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 week’s political noise and turning the conversation toward something more energizing: the people, the places, and the ideas that are quietly rebuilding the soul of Omaha from the inside out.
Paul B. set the tone right from the jump. “It’s going to be Love Supreme Friday today,” he told the audience. “And we’re going to change our mindsets over to something else.” That shift in energy was palpable throughout the episode, which touched on Nebraska’s recent primary election results, community entrepreneur Charell Shelton’s work with Core Science Bio Diagnostics, and a deeper conversation about what the hosts call the “secondary matrix” — the idea that the most meaningful work always carries a deeper purpose beneath its surface. As Paul B. explained it, “The idea is that there’s always a deeper meaning to what it is that you’re talking about doing. So in Dana Murray’s case, he teaches kids music, but the secondary matrix is to create critical thinkers.”
That framing couldn’t have been more fitting for the show’s featured guest.
Dana Murray, executive director and founder of the North Omaha Music Academy — formerly known as Love’s Jazz — joined the hosts for a wide-ranging conversation that was equal parts vision, history lesson, and community call to action. A South Omaha native who spent eleven years honing his craft in New York City before returning home, Murray has planted his flag on North 24th Street, and he is anything but timid about what he believes that corridor can become.
“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.” He outlined a practical checklist for what a thriving district needs — housing, services, parking, groceries, restaurants, entertainment destinations — and then went one step further. “It’d be great to have a hotel. With a hotel, now you can throw larger attractions, music festivals, and conferences right in the community.”
Paul B. has long called 24th and Lake “the most important black corner in Nebraska,” and Murray’s vision clearly resonates with that reverence. But Murray was also candid about what he sees as a persistent missed opportunity. “At every opportunity, we fail at taking advantage of showcasing our culture and highlighting the excellence of who we are,” he said, pointing to events like Native Omaha Days as examples of community pride that haven’t yet been leveraged to invite all of Omaha in. His approach at NMA has been different — and the results speak for themselves. “People told me that was going to be very hard, 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 chat was buzzing with affirmation. Viewer Pops noted a personal connection to the corridor’s history: “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.” And viewer Derek Higgins kept it simple: “Congrats, Dana, and what NMA is doing.”
Murray’s ambitions for the Academy stretch well beyond music lessons. He drew a pointed comparison to Omaha Performing Arts, which generates $40 to $50 million in revenue annually for the downtown area, and cast NMA in a similar role — not just as a music school, but as an economic engine for North Omaha. “We’re not only raising musicians but more importantly we’re raising more critical thinking human beings,” he said. “Whatever they choose to do, they’re going to be better because they were aligned with artistry.” A capital campaign is on the horizon, with an initial goal of $20 million toward what Murray envisions as a full NMA campus. “What we have to sell in most black communities is our culture,” he said. “Our culture is equity. Our artistic genius is equity, and the sooner we understand that, the better off we’re going to be.”
On the challenge of inspiring young people in the age of YouTube and ChatGPT, Murray was refreshingly self-aware. “We are in crisis with education,” he said, “not just young black kids — young kids — because we are losing the ability to inspire them.” His solution isn’t to fight the algorithm — it’s to meet students where they live. “We have to figure out how to inspire them within the world that they live in,” he said. “We are the students.” Viewer Senator KML echoed that closing sentiment warmly: “Thank you, Uncle Dana. You’re changing lives in big ways. We are the students.”
For music educators interested in joining the NMA team, Murray extended an open invitation, noting that the Academy is always looking to grow its roster of instructors — with one non-negotiable requirement. “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,” he said. Educators can reach Murray directly at dmurray@northomahusic.org or his assistant Andrew Bailey at abailey@northomahusic.org.
It was Buddy the God who brought the episode home with a challenge that felt less like a closing thought and more like a starting pistol. “All you have to do is find get in where you fit in. That’s all you got to do. It’s all happening. The lanes are running. The lanes are wide open.”
And on a Love Supreme Friday in Omaha, that felt exactly right.
Catch Paul B., Buddy the God, and all the voices shaping our city Monday morning when 1st Sky Omaha in the Morning returns — because the conversation is always just getting started.
