A Diva Comes to Portland

I love classic jazz and blues from the 40s and 50s. My parents had a subscription to the Columbia Record Club and I remember stacking up the records on the turntable of our stereo (not mono!) phonograph and listening to them for hours. Which accounts for the way that tunes from "Oklahoma" ("O-K-L-A-H-O-M-A!") still pop into my head on occasion. Or that I got interested in taking French from memorizing the lyrics to "The Singing Nun" as a kid.

And now there's a local show on the radio called Divaville on KMHD on Wednesday nights that plays Bing, Betty, Bobby, Frank, Cab, Louis, Ella, Sammy, Nat, Judy, Billie and so many more. It's hosted by Christa, a new transplant from North Carolina, and is a labor of love that she brought with her when she moved out here to work as a public radio host on KBPS, Portland's all-classical station.

You'll find yourself listening to the show and then hitting iTunes hard looking for the songs you've heard, so check it out!

Details: Divaville on KMHD, 89.1 FM. 6-8 pm every Wednesday.