Anthony Valadez’s Kobe Bryant tribute weaves sounds, stories, and song

A year ago today, like you, I woke up  to the news of the passing of one of the greatest NBA ball players of all time: Kobe Bryant alongside his daughter Gianna, and several other folks onboard that tragic helicopter ride. I’ll never forget the way the air smelled, the gray in the day, and walking my pup on the Venice boardwalk and seeing the disbelief on all the faces of everybody I passed by. It was tough because a couple of hours later I was on air, trying to get through that day, playing music on KCRW — and it was a true challenge. Here we present to you a set of songs in tribute to the one and only, the great Black Mamba.