photo by Kathryn Elsesser
THE MEL BROWN ORGAN TRIO
"The Mel Brown B-3 Organ Group" is a well-known soul-jazz quartet. They've played to packed houses on Thursday nights in Portland, OR for 28 years and counting. Their CDs have received rave reviews in Downbeat, and George Benson said, "If this band appeared in New York City, they'd be a sensation!"
The scaled down version of the band--The Mel Brown Organ Trio--isn't as well-known as the quartet, but it's equally exciting! Audiences love hearing the guys stretch out in this uncluttered, intimate format. Whether the group includes saxophonist Renato Caranto or guitarist Dan Balmer along with Mel and organist “King Louie” Pain, there is plenty of exciting soloing and spontaneous interplay. Louis has a deep background in blues and soul music and is a master at utilizing the dynamic range of the Hammond organ. Renato has toured & recorded with everyone from Esperanza Spalding to the late Merle Haggard (both multi Grammy winners), and if you listen carefully you might hear him quote from ten different songs in a single solo! Dan—like Mel, Louis, and Renato an Oregon Music Hall of Fame inductee—is a dazzling soloist and sensitive accompanist. He is in constant demand to perform and record with world-class jazz artists as well as with Pink Martini, with whom he tours internationally. As for Mel Brown—a former Motown staff drummer and true NW music legend--he both anchors the trio and takes solos that have to be seen & heard to be believed. Mel is known as “Portland's Godfather Of Jazz” for a reason!
Here's a wonderful segment about Mel's history-making career that aired on Portland's KGW-t.v. in October, 2026:
