Trés Mojo: Bio
Jim Talley - Keyboards, vocals
Jim Talley is a lifelong pianist, singer-songwriter & keyboardist whose interst in diverse styles of music led directly to the formation of Tres 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 Tres 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, the Sweetwater, Ashkenaz, Boom Boom Room, 19 Broadway, House of Blues in L.A. & 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 and George Benson & Natalie Cole and many others.
Michael Ray - Bass, vocals
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.
Tim Bolling - Drums, percussion, vocals
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. He 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.