Welcome to the revival of Jake & Haystack with Kiki, Jake and Haystack, for the CD release of “An American Portrait.”

order the CD directly from iTunes!
Janet Kuypers, Jake & Haystack - An American Portrait

Kiki, Jake and Haystack CD, people photographed on the CD cover include Kiki, Ariane, Jake, Haystack, Rob and Eugene (from left to right)

Jake and Haystack
(via artvilla)
released two CDs:
Jake and Haystack (released under iTunes)
and Right Like It Is (also available for sale at iTunes)...

They agreed to re-release their material with the addition of Kiki, reading poetry to their music. This led to the release of the CD “An American Portrait.” We have mp3 files of the pieces here (listed in the order they appear on the CD), as well as some instrumentals, vocals tracks, and links to the original poems read in these pieces.

...on to the performance art:
(these pieces are listed in the order they appear in on the CD)

More Sunrises Than We Should
Janet Kuypers, Jake & Haystack - An American Portrait - More Sunrises Than We Should
mp3 file (1:57)
mp3 file instrumental, “Ukelele Sunrise”
from the CD Right Like It Is
If you have difficulty downloading this free instrumental,
you can also order this track through iTunes.
JC - Right Like It Is - Ukelele Sunrise
mp3 file (vocals track)
The original writing
(“More Than We Should Have,” from 1997)

Transcribing Scratchings
Janet Kuypers, Jake & Haystack - An American Portrait - Transcribing Scratchings
mp3 file (3:39)
mp3 file instrumental, “Chicken Scratchings”
from the CD Right Like It Is
If you have difficulty downloading this free instrumental,
you can also order this track through iTunes.
JC - Right Like It Is - Chicken Scratchings
mp3 file (vocals track)
The original writing
(“Transcribing Dreams 3,” from 1994)

Denying It In Court
Janet Kuypers, Jake & Haystack - An American Portrait - Denying It In Court
mp3 file (:31)
mp3 file (vocals track)
The original writing
(“Domestic Violence in America,
Nashville, Tennessee” (nose), from 1995)

the Baby with the Stick
Janet Kuypers, Jake & Haystack - An American Portrait - The Baby With the Stick
mp3 file (1:29)
mp3 file (vocals track)
The original writing
(“Domestic Violence in America,
Nashville, Tennessee” (stick), from 1995)

Weren’t Even Strings
(Released for online retail sales under the
title “Weren’t Even Married”)

Janet Kuypers, Jake & Haystack - An American Portrait - Weren't Even Married
mp3 file (3:23)
mp3 file instrumental, “Strings 1”
from the CD Right Like It Is
If you have difficulty downloading this free instrumental,
you can also order this track through iTunes.
JC - Right Like It Is - Strings 1
mp3 file (vocals track)
The original writing
(“Weren’t Even Married,” from 1998)

Because When We Drink
Janet Kuypers, Jake & Haystack - An American Portrait - Because When We Drink
mp3 file (2:19)
mp3 file (vocals track)
The original writing
(“Because This Is What We Do,” from 1997)

Steel Metaphors
Janet Kuypers, Jake & Haystack - An American Portrait - Steel Metaphors
mp3 file (2:21)
mp3 file instrumental, “Spanish Steel”
from the CD Right Like It Is
If you have difficulty downloading this free instrumental,
you can also order this track through iTunes.
JC - Right Like It Is - Spanish Steel
mp3 file (vocals track)
The original writing
(“Mixing Metaphors,” from 1998)

Blues at the Poolhall
Janet Kuypers, Jake & Haystack - An American Portrait - Blues At the Poolhall
mp3 file (1:25)
mp3 file (vocals track)
The original writing
(“You Once So Confidently,” from 1989)

Running from
Slate with Marrow

Janet Kuypers, Jake & Haystack - An American Portrait - Running from Slate With Marrow
mp3 file (4:25)
mp3 file instrumental, “Bass Runner 1”
from the CD Right Like It Is
If you have difficulty downloading this free instrumental,
you can also order this track through iTunes.
JC - Right Like It Is - BassRunner 1
mp3 file (vocals track)
The original writing
(“Slate and Marrow,” from 1992)

Imagine the Raining
Janet Kuypers, Jake & Haystack - An American Portrait - Imagine the Raining
mp3 file (:59)
mp3 file (vocals track)
video videonot yet rated
Watch this YouTube video
Live at Chicago Calling, at the last night of poetry performance at Mercury Cafe 10/02/09
video videonot yet rated
Watch this full video
from Chicago Calling, at the last night of poetry performance at Mercury Cafe 10/02/09, via the Internet Archive
The original writing
(“How I Imagine You,” from 1998)

Listen to the Raining
Janet Kuypers, Jake & Haystack - An American Portrait - Listen to the Raining
mp3 file (1:21)
mp3 file (vocals track)
The original writing
(“Listen To What You’re Not Hearing,” from 1989)

With Our Rain
Janet Kuypers, Jake & Haystack - An American Portrait - With Our Rain
mp3 file (:47)
mp3 file (vocals track)
The original writing
(“Rain,” from 1994)

Five Strings, Many Forms
(Released for online retail sales under the
title “Death Takes Many Forms”)

Janet Kuypers, Jake & Haystack - An American Portrait - Death Takes Many Forms
mp3 file (5:52)
mp3 file instrumental, “Five String Shuffle”
from the CD Right Like It Is
If you have difficulty downloading this free instrumental,
you can also order this track through iTunes.
JC - Right Like It Is - Five String Shuffle
mp3 file (vocals track)
The original writing
(“Death Takes Many forms,” from 1998)

