It was a Love Supreme Friday on 1st Sky Omaha in the Morning, and hosts Paul B. and Buddy the God made good on that promise — setting aside the post-primary political chatter to lean into something deeper: the work of building community from the inside out.
“We’ve been talking a lot of politics for a while and we got a little break after the primaries,” Paul B. told viewers. “It’s going to be Love Supreme Friday today. We’re going to change our mindsets over to something else.” And with that, the show shifted into a conversation that felt less like a broadcast and more like a gathering — the kind where neighbors pull up chairs and talk about what’s really possible.
Buddy the God set the tone for the season’s broader ambition early on. “We talk about seven lanes of change — politics, political power, voting rights — that’s important, but it’s still only one lane,” he said. “We definitely want to talk about several other lanes and what’s going on as far as how we can do for ourselves, how we can build ecosystems within ecosystems.” It’s a framework the show has been leaning into all season, and Friday’s guest was a living example of it in action.
That guest was Dana Murray, executive director and founder of the North Omaha Music Academy — known to many as NMA, formerly Love’s Jazz — situated right on North 24th Street. A South Omaha native who spent eleven years in New York City before coming home to Omaha, Murray carries the polish of someone who’s seen what a thriving cultural district looks like and came back determined to build one here.
Paul B. introduced Murray’s work through what he called the “secondary matrix” — the deeper purpose running beneath the surface of any meaningful community institution. “In Dana Murray’s case, he teaches kids music — on the surface that’s what it is,” Paul B. explained. “But the secondary matrix is to create critical thinkers, create people that can go further in their fields because they have the discipline of musical training and the mind-expanding benefits of musical training.” Viewer Pops agreed, sharing a personal connection: “I experienced my secondary matrix in junior high when I took algebra. I noticed that I was suddenly able to think outside the box on several different levels. Music the same.”
Murray was candid and visionary in equal measure. When asked about the future of North 24th Street — “the deuce,” as it’s affectionately known — he didn’t hedge. “The area that has the most history and the one that can claim ‘we are a cultural and arts district’ for real is the North 24th Street corridor,” he said. “But we’ve been so far removed from that.” He laid out a clear-eyed picture of what a self-sustained district requires: housing, services, parking, eateries — and then destinations. Entertainment. Restaurants. Lounges. “It would be great to have a hotel,” he added. “With a hotel, now you can throw larger attractions, music festivals, conferences right in the community.”
Murray was equally direct about a tension he sees holding North Omaha back. “At every opportunity, we fail at taking advantage of showcasing our culture and highlighting the excellence of who we are,” he said, pointing to Native Omaha Days as a missed opportunity. “It’s a failed opportunity to showcase our culture because none of it is trying to invite the rest of Omaha down to partake in what we have to offer.” His solution? Be the beacon. “People told me that was going to be very hard,” Murray said. “And people don’t have any problem coming from wherever they are in Omaha or Iowa to come down North 24th Street to hear jazz music.”
The NMA’s ambitions stretch well beyond music lessons. Murray described a vision that mirrors what Omaha Performing Arts means to the downtown corridor — a cultural and economic engine that draws tens of millions in revenue. “That’s what we want to be for North Omaha,” he said. Students at NMA don’t just learn instruments — they learn live sound engineering, broadcasting, podcasting, and how to interview visiting artists. “It’s not just teaching them ‘oh you can be this’ — no, you can be this right now,” Murray said. “Once you remove those barriers, sky’s the limit.”
He also spoke to the broader cultural stakes. “Our culture is equity,” Murray said with conviction. “Every music in America has been built off of our experience — from the hardest rock music to the jazziest jazz music to the poppiest of pop music, you trace it all the way back to the music that was brought over here from Africa. The sooner we look at it not as ‘oh that’s a cool little music thing’ but as equity for us to build and monetize for our community, the better we’re going to be.”
The energy in the chat room matched the energy on screen. Viewer Senator KML wrote simply, “Thank you, Uncle Dana. You’re changing lives in big ways. We are the students.” And viewer Pops offered a piece of Omaha history that made the moment feel even more alive: “Artists like Fats Domino used to stay at your grandfather’s home when he came to town to perform. So yes, more infrastructure for the artist around the Deuce corridor would be a godsend.”
Paul B. backed that history with his own endorsement of the space Murray has already built. “The sound is incredible in there. It’s set up like the Blue Note New York now — and it’s that level of sound quality and everything there,” he said. He also didn’t mince words about the corner of 24th and Lake, calling it “the most important Black corner in Nebraska” and urging the community to show up and be of service to it.
The show closed the way Love Supreme Fridays should — with warmth, purpose, and an open invitation. “All you have to do is find get in where you fit in,” Buddy the God said. “The lanes are running, the lanes are wide open. Just get in where you fit in and make it happen.” Viewer Judy Prince offered her own quiet wisdom to cap the week: “If you are sad or angry, go out and help others. Your attitude will change.”
For those looking to connect with the North Omaha Music Academy — whether as a student family, a supporter, or a music educator — Dana Murray can be reached at dmurray@northomahamusic.org, and his assistant Andrew Bailey at abailey@northomahamusic.org. Keep an eye out for the upcoming NMA Fest, coming to North 24th Street.
It was the kind of Friday morning that reminds you why community conversations matter. Join Paul B., Buddy the God, and the whole 1st Sky family back on the air Monday — same time, same love, new lanes to explore.
