Community radio is a beautiful thing and I can say I've had the pleasure of being with you on 107.1 XRAY FM each Friday night for over 350 episodes! The show began as just a guy w/ some records. And because of community radio it’s now the Albina Music Trust - a community archive and public memory project preserving Portland’s Black music legacy.

Special thanks to Chase Spross, Dave Fulton, Aaron Hall, and Amy Dials at XRAY FM. Albina Music Trust will continue to partner w/ XRAY. And I'm pleased to know that one of our musician elders, Calvin Walker, will remain on XRAY’s  board. An archive of musician interviews can be found at albinacommunityarchive.org.

Thank you, XRAY FM!!!

We made a film! "Keep Alive The Dream" airs Monday on OPB and at Hollywood Theatre. The film documents African-American communities in Oregon honoring MLK's legacy. Please check it out..

Working as an archivist and producer on the project, this was a monumental undertaking. We pulled roughly six decades of footage featuring Albina's activists, community leaders, artists, musicians, and youth. We documented the Albina community's historic struggle for peace and social justice, and made space for pioneers in the community to speak on those issues. 

Culminating in World Arts Foundation's MLK celebration, our film showcases Black Joy and the culture-building that community events such as this can provide.

Working with these two gentleman has been an incredible ride - executive producer Kenneth W. Berry and director Elijah Hasan. Pulling from World Arts Foundation's vast archive of material + navigating the guidelines of OPB's broadcast standards was no easy task. We put in some heavy hours. Shout out to Donny Adair for his narration. And not least of all, our executive director "aka The Boss Lady" Ms. Sandra Wadsworth, for keeping us together and focused!

In some respects, this film is just the beginning. We'll have some exciting news to share in the coming weeks, regarding our future preservation work in Albina. We're building capacity as we speak! And it's not without the support of community members and local orgs that have been supporting us along the way. You know who you are!

It's pretty special when a couple guys who've never been on an album before can change that. Today Transport's "Disco Fantasy Land" has come to life on vinyl. It's been a stone cold delight working with Randy Monroe and Narvy James on this one. Thank you to the Oregon Cultural Trust for making it happen.

Recorded in 1978, the original reel was tossed in the garbage. The band broke up and like most Albina recordings from this time there was minimal coverage of the music. In 2016, while exploring a defunct recording studio in Portland I came across the master tape cut direct from the board. What I heard had me out of my seat with a flood of emotions. Portland had disco?!

Fast forward a few months and bassist Randy Monroe came through XRAY, curious about the tape. I put it on and this man lit up. Randy had not heard the tape since around the time it was recorded. Before long, I found myself sitting up late with Randy, sifting through the sights and sounds in his archive. It's amazing how music can activate the memory. 

This album is a tribute to some of Albina's greatest talents gone too soon: Michael Cooper, John Sanders, Roslyn Johnson, and Bob McLarty to name a few. With nearly half the band having passed on, I'm grateful for the time we've been able to connect with those still with us. Randy has become like a brother to me and putting this record out means a lot.

A major shout out to the audio/visul surgeons whose work behind the scenes has brought this project alive. The source tape of the recording was in complete disrepair. Gus Elg preserved it, making literally thousands of manual edits so you can hear things like every 1/16th note the hi-hat is making. 

Similarly, Brian Mumford and I worked to preserve the original photography and poster found in the record. Brian reconstructed concert photography of the band into a series of film strips with a noir-inspired touch. Brian is an old friend and his work can be found across all of our releases as well as many on the Mississippi Records label. Sam Slater and Eric Mast also lent a hand in the visual production you see. 

Last but not least, Jared White has been on this every step of the way, bringing the quality control to greater heights and just about everything else behind the scenes. We are still packing these records up at Clinton St!

Toward the end of our session last night, Narvy looked at Randy and said, "Man, it only took me 66 years to get on a record. Making me feel like I'm getting old or something." Randy replied with a chuckle, "Yeah, you're right. You are getting kinda old.”

Today is the day! I'm pleased to report after years of transcontinental back-and-forth we've now earned the luxury of reissuing this album by Carl Smith & The Natural Gas Company. I'd like to thank the musicians, BBE Records in the UK, Peter Adarkwah, Zaf Chowdry, Jake Holloway, and Carlee Smith for bringing this project to life!

Recorded in 1980, the record features a who's who of Portland's jazz-funk community. However, in its time the LP fell victim to a tax write-off scheme masterminded by rural farmers in central Oregon, causing it to disappear overnight! It's crazy, but this really happened. And the tragedy is that the group was an institution for aspiring jazz musicians, lasting over five decades. Over a hundred musicians circulated in and out of the band, including multiple Grammy winners and Jefferson Airplane's original vocalist. This was their only commercial recording.

With BBE's grace, I had the privilege of licensing, art directing, and facilitating an oral history of the group featured in the album's liner notes. The remaster is impeccable, stretching the original LP across two 180 gram discs at 45rpm. It's rich, complex and with notes of Northwest candor. And no, I'm not talking about wine....this is disco!

