Albina Music Trust US Schallplatten & CDs

Review: The Albina Music Trust aims to amplify Portland's musical past by working with underrepresented soul musicians, one such artist being 23-year-old drummer, composer and educator Domo Branch. Branch has come up through the ranks of the American Music Program - a crucial proving ground for Portland's jazz musicians - and now lives in Manhattan, performing with the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra under the direction of Wynton Marsalis. Sparse and minimalist in its ingredients it may seem superficially, but closer investigation reveals there's polyrhythmic power and heaps of unpredictable expression in his free improvisation.

Review: In 1969, Albina in the US underwent a pivotal transformation which saw the arrival of Black residents displaced by the Vanport floods. While a local Black economy thrived to start with, the neighbourhood eventually got neglected due to disinvestment by the city's elites but citizens didn't take it lying down and some of them formed Shades Of Brown, a group that emerged at the Albina Arts Center which was a haven for artists during civil unrest. With members from various musical acts, they found unity under leader Thara Memory who instilled discipline and required them to read and write music before performing. This EP, which is the group's sole record, embodies their camaraderie and the community's struggle against neglect across six raw-as-you-like funk cuts laden with emotion and narrative.

Review: Stylistically freed up by the demise of disco at the end of the 70s, Transport from Portland, Oregon. fused jazz and funk and employed them with a frighteningly intense musicianship. The six tracks here, getting their first release after 40 years sitting idle, showcase the skills and apparent genetic

telekinesis of brothers and fellow keyboardists Jimmy and Johnny Sanders as well as the hard edged complexities of drummer Towner Galaher, who proves he's as adept at dishing out straight forward beats as he is mixing up the time signatures and running round the kit.

Review: Portland's contemporary music makers and the city's historic Black music community come together on this new remix project which draws from the Albina Music Trust's archive. Across the long player, the artist reinvents the sounds of Portland's Black musicians with a modern beat-based sensibility, all of which subtly pay homage to the 1968 "Soul Assembly" program by the Black Student Union which educated audiences about Black Portland's cultural identity. Among many standouts are reimagined works by Jonny Cool, Jumbo of The Lifesavas and Tony Ozier who do a fine job of bridging generations and highlighting Portland's rich heritage.

Review: The spirit of the lord is strong in this recording from May 2, 1982 when the Youthsound Choir and Stage Band performed at Portland's Jefferson High School, with the 100 strong choir ranging from elementary through to high school students. It's a lively, rowdy affair, where the drums power through and the brass lifts your mood and catapults it skywards. You'll certainly know some of the songs - there's a great version of 'The Greatest Love' that so much less sentimental than the original, for instance - but the performances are unique, as is the intimate live atmosphere, captured perfectly here on what was originally a community radio and cable access broadcast.