PORTLAND JAZZ FAN? WHO KNEW

Last night I saw Mel Brown at The Vault and it was stellar.

Portland jazz has a new fan. Make that three new fans.

Jazz is easy, right? No it’s not.

It’s key changes, tempo, and timing. And practice.

Mel Brown has been a Portland jazz anchor; his group has a regular gig at the Jack London Revue.

Last night the group played in SW Portland in a room they transformed into a jazz club anywhere in the world.

Like any concert or show worth remembering, Mel Brown’s Portland jazz wound the clock to another time and place. For an hour and a half I didn’t think about where I was, who I was with, or the people around me.

Instead, it was all Mel Brown, Renato Caranto, and King Louie Pain.

My window seat warmed up, a single pint of beer warmed up, and nothing mattered except the music.

If you’re like me, you believe in the power of music. From radio to video to live shows, music has a pull. I’ve played guitar in bands and jams, but more like a Ramone than a jazz man.

I sat there last night thinking, ‘How are these guys so tuned into what the heck’s happening.’ They must practice?

More than Portland jazz practice.

Turns out these guys have played together for decades.

If you know bands with that sort of history, then you’ve seen the exchanges during a show.

Between the B3 organ, tenor sax, and drums, the spirit of music passed from one to other with the question, “What have you got tonight?”

Like the master musicians there were, the answer was, “I’ve got it all, how ’bout you?”

From Portland Tribune:

It’s fairly well known that Brown performed with many of Motown’s biggest acts in the late 1960’s, both in the studio as an unacknowledged session drummer and on tour. 

What’s not commonly known is that Brown found his way to Motown by way of Vancouver, Washington. While still at PSU he would play at a night club owned by Tommy Chong. Yes. He of Cheech and Chong.  Chong, born in Canada, started in show business in the Pacific Northwest as a guitarist, band leader and after-hours club owner.

They passed call and response back and forth, never losing track of where they were in the song, when to drop out, when to drop in.

But that’s not what hooked me. Lately I’ve been knocked out by Lady Gaga. What is it about her that hits the music button? My answer showed up listening to Mel Brown at The Vault.

All three musicians did the Gaga thing, raising and lowering their volume, jumping octaves, and keeping it together right on time.

They did to their crowd what Gaga does to hers: we sat in awe of the solos wondering what the heck we just heard.

Some audiences clap out of respect for performers. Their memories of past greatness demand they show respect.

Last night was my first in front of Mel Brown and the guys. My cheering came from disbelief, as in ‘how did they do that?’

Renato Caranto sounded like he brought an extra hand to play his horn; King Louie gave an organ history in the middle of the show then kicked it in like he had four feet and five hands.

Portland Jazz at The Vault came with the aroma of Gastro Mania on the right; the smart sound of Mel Brown B-3 Organ Group echoed off the wall shared with Annie Bloom’s Books on the left.

Last thing: Before the show started I looked at twitter and saw Dana Haynes posted about a book launch at Annie Bloom’s along with a sunset picture happening right behind me. I retweeted, literary agent Janet Reid re-tweeted, and it felt like something big happening.

When I’m launching a book I hope the resulting tweet sounds as good as Dana’s:

“HUGE thanks to everyone who showed up at Annie Bloom’s for the launch of “St. Nicholas Salvage & Wrecking!” Standing-room-only and the bookstore sold out. You can order at my website, http://danahaynesmystery.com . Thanks to the fantastic staff at Annie Blooms. Woo hoo!”