It was a Friday morning in Omaha, and the hosts of 1st Sky Omaha in the Morning made a conscious choice before the cameras even warmed up. “We have to make a decision,” said host Paul B. at the top of the show. “It’s going to be Love Supreme Friday today. And we’re going to change our mindsets over to something else.” And just like that, the tone was set — not by ignoring the weight of the week, but by deliberately choosing uplift.
The week had closed with Nebraska’s primary election in the rearview mirror, and the numbers were hard to shake. Paul B. shared a sobering statistic from Raquel Henderson at the mayor’s office: “Only 339,032 out of more than 1.2 million registered voters in Nebraska showed up yesterday. Think about that for a second. And yet everybody has something to say.” Co-host Buddy the God connected the dots between civic participation and community self-reliance. “It’s the missing piece,” he said. “As far as people having to fend for themselves — the reality is until we do that, we’re going to have to keep building our own ecosystems. And my point today is we got to do both.” Viewer Kimber Snipes weighed in from the chat with a compassionate perspective: “I’ve been having conversations with people between the ages of 20 and 35. What I hear the most is most of them don’t really know what to do and know nothing about the candidates. I don’t think we should be slamming people for not voting when the system is really what has caused this. I think we need to have more education and deep dive discussions.”
But the heart of Friday’s show belonged to a conversation with Dana Murray — executive director and co-founder of the North Omaha Music Academy, the organization formerly known as Love’s Jazz. A South Omaha native who spent eleven years honing his craft in New York City before returning home, Murray has planted himself firmly at the center of North 24th Street’s cultural revival, and his vision for what that corridor could become was nothing short of sweeping.
“Really, 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,” Murray said. “And we’ve been so far removed from that.”
Murray laid out a practical blueprint: sufficient housing, services, parking, eateries, and gas stations to make the area self-sustaining — combined with destination attractions like restaurants, entertainment venues, and, one day, a hotel. “With a hotel, now you can throw larger attractions, music festivals, conferences right in the community,” he said. Paul B. echoed the sentiment with characteristic passion: “I’ve always called it the most important black corner in Nebraska. We have some history there and some legacy there, and that’s what it’s about. We have to be of service to it.”
Murray also issued a gentle but pointed challenge about how North Omaha presents itself to the broader city. He pointed to South Omaha’s Cinco de Mayo celebration as a model of cultural pride done right. “It’s a festival that brings them together, but they invite everybody,” he said. “One of the things I’ve tried to do is reach out and be a beacon for all of Omaha to come down to North 24th Street — and we’ve proven that people have no problem coming from wherever they are in Omaha or Iowa to hear jazz music.” Viewer Pops offered a vivid piece of living history to underscore the point: “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.”
At its core, the North Omaha Music Academy is a youth music program — but Murray was quick to reframe what that really means. “We’re not only raising musicians but, more importantly, raising more critical-thinking human beings,” he said, “because all these young kids are not going to become musicians by choice. Some will become doctors, some lawyers, some business owners. Whatever they choose, they’re going to be better because they were aligned with artistry.” The academy also teaches live sound, broadcasting, and podcasting, and gives students the chance to interview visiting artists firsthand. “It’s not just telling them ‘you can be this,'” Murray said. “It’s showing them they can do it right now.”
Paul B. put a name to that broader mission, describing what he called the “secondary matrix” — the idea that music education isn’t just about music. “In Dana Murray’s case, he teaches kids music — 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 it.” Viewer Pops connected personally: “I experienced my secondary matrix in junior high when I took algebra. I was gaining proficiency and noticed I was suddenly able to think outside the box on several different levels. Music the same.”
As for the future of NMA itself, Murray isn’t thinking small. A capital campaign — with a first phase of $20 million — is in the works, with the goal of building a full NMA campus. He pointed to Omaha Performing Arts as a model of what a cultural anchor can do economically for a neighborhood. “That is a vehicle for that area,” he said. “We need a vehicle like that for North Omaha, and I see NMA taking up that space.” His closing thought was a rallying cry: “The sooner we understand that our culture is equity, that our brilliance and artistic genius is equity, the better off we’re going to be.”
NMA is currently seeking music instructors who bring more than technical skill to the table. Murray put it plainly: “Unless you’re able to inspire a young person, they don’t really have the attention span for the X’s and O’s of music.” Interested instructors can reach Murray at dmurray@northomahusic.org or assistant Andrew Bailey at abailey@northomahusic.org. And mark your calendars — NMA Fest is on the horizon, with Mono Neon among the performers. Viewer Mark Manor had a word of advice for anyone on the fence: “Mono Neon — I saw him a few years ago. He’s awesome. Do not miss that.”
The show closed the way it opened — with warmth and community at the center. Viewer Aeros 402 brought the house down with a personal note: “On a love note, my only daughter gave birth to my second granddaughter. They are both new and good. I feel blessed.” On a Love Supreme Friday, that said it all.
Tune in Monday morning for another edition of 1st Sky Omaha in the Morning — your neighbors are saving you a seat.
