April 1, 2025
Dream Child, the 2020 album from Portland’s Omari Jazz is one of those collections of tunes that could only be described as “lush”. “Ethereal” seems to come to mind, too, that kind of word that feels as much vague as it is all encompassing. These beats, so calm but varied, detailed even in the sparsest moments, like each of these tones were pored over with the greatest of care.
It’s the kind of easy headnod of an album that feels perfect for the bunker-like environment that birthed it, a 2020 project like all our tie dye and baked bread, but this sticks to your ribs more, and hearing him tell the amassed group from high above the crowd about how proceeds from sales of Dream Child at that period of time went to jail funds for protests makes you realize that this work sustains even more. When a couple members regaled me of the importance of the attached music video, I felt not only that this was some sort of epic but also that I had fallen into some interactive version of the album’s liner notes– the communion of the dedicated few intermingled with the experience.
In any medium, it’s a delight to hear, but KMHD had a listening session at Daydream, the wine bar catecorner from Clinton Street Theater with one of our favorite DJ booths & sound systems in town. The intimate affair was the chillest way to spend a Tuesday night on the equally cool evening. April is Jazz Appreciation Month, so a listening session at a wine bar seemed like the perfect way to commemorate the start of the occasion and hopefully the start of more events like these where groups of real music lovers can gather to appreciate the depths of what makes art and what more it can make next through connection.