Dan Palmer, a native of Portland Oregon, was voted “Portland’s Best Guitarist” by the Portland Music Association in 1993. Balmer has collaborated and toured with an impressive number of talented musicians and is best known for his 10 year collaboration with keyboardist Tom Grant. He composed some of Grant’s most popular songs and his compositions have appeared in movies, on television and as choreograph music. Jazziz Magazine proclaimed Balmer’s first solo recording “Becoming Became” to be “one of the best recordings of 1989” and his ground breaking record “If We Never Meet Again” which appeared in 1998, has received universal praise and critical reviews.  The Oregonian states that this latest release is “hot...reaching new peaks...real jazz that achieves the clarity and emotional directness of the best pop music...a terrific record.”  The Houston Chronicle states, “If We Never Meet Again” is what contemporary jazz should be”

Describing his own music Balmer states “My goal is to write music in a way that reaches people on a tangible, emotional level and yet leaves room for improvisiation that makes each performance a unique expression for the audience to hear.”

George Mitchell has been Diana Ross’ first-call pianist for more than two decades performing in hundreds of concerts all over the world as well as extensive touring throughout the United States. He was featured in command performances for the Queen of England, and more recently at Super Concerts in Taipei and Japan, with Ms. Ross and renowned opera singers Jose Carreras and Placido Domingo. He has made numerous appearances as an ensemble player on the top-rated television and radio shows, including The Tonight Show, Late Night with David Letterman, NBC’s Today Show and Oprah.

When not touring, Mitchell pursues his first slove – playing jazz piano, B-3 Hammond organ and keyboards. From early age, the Portland, Oregon native displayed a musicial maturity and talent that landed him engagements with jazz legends such as Sonny Stitt, Philly Jo Jones, Richie Cole, Eddie Harris, Jon Hendricks and Kirk Whalum.

Closer to home, he has lent his musical voice to all jazz stules, and is a keyboardist of choice for virtually every Northwest bankd leader from drum masters Mel Brown and Ron Steen , to leading vocalists Nancy King and Marilyn Keller. He has been a key player of the Dan Balmer Trio for almost a decade and the featured B-3 organ player of Saxophobia, a jazz quartet featuring saxophone impresarios John Gross and Warren Rand.

In 1998, Mitchell released his first CD of original compositions, “Perspectives.” He also has been featured on numerous nationally-released CDs, including six recordings with Dan Balmer, local favorites Ron Steen, Mel Brown, Seattle’s Becca Duran, and New York violinist Rob Thomas.

Carlton Jackson is the true eclectic musician. He’s versatile, well-rounded, resourceful and discriminating. Carlton knows music. He feels it, tastes it, and breathes it. It’s an integral part of who he is. Carlton radiates that feeling through his incredible gift of being a consummate musician; a drummer extraordinaire.

A native of Portland, Carlton started playing drums in third grade. In high school, Carlton played in the concert banks, the stage band, the pep band and the marching band. In 1974-75, while attending David Douglas High School, he played with a group called Cruise Control; in 1975-76 he played with Carl Smith & the Natural Gas Company where he met Dan Balmer. He then hooked up with the society bands through 198 gaining invaluable seasoning playing with the great veteran musicians in these groups. In 1981 while attending college, he got a call to go on the road with Dan Siegel a jazz fusion artist from Eugene.

Upon his return to Portland, he started filling in with the Tom Grant Band and later became the full-time drummer, touring and recording with Grant for the next 13 years and recording six albums with the band.