music, entertainment, community booths, and a beer & mimosa garden. Connect, celebrate, and show your Pride, all while supporting Eastside Pride PNW!

Register at: https://www.bellevuedowntown.com/paws-and-pride-dog-walk

On May 31, dogs of all breeds will be racing and leaping like champions during the Seattle FlyDogs exciting rounds of caped canine athletics. The competition is staged between the airliners under the big Aviation Pavilion roof, and it is all in good fun. Visitors are also welcome to meet and greet with the furry athletes and their trainers between the shows. Shows at 1, 2 and 3 p.m. and free with Museum admission.

Please note that Seattle FlyDogs are invited guests of the Museum. Only service animals are allowed in the Museum. Please do not bring pets to the program.

Sponsored by KNKX. Métier Brewing Company and NW Folklife have partnered to host a monthly concert series, allowing NW Folklife to showcase our network of artists in a local business that celebrates the age-old craft of beermaking. MBC is all about strengthening community and creating a welcoming gathering space for families, friends, and those who appreciate exceptional beer. Located in the Central District, Seattle's Historic Black neighborhood, Métier is one of the few Black-owned breweries in the country. As part of last year's Cultural Focus, Metamorphosis, this partnership helps reclaim the dynamism of Folk as a way of life for people of all backgrounds, heritages, and traditions, not merely a stigmatized musical genre.

The series is every first Thursday.

May through July: Chris Patin is a locally raised Seattle musician with Louisiana roots who began playing music at the age of 4. He played classical piano for 10 years, but his main instrument is percussion, which he started at age 12. He honed his musical craft at the legendary jazz programs at Washington Middle School and Garfield High School, under the direction of Robert Knatt and Clarence Acox. He attended Hampton University in Virginia on music scholarship where he continued his formal music education in music performance with a jazz emphasis. After graduation he spent several years as a touring jazz musician and had the privilege and honor of playing all over the nation and world with world class musicians. Chris is now based back in the Seattle area where he continues to primarily play and teach music. He was the co-founder and musical director of the award winning Pacific Northwest Drumline in South Seattle.

Stay tuned for more info about future concerts.

Northwest Folklife is truly excited to partner with Métier Brewing Company to share in our ethos that folk and craft is a product of and for Our Beloved Community.

Supported by KNKX. Named the fifth greatest jazz pianist of all time (Hal Leonard Publishing), Grammy-nominated pianist Monty Alexander delights a global audience drawn to his vibrant personality and broad range of jazz and Jamaican musical expressions. Nearly 60 years after he moved to the United States from his hometown of Kingston, Jamaica, Alexander is an American classic, touring the world relentlessly and sharing his signature soulful message.

A perennial favorite at jazz festivals and venues worldwide and at the Montreux Jazz Festival where he has appeared 23 times since 1976, Alexander’s spirited conception is one informed by the timeless verities: endless melody-making, effervescent grooves, sophisticated voicings, a romantic spirit, and a consistent predisposition, as Alexander accurately states, “to build up the heat and kick up a storm.”

In the course of any given performance, Alexander applies those aesthetics to a repertoire spanning a broad range of jazz and Jamaican musical expressions—the American songbook and the blues, gospel and bebop, calypso and reggae. The Jamaican government designated Alexander Commander in the Order of Distinction in 2000 and conferred on him the national honor of the Order of Jamaica in 2022 for "Sterling Contributions to the Promotions of Jamaican Music and the Jazz Genre Interpretations Globally." In 2018, the University of The West Indies bestowed him with an honorary doctorate degree in recognition of his accomplishments.

One biography page could never contain the entire fascinating history... click the decades tabs on Monty's website (link below) to discover Monty's amazing journey through his nearly 7 decades in music.

His most recent release entitled D-Day (March 29, 2024) marked the 80th anniversary of the Normandy Landings a.k.a D-Day. It’s also the day Monty Alexander turned 80 (June 6). A highly symbolic historical concordance which the great musician naturally embraced for a unique tribute to this historical day, featuring wartime songs as well as original compositions. Through his music, Monty seeks to highlight the importance of understanding and unity, reminding us of the lessons learned from the past. It's an album that commemorates history, celebrates a milestone, and promotes a message of peace.

Presented by KNKX. DUENDE LIBRE celebrates the connections between jazz and music from Cuba, Brazil, and the Mediterranean. Their stewardship is a natural continuation of decades of dedicated apprenticeship with master musicians from around the world. DUENDE LIBRE's empathic on-stage chemistry, formed through years of performing, touring, and recording together, sets the band apart along with their eclectic sonic palette.

The trio will celebrate the release of a new album featuring original compositions by pianist and bandleader Alex Chadsey on June 7 at The Triple Door in Seattle along with special guests. The new album (their fourth) finds the trio further expanding their sonic palette while exploring universal human themes of vulnerability, loss, and hope.

Sponsored by KNKX. Featuring 26 bands and 100 musicians at 16 venues in downtown Edmonds.

Featuring Quartet de Garde, Jake Bergevin & The Jazz Punishments Big Band, Rich Cole, Neil Welch, Susan Pascal, Umami Fusion Band, Megabopolis, General 7 US Army Jazz Band, John Sakura, Dave Austin, Jim Cliff, Leonard Berman, Bruce Laven, Scott Adams, Ranger Sciacca, Dave Stewart, Mike Sciacca, Mick Nicholson, Brennan Carter, Neil Welch, Geoff Harper, Evan Woodle, Steve Treseler, Noah Pettibon, Danny Kolke, Paul Gabrielson, Bill Leather, Greg Williamson, Heather Chriscaden, Jamie Findlay, Brent Jensen, Reuel Lubag, Kelley Johnson, Jean Chaumont, Jay Thomas, Rich Cole, Chris Symer, Susan Pascal, Andrew Friedrich, Moe Weisner, Mark Ivester, Casey MacGill, Steve Itterly, Kevin Buster, Robin Kallsen, Jacqueline Tabor, Travis Ranney, Clif Swiggett, Carter Eng, Nelda Swiggett, Michael Glynn, Max Wood, Adriana Giordano, Beserat Tafesse, Marc Seales, Jeff Johnson, Steve Korn, Edmonds Woodway High School, Lynnwood High School, Soundsation, UW Jazz Ensemble and many more...

Sponsored by KNKX. Ira Glass is the creator, producer & host of This American Life, the iconic weekly public radio program with millions of listeners around the world. Using audio clips, music, and video, Ira Glass delivers a unique talk; sharing lessons from his life and career in storytelling: What inspires him to create? What drives his passion? How have failures and successes informed his decisions? During his presentation, Ira Glass will mix stories live onstage and help his audience better follow the creative process of one of our foremost storytellers.

Glass began his career as an intern at National Public Radio’s network headquarters in Washington, DC in 1978, when he was 19 years old. He put This American Life on the air in 1995. He also served as an editor for the groundbreaking podcasts Serial, S-Town and Nice White Parents.

Under Glass’s editorial direction, This American Life has won the highest honors for broadcasting and journalistic excellence, including seven Peabody awards and the first Pulitzer Prize ever awarded for audio journalism. In 2021 This American Life episode ‘The Giant Pool of Money’ was inducted into the Library of Congress’s National Recording Registry, the first podcast ever so honored.