KMHD is the best Jazz station in America

Somewhat subjective I know, a controversial statement for certain. I still have my soft spots for WRTI and WBGO but KMHD just wowed me when I got to Portland Saturday.

I lost 3 hours in flying across the time zones and lost more in the damn flight itself. I've lost a lifetime in layovers in Chicago this year but that's a separate issue. But KMHD is programmed by psychics and that's all I know. They read your aura or they see your mental energy or maybe they pull a heart chakra out of a rabbit's hat. I dunno. But every time I need to hear some kind of music, even if I don't know it myself... they know.

Upon arrival I was toast. Totally burnt, tired agreeing to pay for stupid things, signing without reading just to get to a bed. KMHD was playing Little Red Rooster by Howlin' Wolf. Then Muddy Waters on Born with nothing. Goddamn psychic DJs reading my mind.

Then this morning. It was cold cold cold. There was a thin coat of water on everything and the clouds were splitting sporadically. The wind was up and even the hotel room was cold. I couldn't stay warm or even dry while working. There was no sun and I was driving in circles in a run down neighborhood trying to get un-lost.

KMHD was playing Dixieland and swing jazz. Everyone from New Orleans to Boston knows Dixieland is the audio equivalent of Orange Juice and Sunshine. day in, day out, they play a mix of blues and jazz -new and old, and they don't seem to carry any of the intellectual baggage that a station WBGO brings to the mic. They just let it groove and let that alone impress. KMHD, the place to be.

check out these Portland radio sites, great stuff:
http://www.portlandradio.org/
http://www.pdxradio.com/