Honoring Portland’s Godfather of Jazz, Mel Brown

PORTLAND, Ore. ( KOIN ) — With the Waterfront Blues Festival just around the corner, we are taking a departure from politics to talk music with one of the biggest stars of Portland’s music scene.

The “Godfather of Portland Jazz,” legendary drummer and bandleader Mel Brown spent decades playing with some of the biggest names in Motown – From The Temptations to Diana Ross.

He’s also making an appearance at the Blues Fest this year with his son, Christopher, just ahead of his 80th birthday. Brown said the festival not only holds particular significance for him, but it lifts up Portland’s spirit.

“It’s very important to be able to have a place for all the musicians and people who live here to come and get together at one time and smile, dance, and have a good time,” he said. “So what we’re doing is we’re taking a lot of anger, a lot of other stuff and leaving it someplace else.”

In 1989, then-Portland Mayor Bud Clark declared June 22 “Mel Brown Day,” recognizing Brown’s achievements as a musician, educator and status as the “Godfather of Portland Jazz.” As to how he received that moniker, Brown said it came from a fellow Portlander and jazz musician, Bobby Torres, who noticed he had a fair amount of performances lined up whenever he returned home.

“He said, ‘Man, anybody new who comes to town, find Mel Brown because he’ll help you get started in the business,” Brown recalled. “So he just said, “Hey, you’re like the Godfather. So no one comes through here without contacting you, even if they don’t see you. They got your phone number from somewhere.'”

Just a few of the artists Brown has played with include Stevie Wonder, The Temptations, Marvin Gaye and Diana Ross. But he concluded by sharing the story of how it all started with Martha Reeves and the Vandellas after a chance meeting in Vancouver, Canada.

Watch the full interview in the video above.

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