Barnum Jack is an acoustic music duo currently based in Bellingham, Washington. They play progressive old-time family-style song and tune and traditional-tinged contemporaries. Innovative and progressive while simultaneously remaining grounded in the the American old-time music tradition, thereby pushing and expanding that tradition that much deeper and wider into and among the contemporary American experience. Their repertoire consists of wide-ranging selections from the traditional canon, song and tune, and some of their own originals. Between the two of them, Matt and Allegra have released four full-length albums and have been included on three compilation albums, two by major record labels Righteous Babe Records and Shut Eye Records.

Barnum Jack was born out of a musical friendship dating back eight years now between Matt Novak and Allegra Ziffle, when they met in Bellingham and started playing music together. In March 2003 they founded Quickdraw String Band and started performing together on a regular basis. Two years later Allegra left for Olympia and began playing with Fast Rattler and Matt continued on with Quickdraw. After a year in Olympia Allegra moved on to Portland to play with The Mora and Brother Elmore and Matt released his second solo album in 2007. In February of last year Allegra left Portland and moved back to Bellingham and in April she and Matt teamed up to form Barnum Jack.