Black Mystery Month
Presented by Albina Music Trust & Be Present Art Group
The 4th annual Black Mystery Month activation celebrates the wisdom and enduring influence of Black women in Oregon’s musical community. Guided by the theme “In the Presence of Her Wisdom,” this year’s gathering honors Black women whose service and creativity continue to enrich our communities. Inspired by the life and legacy of Sarah Wisdom, an early Black pioneer and landowner in Portland, the evening explores the connections between ancestry, memory, and the generations of Black women who carry our cultural traditions forward.
Black Art and Experiences Gallery open from 6 p.m. – 7:30 p.m. Show begins at 7:30 p.m.
Featuring performances by:
- Esperanza Spalding
- Arietta Ward
- Zyanna
- DJ Ashé
- Roman Norfleet & Be Present Art Group
Performer bios
Esperanza Spalding is an acclaimed American jazz bassist, singer, songwriter, and composer from Portland, Oregon. A musical prodigy who began performing violin with the Chamber Music Society of Oregon at age five, she later mastered the double bass and graduated from the Berklee College of Music, where she became one of the institution’s youngest-ever instructors at age 20. Spalding made history in 2011 as the first jazz artist to win the Grammy Award for Best New Artist, and she has since earned multiple Grammy Awards across her innovative discography—which blends jazz with soul, R&B, bossa nova, and global folk traditions—while also serving as a professor at Harvard University.
Arietta Ward, affectionately known as Mz. Etta, is a prominent Portland-based vocalist, bandleader, and educator celebrated across the Pacific Northwest’s funk, soul, jazz, and R&B scenes. Often dubbed the “Rip City Soul Funk Diva” and the “1st Daughter of Funk and R&B,” she is recognized for her powerhouse vocals and joyful, high-energy stage presence.
Zyanna is a Portland- and Los Angeles-based jazz and contemporary vocalist, bassist, and arranger. A graduate of Portland State University’s jazz program and a member of the Grammy-winning Los Angeles vocal ensemble Tonality, she leads a trio that blends jazz standards, R&B classics, and original compositions infused with funk, hip-hop, spoken word, and experimental art rock. She has gained acclaim through her project Dance of the Dragonfly as well as collaborations with the Portland Jazz Composers Ensemble and pianist George Colligan.
DJ Ashé is an eclectic selector, community builder, and somatic facilitator dedicated to creating transformative dance floor experiences. Inspired by the Yoruban concept of ashé—the spark of life and spiritual power—she curates upbeat, soul-stirring sets designed to reconnect dancers with a sense of joy, bodily sovereignty, and collective liberation. A familiar presence at beloved local spaces and grassroots gatherings across the 503—from Lolo Pass PDX and A Beat Happening to neighborhood fundraisers and cultural celebrations—DJ Ashé blends infectious rhythms with intentional energy to turn every room into a vibrant sanctuary for movement and connection.
Be Present Art Group is an Afro Arts organization rooted in Black and African American cultural traditions that creates music, ritual, visual art, and community gatherings centered on Afro-diasporic lineages, stories, and creative traditions while honoring cultural memory and collective expression. Using spiritual practices and improvisational approaches as creative technologies, the organization creates work that seeks to inspire, uplift, educate, and strengthen community.
Albina Music Trust is the only full service community archive in the United States, dedicated to the revitalization of a Black community’s historic music culture. The organization’s community archive preserves Albina’s arts and cultural legacy, serving as a living resource for education and creative engagement.