Mel Brown B3 Organ Group feat. Sean Holmes play at Jack London
"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 back in 2003.
In fact, this true All-star band (all four members are Oregon Music Hall Of Fame inductees) has been a sensation going back to 1997, when they began a 20-year run on Thursday evenings at Portlands legendary Jimmy Maks (The Oregonian dubbed them Jimmy Maks signature group). They've continued their Thursday night tradition at the Jack London Revue for the past 6 years. With a collective resume that reads like a Who's Who of NW 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 wherever theyve played.Count among the bands fans jazz great Christian McBride, host of National Public Radios Jazz Night In America. In an October 2021 broadcast, McBride interviewed Mel and played excerpts from a Mel Brown B-3 Organ Group festival set. At one point in the program, McBride exclaimed, My mind is blown!
+ Special Guest SEAN HOLMES
Sean's extensive list of credits and performances include: Esperanza Spalding, David Byrne and The Oregon Symphony, Taj Mahal, Darrell Grant, Curtis Salgado, Mel Brown, Obo Addy, Jarrod Lawson, Brian Blade, Devin Phillips, Ms. Vee, Chance Haydn, Randy Porter, Nancy King, Thara AND Tahira Memory, Rebecca Kilgore, Eddie Martinez, Liv Warfield, Shirley Nanette, Steve Miller, among many others.
Details
Organizer
Soul’d Out Productions (SOP) was founded in the Pacific NW in 2008 in order to bring a diversity in programming and cultural curation that was sorely lacking. Additionally, SOP has produced thousands of shows and events from LA to Vancouver BC, from Washington DC to NYC and founded the Jazz Fest by Nite series in New Orleans that ran from 2009 – 2019. As producer of the Soul’d Out Festival for 10 years and operator of several successful venues in Portland, SOP has helped evolve the NW musical landscape by changing who gets a ‘seat at the table’ in terms of community building and engagement through the arts.