Music of the Pacific Northwest

Music of the Pacific Northwest encompasses many musical styles from prehistory to the modern Pacific Northwest.

Song and dance was a notable element of pre-Contact Northwest culture. The abundant food supply for coastal tribes like the Tlingit, Haida, Tsimishan, Kwakiutl, Makah, Quinault and Coast Salish peoples, and other Puget Sound Salish peoples, is credited for allowing a settled lifestyle with elaborate artistic expression including woven clothing and basketry, communal longhouses and dance and music. Some dances, songs and stories were owned by a particular culture and used in association with potlatches and other important community events.Cultural preservation efforts in the 21st century include Makah and Yakama music.

In modern times, the Northwest is known for largely for its contributions to indie music, especially grunge and alternative rock. There is also a historically-strong interest in folk music and many musicians from the region have made notable contributions to the contemporary folk revivalism movement.

Folk music from the region traditionally takes stock of Pacific Northwest in lyrical references, such as the local history, the landscape, and in the spirit of transcendentalism, which has historical roots in the exploration and settlement of the Pacific Northwest. The music is documented in Songs of the Pacific Northwest by Phil Thomas (1979), Washington Songs and Lore (written for Washington Centennial Commission in 1988) and The Rainy Day Songbook (published by Whatcom Museum of History and Art in 1978) both by Linda Allen.

Woody Guthrie's "Roll on Columbia", written in 1941, is the official Washington State folk song.

Jazz artists from the Pacific Northwest include Ray Charles, Quincy Jones, Buddy Catlett, Bill Frisell, Ernestine Anderson, Larry Coryell, Jeff Lorber, Diane Schuur, Kenny G, Aaron Parks and Esperanza Spalding. The Seattle Repertory Jazz Orchestra is noted for its renditions of big band jazz music.

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