Stephen Reed Griggs (AKA Steve Griggs)
Stephen Reed Griggs (b. NYC, 1960) earned certificates in Narrative Non-Fiction and Arts Management from the University of Washington, a Bachelor of Musical Arts in Saxophone Performance from the University of Illinois, and a Master of Business Administration in Management Information Systems from Pace University.
As a writer, Griggs is a member of the Jazz Journalists Association. His work has been published in the Seattle Times, Seattle Weekly, Earshot Jazz, Raven Chronicles Volume 26, Creative Colloquy Volume 3, Stories of Music Volume 2 (2017 International Book Award), and Rhythm in the Rain: Jazz in the Pacific Northwest. Griggs’ historical research has been mentioned in The John Coltrane Reference and Wild Isle in the City.
Musically, Griggs is an award-winning composer, producer, performer, and publisher with six commercial jazz recordings of his music on his independent, self-produced Hip City Music label. NEA Jazz Master Elvin Jones is featured on two of Griggs’ records. He accepted the Jazz Journalist Association 2021 Best Historical Recording award as Associate Producer on John Coltrane: A Love Supreme Live in Seattle for finding the source tape. His live performances of site-specific programs of social justice stories and original music have twice earned an Adventurous Programming Award by Chamber Music America and ASCAP, and The Seattle Channel broadcast Griggs’ music and narrative program based on the police killing of native carver John T. Williams on Front Row: Steve Griggs Ensemble present Seeing John T. Williams. Griggs is the featured saxophone soloist on the soundtrack for the Microsoft video game Halo 3: ODST which sold more than 6 million copies worldwide.
2023 Writers Program
Artist Support Program 2017: Record six songs and narrations for the program Sound in Stone: Music in the Sculptures of James Winston Washington.
Artist Support Program 2015: Record and mix the narrative and music program for A Cup of Joe Brazil, an audio documentary about an important figure in Seattle’s cultural history.
Artist Support Program 2013: Perform oral history recording, digital preservation of historic recordings, and production of audio excerpts for a blog and biography about the life and impact of Joe Brazil.
Artist Support Program 1997
Sound Clips
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Time Beautified Is Music - Stephen Reed Griggs
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Steve Griggs Ensemble - Come Go with Me
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Steve Griggs Ensemble - Thanksgiving
Recent Posts
December 19, 2023
Jack Straw is thrilled to announce Summit Sound, an audio gallery at the new Seattle Convention Center Summit Building on Pine St. Summit Sound was envisioned by the SCC Art Program as “an outdoor space where residents and visitors can immerse themselves in one of our region’s revered creative disciplines–sound.” As the new home to […]
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Categories: Art and Heritage Partnerships, Artist Support Program, Writers Program, Youth Education Programs
January 5, 2023
This year’s Writers Program Curator, 2009 Jack Straw Writer Priscilla Long, has selected the 2023 Jack Straw Writers! We’re thrilled to welcome our new writing fellows: Jim Cantú, Hana Choi, Brian Dang, Geri Gale, Stephen Reed Griggs, Garfield Hillson, Nancy Mburu, David Rea, Carla Shafer, Sumu Tasib, Kaitlyn Teer, and Julene Tripp Weaver. Our writing […]
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Categories: Writers Program
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