Balmer kicks off summer concert series

For more than 30 years, Dan Balmer has been considered one of the finest composers and guitarists in the Northwest; he was recently elected to the Oregon Music Hall of Fame and the Jazz Society of Oregon. The Dan Balmer Quartet kicks off the "Live at the Ranch" Summer Concert Series at Black Butte Ranch Friday, June 25, at 6 p.m.

The series is the brainchild of Black Butte Ranch General Manager Scott Huntsman.

"The concerts are a great way to connect the communities of Black Butte Ranch and Sisters and for families to come and enjoy outstanding music in our outdoor venue," Huntsman said. "I think kicking off the series with Dan Balmer gives us a lot of momentum heading into the other shows. After our success last summer with the Infamous Stringdusters concert, we felt we could make this summer's series a wonderful event."

Although Balmer has collaborated with many jazz greats, it was during the 1980s and '90s playing with Tom Grant that Balmer enjoyed a highly successful run of chart-topping recordings, tours and popularity, particularly in the Northwest. More recently, Balmer toured and recorded with Diane Schuur, performing in 60 cities in more than 15 countries.

Known mainly as a jazz guitarist, Balmer mixes a unique blend of contemporary and more traditional jazz styles. While he loves other types of music, he has focused most of his work on jazz.

"That's where instrumental music really gets to achieve the most expression and excellence," he says.

A regular in the Portland area music scene, Balmer can be found playing nearly every Monday at Jimmy Mak's in northwest Portland, or sitting in with another Portland area jazz artist, drummer Mel Brown.

"I love to play" says Balmer. "I love the fact that every time you play, you might be getting better. We're on a constant growth path as humans, and with each performance, we go down that path a little bit farther. You can always grow and get better."

This will be the first concert in the four-concert series, which will spotlight mainly Northwest talent. Scheduled artists include pianist John Nilsen in July, and Misty River in August, with the opening act being Sisters' own Jena Rickards. The final concert of the series will feature longtime Portland blues, soul, and R&B singer Curtis Salgado on Sunday, September 5.

Katie Williams, executive assistant and concert coordinator at Black Butte Ranch, noted, "When we decided to put the series together we wanted to go with talented Northwest artists with real name appeal, and Dan Balmer certainly has that. There are so many great artists from the area that it was hard to decide this first year who to go with. We hope everyone will be pleasantly surprised by the talent we bring in from all genres of music."

Tickets for the Dan Balmer concert are $15 in advance and $17 the day of the show. Children aged 6-12 years old are $8.50, five and under are free. Tickets may be purchased at the Black Butte Ranch Welcome Center or by calling 541-595-1510.