Seattle Jazz Hero
The Jazz Journalists Association presents the Seattle Jazz Hero award for 2026 to Lisa Hagen Glynn for her diverse and talented coverage of arts, culture, and justice events in Seattle, though most notably in jazz. A familiar and friendly face on the scene to many who know that wherever there’s jazz, there’s Lisa!
Born in Eastern Washington, Hagen Glynn grew up in a military family and moved around a lot. Seeing new places naturally developed her keen sense of observation. In 1984, she’d take her very first photo and would start to dabble in the medium. Dabbling turned to exploration under the tutelage of her father, a hobbyist in special antique photography. Throughout her school career, Hagen Glynn also played jazz, but it was photography that she would return to again and again. After attending graduate school in New Mexico, Hagen Glynn returned to Seattle, where she’s been settled ever since.
It was in 2012 that Hagen Glynn started to get serious about her photography, which led to earning a Certificate in Photography from the University of Washington. What initially felt like a casual endeavor became a more personal undertaking, and the vision was clear. In a 2022 interview with Earshot Jazz, she shared, “I really want to capture the emotion of the moment—the thing that makes jazz special.” Anyone who has seen her photos or worked with her knows that desire is achieved tenfold. There’s emotion as palpable as Hagen Glynn’s empathy behind the lens. And isn’t that a type of magic?
Her photography has appeared in DownBeat, The Wire, and local publications such as Earshot Jazz, The Seattle Times, and The Stranger. A champion for supporting live and local music, her blog, hardlyraining.com, was created in 2021 as a means of connection during the COVID-19 pandemic. And that’s the true superpower she brings into every space—utilizing photography as a vehicle to connect and give back to the community she loves so much, which is what makes Lisa Hagen Glynn a Seattle Jazz Hero.
—Rayna Mathis
