Tres Mojo

Très (pronounced Trey) Mojo is an original eclectic vocal & instrumental group whose music has been described as "jazz- funk 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.

Bandleader 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 performed live with such notable artists as Bob Weir, Martin Fierro, Dan Hicks, Vinyl, the Beautiful Losers, Kortuzi, Barry Sless, Liam Hanrahan, Curtis Lawson, LZ Phoenix and many others. He has also opened for such artists as Michael Franti & Spearhead, Steve Kimock, Tommy Castro, Cake, Melvin Seals, Merl Saunders, George Benson & Natalie Cole and many others.

Co- bandleader 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.

.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.

Drummer Mike Vondran is the newest member of Tres Mojo and has been performing in various musical situations for the last 30 years. some of the musical styles and situations he has been involved in include jazz, rock, latin/jazz, funk, reggae and musical theatre. He has performed at clubs, concerts, weddings, parties, theatrical ensembles, and even on the soundtrack for a comedy television show.