Mel Brown B-3 Organ Group

Bio:

"If this band appeared in New York City, they'd be a sensation!" That was guitar great--and one-time Mel Brown bandmate--George Benson's reaction after hearing the Mel Brown B-3 Organ Group open for him back in September, 2003 at Oregon's prestigious Peter Britt Festival.

In fact, this true all-star band--each member is widely viewed as tops in the Northwest on his instrument--has been a sensation for a long while now. With a collective resume that reads like a "Who's Who" of jazz, blues, and soul, this group has the talent and confidence to be completely spontaneous--from their blistering solos to their improvised arrangements and segues. No wonder they've thrilled audiences for over 11 years--not just at Jimmy Mak's (The Oregonian dubbed them "Jimmy Mak's signature group") but at festivals throughout the region.

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MEL BROWN--An Oregon icon, Mel has been labeled the "Gentleman of Jazz," with a career spanning over forty years. The city of Portland proclaimed June 22, 1989 Mel Brown Day in recognition of Mel's achievements as a musician and educator, and he received the Governor's Arts Award in 2002. Mel first made his mark as a Motown staff drummer, recording and touring with the Temptations, Smokey Robinson, and many others. He subsequently spent ten years working with Diana Ross and other pop acts before giving up the road in 1991 and returning home to his first love: jazz. Mel has been a fixture in Portland ever since, leading different groups six nights a week at Jimmy Mak's and other venues. That's when he isn't backing top visiting jazz artists like Joey DeFrancesco.

DAN BALMER--Dan is widely considered the defining sound of contemporary jazz guitar in the Northwest. Described by the Los Angeles Times as "the model of what a contemporary guitarist should be," Dan is one of the most original and creative artists to come from the fertile Northwest music scene. Dan has played and recorded with a long list of jazz greats, has released six CDs of his own, is active as a jazz educator, and is a noted composer.

RENATO CARANTO--Renato has been described as "one of Portland's most soulful jazz saxophonists" by The Oregonian. But that's an understatement: Renato is one of the most versatile, accomplished, and--yes--soulful saxophonists anywhere. Arriving from the Philippines in 1981 possessing nothing of value save his horn, Renato has built an enviable career in Portland. After initially gaining a foothold in the local scene as an award-winning blues player, Renato gradually became one of the most sought-after jazzmen in the Northwest. Renato has played on innumerable recordings, and has released two CDs of his own: most recently, the critically acclaimed (and aptly named) Straight Ahead.

LOUIS "KING LOUIE" PAIN--Dubbed "Portland's boss of the B-3" by The Oregonian, Louis actually hails from San Francisco. Coming up in the Bay Area, Louis played and recorded with a wide variety of top musicians, including members of Tower of Power, the Ray Charles Orchestra, Santana, Steely Dan, the Doobie Bros., the Edwin Hawkins Singers, and B.B. King. After moving north in '86, Louis continued the trend, working with top local and visiting jazz, blues, and soul artists, as well as co-leading King Louie & Baby James. One memorable project of Louis' was Purdie Good Cookin', a live CD he co-produced with the legendary drummer Bernard "Pretty" Purdie. Louis also toured and recorded a series of CDs with the late great Portland bluesman Paul deLay. As a sideline, Louis and Tracy Pain rent out the best B-3's in the Northwest (Pain Organ Rental Service).

CURTIS CRAFT--Another Bay Area transplant, Curtis first made his mark on the Portland scene playing with internationally renowned pianist & composer Tom Grant (whom Dan Balmer had also worked with). But Curtis has performed with many top Portland groups, displaying a knack for playing just the right thing at the right time--drawing colorful sounds from a wide variety of percussion instruments. Curtis is also a wonderful entertainer. His percussion "duels" with Mel Brown--featuring equal parts musical brilliance and humor--invariably bring the house down.

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VIDEO CLIPS

First stop the CD track playback [above right], then click on this clip of the group playing the Wes Montgomery classic, "Four On Six." Actually, it was eight on twelve on this occasion (eight fingers on twelve strings), as the group's original guitarist, Dan Faehnle, was sitting in with then-newbie Dan Balmer and the rest of the band. Trombonist Stan Bock, who trades eights with Renato here, was a regular at that time ('02).

Apologies for the video quality, but this is rare footage that does capture the hole-in-the-wall atmosphere and musical energy of the original Jimmy Mak's (Portland, OR).

(To see other video clips of the band, click on "My Videos" at above left.)

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Member Since:

August 26, 2008

Members:

Mel Brown also leads the Mel Brown Trio at Salty's Restaurant, and the Mel Brown Septet and the Mel Brown Quartet at Jimmy Mak's. See www.jimmymaks.com for band personnel, schedules, and other info. Also, Mel runs an annual "jazz camp" at Western Oregon University that attracts jazz students of all ages.

