Dan Balmer
Among the busiest and most prolific of the Portland based guitar players, Balmer recently performed on a memorable debut concert with pianist and newly arrived PSU professor George Colligan as part of the PDX Jazz @ The Mission series. Balmer also performed twice during last year’s festival.
Balmer is a true musical gem of the Northwest. He is one of only five people to be members of both The Oregon Music Hall of Fame and the Jazz Society of Oregon Hall of Fame and is the youngest of the honorees. In addition to appearing on over 80 CD’s, Balmer has contributed 8 lauded and successful CD’s of his own. Balmer’s notoriety as a musician took off in the 1980s and 1990s with his partnership with renowned Portland pianist Tom Grant. He also has performed regularly over the years with other Northwest jazz stars like drummer Mel Brown and bassist David Friesen. Additional performers Balmer has worked with include: Joey DeFrancesco, Benny Green, Steve Smith, Airto Moreira, Bruce Forman, Houston Person, Jeff Hamilton, Bill Mays, Gerald Wilson, Eric Alexander, and Pat Martino among others.