Don’t Let Each Morning
Janet Kuypers, Jake & Haystack - An American Portrait - Don't Let Each Morning
mp3 file (:49)
mp3 file (vocals track)
The original writing
(“Each Morning,” from 1998)

Mandolin Number 136
(Released for online retail sales under the
title “Number 136”)

Janet Kuypers, Jake & Haystack - An American Portrait - Number 136
mp3 file (5:28)
mp3 file instrumental, “Mandolin Dreams”
from the CD Right Like It Is
If you have difficulty downloading this free instrumental,
you can also order this track through iTunes.
JC - Right Like It Is - Mandolin Dreams
mp3 file (vocals track)
The original writing
(“Number 136,” from 1999)

Making Up The Insane
Janet Kuypers, Jake & Haystack - An American Portrait - Making Up the Insane
mp3 file (1:52)
mp3 file (vocals track)
The original writing
(“Making Sense Out Of The Insane,” from 1998)

It’s Right When
He’s Holding my Hand

Janet Kuypers, Jake & Haystack - An American Portrait - It's Right When He's Holding My Hand
mp3 file (2:13)
mp3 file instrumental, “Right Like It Is”
from the CD Right Like It Is
If you have difficulty downloading this free instrumental,
you can also order this track through iTunes.
Chris Carmichael, David Michael Jackson & JC - Right Like It Is - Right Like It Is
mp3 file (vocals track)
The original writing
(“Holding my Hand,” from 1998)

The Trouble With Death
Janet Kuypers, Jake & Haystack - An American Portrait - The Trouble With Death
mp3 file (1:15)
mp3 file (vocals track)
The original writing
(“Conversations, a day of grieving, 1/22/94 two,” from 1994)

Breaking at the Brooke
Janet Kuypers, Jake & Haystack - An American Portrait - Breaking At the Brooke
mp3 file (1:54)
mp3 file instrumental, “Brooke”
from the CD Right Like It Is
If you have difficulty downloading this free instrumental,
you can also order this track through iTunes.
JC - Right Like It Is - Brooke
mp3 file (vocals track)
The original writing
(“Breaking Their Heart,” from 1992)

Mean to be Dreaming
Janet Kuypers, Jake & Haystack - An American Portrait - Mean to Be Dreaming
mp3 file (:40)
mp3 file (vocals track)
The original writing
(“Mean to Me,” from 1998)

How Do I Explain the Genesis
Janet Kuypers, Jake & Haystack - An American Portrait - How Do I Explain the Genesis
mp3 file (7:47)
mp3 file instrumental, “ Genesis”
from the CD Right Like It Is
If you have difficulty downloading this free instrumental,
you can also order this track through iTunes.
JC - Right Like It Is - Genesis
mp3 file (vocals track)
The original writing
(“How Do I Explain It,” from 1999)

As an added bonus...

A remix of “Strings 1” (the edited music was reversed and lowered in pitch and tempo) was used for the 6 short poems in the “With/Without You” series.
On CD, these poems flow into one another, but you can anjoy these separate tracks right here.

Walking With You
Janet Kuypers, Jake & Haystack - An American Portrait - Walking With You
mp3 file (1:02)
mp3 file Unedited instrumental
“Strings 1” from the CD Right Like It Is
which is also available @ iTunes.
JC - Right Like It Is - Strings 1
mp3 file (vocals track)
The original writing

Wanting You
Janet Kuypers, Jake & Haystack - An American Portrait - Wanting You
mp3 file (1:04)
mp3 file Unedited instrumental
“Strings 1” from the CD Right Like It Is
which is also available @ iTunes.
JC - Right Like It Is - Strings 1
mp3 file (vocals track)
The original writing

Watching You
Janet Kuypers, Jake & Haystack - An American Portrait - Watching You
mp3 file (1:05)
mp3 file Unedited instrumental
“Strings 1” from the CD Right Like It Is
which is also available @ iTunes.
JC - Right Like It Is - Strings 1
mp3 file (vocals track)
The original writing

Waiting For You
Janet Kuypers, Jake & Haystack - An American Portrait - Waiting for You
mp3 file (1:06)
mp3 file Unedited instrumental
“Strings 1” from the CD Right Like It Is
which is also available @ iTunes.
JC - Right Like It Is - Strings 1
mp3 file (vocals track)
The original writing

With You
Janet Kuypers, Jake & Haystack - An American Portrait - With You
mp3 file (:49)
mp3 file Unedited instrumental
“Strings 1” from the CD Right Like It Is
which is also available @ iTunes.
JC - Right Like It Is - Strings 1
mp3 file (vocals track)
The original writing

Without You
Janet Kuypers, Jake & Haystack - An American Portrait - Without You
mp3 file (:53)
mp3 file Unedited instrumental
“Strings 1” from the CD Right Like It Is
which is also available @ iTunes.
JC - Right Like It Is - Strings 1
mp3 file (vocals track)
The original writing

Kiki, Jake and Haystack CD, people photographed on the CD cover include Kiki, Ariane, Jake, Haystack, Rob and Eugene (from left to right)
(From left to right,
the people photographed on the CD cover include
Kiki, Ariane, Jake, Haystack, Rob and Eugene.
Sara is also in the background image of this web page,
but she does not appear on the CD cover.)