Louis Pain co-leads King Louie & Baby James, organizes The Portland Soul All-Stars, and is a sideman with The Linda Hornbuckle Band, Soul Vaccination, and other groups. Louis endorses Nord keyboards.

Dan Balmer tours with Diane Schuur and leads the Dan Balmer Trio and Go By Train.

Renato Caranto plays in so many groups even he can't keep them all straight!

We have no idea what Curtis Craft does when he's not playing with the Mel Brown B-3 Organ Group on Thursday nights @ Jimmy Mak's. But he's been known to frequent Las Vegas.

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CD PURCHASING: The Mel Brown B-3 Organ Group has a pair of CDs, both of which are available at Music Millennium in Portland and at www.cdbaby.com. Those CDs are entitled Live at the Britt Festival (recorded 9-08-03) and Smokin' At Jimmy's (recorded 7-13-06).

Influences:

Philly Joe Jones, Jo Jones, Max Roach, Jimmy Smith, Jack McDuff, Jimmy McGriff, Chester Thompson, Kenny Burrell, Wes Montgomery, George Benson, Booker T & the MG's, Billy Preston, John Coltrane, Stanley Turrentine, The Crusaders, Jr Walker, Lester Young, Charlie Parker, King Curtis, Aretha Franklin, Sly Stone, Ray Charles, Stevie Wonder, etc., etc.

Sounds Like:

Themselves!

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Here's The Oregonian's review of the group's Britt Festival CD:

MEL BROWN: THE SOUND OF SPONTANEITY

By Kyle O'Brien

Sometimes the best moments are unplanned; a spontaneous flick of the switch, and magic takes place. That's exactly what happened to the Mel Brown B-3 Organ Group at last September's Britt Festival, and the result was a captivating recording of the group playing live.

On the second night of the quartet's gig, opening for R&B jazz great George Benson, sound engineer George Relles turned on the soundboard's two-track recorder, unbeknown to the band. Since nobody except Relles knew the recording was occurring, the band let loose with a sizzling, uninterrupted 45-minute set of soul-jazz originals and covers.

Now, the B-3 group—Brown on drums, Louis Pain on Hammond B-3 organ, Dan Balmer on guitar and Renato Caranto on tenor sax—is releasing the resulting disc, “Live at the Britt Festival,” this week with a party at Jimmy Mak's, the club that gave the group its start.

Pain said “it's kind of a plus” that they didn't know the recorder was on. “Musicians tend to play differently when they know they're being recorded,” he said. “If we went into the studio, it wouldn't capture the essence of what kind of band we really are.”

What kind of band they are is completely spontaneous. “I love the spontaneity,” Pain said. “We don't rehearse.”

The group gets onstage and then plows through a set of whatever tunes they fancy at that moment, with no breaks in between tunes, just segues.

“During a tune, one of us will call out a suggestion of what tune to do next—it's kind of tune to tune.”

As Brown tells the crowd on the introduction on the disc, “Once we start, we don't stop until we're finished.”

The quartet has been playing at Jimmy Mak's for six years, pumping out a soulful blend of blues, jazz and R& B to a growing and fervent crowd, many of them younger jazz fans who had never heard the music of the original greats of jazz organ, such as Jimmy Smith and Dr. Lonnie Smith (with whom Brown played in the '70s). They were one of the first groups in the region to bring the organ-based sound back to prominence, and with the top-flight musicianship of the members, they quickly captured a huge following for their accessible, on-the-fly, blues-based sets.

Brown anchors the quartet with his understated, melodic drumming. The Motown and Portland jazz veteran is equally at home with a fast swing or a funky groove, as on the quartet's take on Marvin Gaye's “What's Going On.” Pain adds the soul with his expressive organ playing, holding down the bass lines and adding color. Balmer has a dual role of chunky chord strummer and searing soloist, and Caranto blisters with his note-laced flurries.

The group is happy with the Britt Festival recording.

“We had a feeling that it was a really good set. The tunes were totally different than the previous night,” Pain said.

The crowd response was intense, and Benson's bass player, Stanley Banks, can be heard shouting his approval throughout the set. Benson even remarked, “If this band appeared in New York City, they'd be a sensation.”

They are most certainly a Portland sensation.

Kyle O'Brien is a Portland freelance writer.

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Here was The Oregonian's preview of the group's "Smokin' at Jimmy's" CD release gig:

It's Thursday, there's something funky going on. With the release of a deliciously representative live CD, "Smokin' at Jimmy's," you could just get this simmering soul-jazz to go; but for full flavor, have a helping on the premises.

Marty Hughley

Record Label:

Unsigned