Biography
Très (pronounced Trey) Mojo is an original eclectic vocal & instrumental group whose music has been described as "jazzy world groove". Jazz-funk merges into New Orleans funk which melds with calypso that turns into Latin which morphs into samba and then mutates into funk-rock & back again. Keyboardist Jim Talley's wide-ranging compositions allow plenty of room for jamming with integrity as the improvisations flow from solid, memorable grooves & melodies.
Bandeader Jim Talley is a lifelong pianist, singer-songwriter & keyboardist whose interest in diverse styles of music led directly to the formation of Très Mojo. Classically trained since the age of four, he branched out into jazz & rock as a teenager. Equally proficient on the Hammond organ as well as piano & synthesizer, he brings a jazzy approach to the many styles found in the music of Très Mojo.
With his last band, LZ Phoenix, he performed at many of the finest venues in the Bay Area including the Warfield Theatre, the Concord Pavilion, the Cow Palace, the Great American Music Hall, the Grand, Bimbo's, Slim's, Biscuits and Blues, S.F. Civic Center Main stage, Jupiter Cafe, the Sweetwater, Ashkenaz, Boom Boom Room, 19 Broadway, House of Blues in L.A., the Catalyst in Santa Cruz & at many of the premiere festivals in the Bay Area including Sea of Dreams New Year's Eve, Haight St. Faire, Pride Celebration, the Oregon Country Faire, & the Fairfax festival. He has opened for & appeared with such notable artists as Michael Franti & Spearhead, Steve Kimock, Martin Fierro, Tommy Castro, Dan Hicks, Vinyl, Cake, Melvin Seals, Merl Saunders, George Benson & Natalie Cole and many others.
Michael Ray considers himself a very lucky musician. In his 35 years as a bassist & singer, he has had the opportunity to perform with many of the world's finest artists in clubs, festivals, concerts & other venues.
While working out of New York City in the 70's, Michael performed with such jazz legends as Jimmy Smith, Kenny Barron & Tito Puente at such notable NYC jazz venues as the Village Vanguard, the Bottom Line, Pearl's, the Village Gate & Sweet Basils.
Michael moved to Los Angeles in 1978 & immediately expanded his focus to include blues, R& B, rock & jazz fusion. He appeared with such great artists as Frank Zappa, Rikki Lee Jones, John Lee Hooker, Van Morrison & Phoebe Snow.
After a hiatus from touring & recording to focus on composing & teaching in the mid-80's he relocated to the Bay Area where, in the mid 90's, he resumed live performing. He founded "Roadhouse" a blues-rock group, "Fever", an old-school R&B & funk band, and led "Prime Time", a jazz combo that performed steadily all over the Bay Area for over 5 years. Most recently Michael co-founded "Swamp Soul", a New Orleans funk power trio with Geb Rault, a friend of his from the Big Easy. This led to appearances with such local artists as Joe Louis Walker & Tommy Castro at major festivals and clubs in and out of the greater Bay Area.
As a drum set player and percussionist since the age of 12, Tim Bolling's extensive musical background includes working with bands spanning a multitude of diverse cultural & musical genres, from classical to jazz to rock to world, injecting his own sense of style while remaining true to the essence of tradition. He finds musical qualities everywhere, from traditional instruments to common household & industrial objects.
Tim has performed with members of Sly & the Family Stone, Brazilian percussion master Airto, Grammy award winning artist Kayne West, Ancient Future & many others. He is a sought after composer for modern & belly dance, with celebrated world music performers Habib Khan, Suhalia Salimpour, Mary Ellen Donald, Mimi Spencer, Reda Darsish, Susu Pampinin, Solace & Tim Rayborn, whose recent release "Veils of Light" features one of Tim's compositions.
Recording credits also include the #1 world music CD on college radio around the U.S., "Changing the World With A Sound" by Rebbe Soul, a national touring group; and "Desert Dreams Of Light" by the Phoenix Spring Ensemble, an interesting mix of Chinese, Middle Eastern & jazz stylings. This CD has been praised by the internationally acclaimed cellist Yo Yo Ma.
Guitarist Scott Jones has been playing guitar for twenty years, starting in the rock genre and then branching out into jazz, blues, funk, experimental and world music. His first club gig was at the Omni in Oakland at the age of 15. He has performed at such Bay Area clubs and festivals as the Bottom of the Hill, Freight and Salvage, Jupiter Cafe, the Berkeley Square and the Mission Creek Music and Arts festival in many local bands including Fiji Mermaid and Fungal Feast. Largely self-taught, Scott is always finding new and challenging ways to express himself musically.
Melody Ferris brings beautiful vocal intricacy as well as an open improvisational singing style to the sound of Très Mojo. Born and raised in Seattle, WA, she made the move to the Bay Area to follow her passion for the performing arts.
In 2002, Melody began her studies at Mills College, leading her to perform and study with such talented musicians as Terry Riley, Meredith Monk, Pauline Oliveros, Molly Holm, Larry Dunlap. Darren Johnston, the San Francisco Sring Quartet, Dina Emersom, Fred Frith and Alvin Curran.
Melody's vocal style exists as a constant negotiation between jazz, folk, soul and artsong, with and ever-present softness and experimental edge.
In addition to singing with Très Mojo, Melody can be seen singing luscious harmonies with folk-jazz Americana band "Wee The Band", writing orginal songs for the sweet-honeyed vocal duo "Oh Shasta!" as well as the jazz-artsong inspired Melody Ferris and John King Duo. You can find her voice on the following recent and upcoming albums: Emma (Molly Maguire), Borrowed and Blues (Charlie Docherty) BigVik Presents: Intro (Victory Brent) and One Race (Pope Flynn).
Instrumentation
Jim Talley - keyboards, vocals
Scott Jones - guitar
Michael Ray - bass, vocals
Tim Bolling - drums, percussion, vocals
Melody Ferris - vocals
Discography