Mel Brown B3 Organ Group at Montavilla Jazz Festival at Portland Metro Arts

Portland music legend Mel Brown and his all-star B3 Organ Group have wowed Portland audiences for 23 years and counting with their unique combination of jazz, soul, and blues, performed with fire and spontaneity. The Mel Brown B3 Organ Group, dubbed "Jimmy Mak's signature band" by The Oregonian, performed at the famed Pearl District jazz venue on Thursday nights for the club's entire twenty-year run. When George Benson heard the group, he said, "If this band played in New York City, they'd be a sensation!" The Oregonian's Kyle O'Brien described the band's unique style as, "the sound of spontaneity.” ...

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Portland music legend Mel Brown and his all-star B3 Organ Group have wowed Portland audiences for 23 years and counting with their unique combination of jazz, soul, and blues, performed with fire and spontaneity. The Mel Brown B3 Organ Group, dubbed "Jimmy Mak's signature band" by The Oregonian, performed at the famed Pearl District jazz venue on Thursday nights for the club's entire twenty-year run. When George Benson heard the group, he said, "If this band played in New York City, they'd be a sensation!" The Oregonian's Kyle O'Brien described the band's unique style as, "the sound of spontaneity.”
Brown spent many years as a Motown staff drummer, performing with the likes of Diana Ross, Smokey Robinson, and the Temptations. He returned to Portland and his jazz roots in the early 1980’s, becoming revered as Portland’s “Gentleman of Jazz.” His B3 Organ Group, built around Brown’s deep groove and the organ playing of Bay Area transplant “King” Louis Pain, combines both Brown’s musical worlds, i.e. soul and jazz. Saxophonist Renato Caranto, who has toured with Esperanza Spalding and Merle Haggard, adds incredible soul and virtuosity to the group which also features Dan Balmer who is widely recognized as one of the world’s premier jazz guitarists. The Mel Brown B3 Organ Group rarely pauses during their set––a habit Brown developed playing medleys with the Temptations––and neither does the excitement of their music! The group continues their Thursday night tradition at Portland’s newest jazz venue, the Jack London Revue.

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