A World Arts Foundation Production

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Shirley Nanette:

Shirley Nanette has long been recognized by the regional music community for her dynamic vocal sensibility—performing jazz and classical works at festivals, on television, and with the Oregon Symphony as well as earning her a place in the Oregon Music Hall Of Fame. Less is known, however, about the degree to which her vocal work pulls from the roots of soul music. In 1973, Nanette released an LP entitled Never Coming Back. Featuring a cast of Albina area musicians, the record has been lauded by some as a critical piece of Portland soul music history. Tonight’s program will feature Shirley Nanette performing her seminal LP Never Coming Back in its entirety.

Albina Soul Revue Band:

The Albina Soul Revue Band is an intergenerational group of Portland musicians under the direction of Tony Ozier. Since 2009, Ozier's "Dookie Jam" has served as an open forum for rappers, producers, and jazz musicians alike. With the Albina Soul Revue Band, Ozier has enlisted a veritable dream team of local heavies to perform original Albina soul music from the 1960s-80s. The group features Kenney Polson (Gil Scott-Heron, Jimmy Heath, Wynton Marsalis), Danny Osborne (Billy Graham, Shirley Nanette), Marquay Seamster (Prince), Kyle Molitor (Bootsy Collins), Noah Simpson (Noah Simpson Group), Dennis Dove (World Beat Collective), Ben "Snacks" Turner (KMHD, Dirty Revival), and Colin Jenkins (Ages and Ages).

Jon Kirby:

Jonathan Kirby is a record collector, author, and producer with the esteemed reissue label, the Numero Group. From 2007 to 2010, he served as the Associate Editor for the Brooklyn-based music journal, Wax Poetics, before joining the Numero Group in 2011. He has been nominated for two Grammys in relation to his archival work—in 2014 for his expansive liner notes for Purple Snow: Forecasting the Minneapolis Sound and again in 2017 for producing Bobo Yeye: Belle Epoque in Upper Volta. He has recently returned to his home in Winston-Salem to intensify research and preservation of the underrated, unknown, and marginalized musicians of North Carolina.

www.numerogroup.com

Bobby D:

An elementary school teacher by day, Bobby Smith is a writer, disc jockey, and local media archivist by night. His Night School program on XRAY FM has served the Albina musician community since 2014. In partnership with Portland arts and education non-profit, World Arts Foundation, he founded the Albina Music Trust––an initiative to elevate 20th century Albina musicians through storytelling, performance, and releasing unissued local soul records. He has been a contributing writer for Wax Poetics, Hot Stuff Magazine, and Portland Mercury.

www.nightschool.us

www.instagram.com/albinamusictrust