Mel Brown Quartet at Jimmy Mak's

   
On Wednesday, September 15th at 8 pm in downtown Portland The Mel Brown Quartet moved their audience with a variation of gritty blues, bop tunes, and ballads. The four talented musicians that make up the combo performed at Jimmy Mak’s on NW 10th – the best live jazz venue in Portland – and left their audience with a goofy smile and snapping fingers. The four individual players- Ed Bennett, Dan Balmer, Mel Brown, and Tony Pacini- each bring a different stylized voice and texture to the group; and together they create a blended sound with captivating dynamics.


After the first few tunes, it was almost as if you could feel the vibrant energy of the group locking in to each other in a perfect solipsistic balance: aware of their own playing and how it fit in with the sound of the combo as a whole. From this point until they stopped playing at around 11pm, nothing existed but the music. Tony Pacini took a solo in the song “The Things We Did Last Summer” full of animated dynamic contrast; his right hand trilling away while his left played melodies and then with a swift chord or two thrown in, his hands would switch the protagonist role and swell and roll with beautiful colored phrase. Dan Balmer’s solos were equally as breathtaking: his swung riffs flowed through his fingers and melted onto his frets with at times a beautiful simplicity and at others an awing intricacy. “Swinging at the Haven” by Ellis Marsalis, “Eluthera” by Monty Alexander, “Sushi” by Oscar Peterson, and “Shot in the Dark” were all well executed and tight. The percussive bass lines fit in with the drums and drove the rhythm of the band so perfectly that sometimes when they would trade fours or play in stop time I was shocked that they all knew where they were and when to come in: perfectly organized chaos. In lively songs like “Sushi” they were a playful kitten chasing a string; while in more somber songs like “Eluthera” they were a pensive moment on a placid lake at sunset.




When Ed Bennett pulled out a bow in the song “Shot in the Dark” it added a different color and drew in the attention of the audience. During there entire set, the combo kept pulling out different facets to intrigue the audience and keep their attention. One thing that kept my attention for most of the show was Mel Brown’s gesticulating movement: at times he would hit the drum and pull back and look up like a shy kid who got caught with his hand in the cookie jar as if saying with that coy look: “was that me?” The entire time he was performing, Mel was smiling and laughing; radiating with ecstasy through every fiber in his jolly persona. Another surprise -or as Mel put it: the “lucky strike extra”- that captivated the audience was when David Watson came on the stage and sang “100 Years From Today” and some blues tune. This guest appearance was unexpected and changed the pace and feel of the set; but the audience was open and receptive, the band picked up the tunes right away and off they took us. The Mel Brown Quartet put on an astounding performance this Wednesday night. The combo plays there every Wednesday night, so I encourage you to skip, hop, and dance your way over there to expose yourself to some of the best jazz being played in this city!