The record is part of Zaf's Private Wax series on BBE which highlights marginalized albums like this one. I've collected and spun each of these records since their release and am now pleased to be a contributor to the project. 

Working with Carlee Smith, navigating the family's rich musical heritage has also been fascinating. We've amassed a small museum's worth of material. And the musicians involved shed so much light on what we've collected. The power of their stories elevated this project to a new level.

Back at it! Slickaphonic is now the third LP released by Albina Music Trust. Now available at www.albinamusictrust.com.

Back in 2016, my guy Randy Smith strolled up to XRAY FM and dropped the bomb that is the promo pic you see on this album's cover. I'd been at the club, watching Randy Starr & The Players for years. After sitting with Randy, it became clear the depth of this man's catalog: Slickaphonic, Groove Tube, Sophistacated Funk Band, and Flirt. Back to the salt mines as they say...

After months of digging, I tracked down the source tape for a 1975 session helmed by Slickaphonic. Fittingly, the tape was the only Black-boxed tape in a mountain of White-boxed tapes. Upon listening, the elegance and technicality of this groove-based nonet had me hooked immediately. I have listened to this recording countless times since and to this day am still picking up the nuances.

Randy is one of the coldest cats I've ever met and the fact this record represents his earliest work is too apt. More on the rest of the band is in the album breakdown on our site. There you can also learn about our next release which is up for preorder. I'm so glad to see this in the world today.

Happy 90th to the honorary Mayor of Albina, Paul Knauls! Tonight we celebrate Paul with a virtual storytelling event honoring his legacy. This has been months in the making and with many hands involved. It's also the 300th episode of my soul music program "Night School" on XRAY FM. 

6-8pm PST streaming live at www.worldartfoundation.org

Like many of us, I've had the pleasure of working with Paul Knauls over the years. He's hosted multiple Albina Music Trust events, he's contributed to our oral history sessions, shared his extensive collection of musician photography, and so on. Paul is someone you just want to be around as much as you can and soak up the warmth, wit, and visionary energy he possesses.  

Paul began coming through XRAY FM in 2015. Sitting back in the studio listening to old soul records has been our jam. Here and there, I've sourced lost music from the Cotton Club, a venue he ran in North Portland in the 1960s. Seeing Paul light up when the beat drops has been one of the greatest joys. His tales of of Albina the way it once was have captivated me time and time again. And though I've heard his jokes about a thousand times or more...they're still funny!

So tonight we celebrate Paul and that which he does for so many of us. Our event features public officials, musicians, community members and more. We have a few surprises up our sleeve so trust when I say this will be a HISTORIC event. 

Shout out to the team that has brought this together: Winta Yohannes, Paul Knauls, Jr., Alex Chiu, Eric Mast, Lymay Iwasaki, Gina Altamura, Moe Lincoln, Nuri Hobbess, and Chase Spross.

It is a fine day when three outstanding musicians walk into a record shop to see their album on the wall. After fifty years together, this band finally sees their music on vinyl. I present to you the next release from Albina Music Trust, The Legendary Beyons! This record made possible by The Regional Arts & Culture Council.

This has been a journey years in the making & it all started w/ World Arts Foundation's annual tribute to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. With Ken Berry's blessing, Thurtis Channel from the band visited AMT's booth, sharing polaroids of The Beyons & a recording of their music from 1977. I later sat w/ Thurtis & eventually all members of the group at XRAY FM, listening to their stories & seeking to better understand their musical legacy in Albina.

As we've gotten to know each other, we've had some really great experiences. I've had the joy of listening to the Beyons at rehearsal, supporting them in performing their music live at the Albina Soul Revue & The Portland Black Music Expo. James Tims & I were able to watch the reel of this recording spinning around & around on the machine as our engineer Gus Elg transferred it to vinyl. These experiences I am so grateful for; the grace & love this band has shown me is remarkable.

As we did with our last release in 2018 by The Gangsters, we gathered the group together in a private ceremony where they shared their oral history among friends & family. Calvin Walker facilitated the discussion & I was there to listen & for support. We owe Aaron Hall & Dig A Pony a huge thank you for hosting us as well as Chase Spross & XRAY FM for recording the session. The session was later transcribed to around two hundred pages of dialog. This was whittled down to twelve pages of oral history & photography which can be found in a 12"x12" booklet inside the record jacket. This booklet was carefully constructed over the past year w/ support from the band, design by Brian Mumford, & art direction by myself.

So here it is! Please consider purchasing a copy from the band directly: James Tims, Jeddy Beasley, Ira Hammon, & Thurtis Channel. I want to thank Jared White for extra special support in helping get this record into the world. You can also find the album at his wonderful sonic museum, Clinton St. Record & Stereo. A deeper description of the album project can be found at www.albinamusictrust.com.

Behind the scenes at the Portland Black Music Expo w/ Legendary Beyons. It all goes down this weekend, streaming online. Many hands involved to make this thing happen. I have been standing by, supporting the vision of Tony Ozier & O.G. One.