mind's eye

mind's eye has been together for about three years. Their desire to play original jazz with an edge, combined with their diverse backgrounds and collective talent, makes them (in our humble opinion) one of the most exciting and versatile jazz groups in the Great Lakes area. Busy individually as freelance musicians, the members of mind's eye have steered the group into festival appearances, gigs and concerts around Michigan, including the Montreux (Switzerland), Ford Montreux/Detroit, Flint/King Cobra, and Third Coast (Fremont, MI) jazz festivals, and a number of  WGVU-FM Jazz Night broadcasts. Their first CD, angst for the spoiler, features over 72 minutes of original music; there's a review of it in the February '97 issue of Cadence. The second CD, seasons, features Steve Talaga's many-flavored title suite, original tunes from Rob smith and Tom Lockwood, and two standards featuring vocalist Sue Burrill. It's excerpts from this disc that got the guys the call from Montreux, and got play on "Jazz After Hours" with Jim WIlke on Public Radio. A third CD is being planned, possibly culled from live dates in the spring & summer of '99.

The Band:

• Rob Smith - Trumpet/Tenor Saxophone

Rob hails from Alma, Ml. In between gigs, he attended three of the powerhouse jazz schools, the University of Miami, North Texas State University, and Central Michigan University. He has toured with organist Charles Earland, the Woody Herman Orchestra, and Jeff Haas, and performed with NTSU's One O'Clock Jazz Band, one of the most heralded college groups in the world. In addition to bring a featured jazz soloist all over the state, he has teaching credits from Michigan State University, CMU, and St. Francis Xavier University (Nova Scotia, Canada).

• Steve Talaga - Piano

Originally from Bay City, Ml, Steve received a B.S. degree in Broadcast and Cinematic arts from Central Michigan University in 1986, and was a producer and `on-air personality' at Central's WCMU-FM until 1989. In 1992 he graduated magna cum laude with a Bachelor of Music degree in Jazz Studies from Western Michigan University, and then in 1994 with a Master's degree. in composition, also from Western. In 1993 he won a Downbeat Magazine "db" award for composition, and taught at Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp for 5 years. Currently, Steve is an adjunct professor or instructor of music at Aquinas College and Grace Bible College in Grand Rapids, Grand Valley State University, and Hope College in Holland (MI).

• Tom Lockwood - Bass

After starting on clarinet, Tom studied sax, flute and bass, and began playing professionally at fifteen. After two years at the Berklee College of Music in Boston, he finished two music degrees from Western Michigan University, studying with Trent Kynaston. While at WMU, he began working with some of the finest jazz musicians in the Midwest, including Paul Keller, John Shea, and Steve Sandner. He has diverse academic experience, including arranging for and directing his high school's jazz, pep, and show bands, and teaching courses and directing jazz ensembles during an assistantship at WMU.

• Quincy Davis - Drums

Quincy was born and raised in Grand Rapids, Ml, and began playing drums at the age of six. Quincy comes from a musical family- his father Duane teaches at Western Michigan University and Grand Rapids Community College, and his brother Xavier, a pianist and graduate of WMU, has toured with Betty Carter. Quincy graduated from Interlochen Arts Academy H.S. in 1995, and is now a sophomore at WMU majoring in jazz studies. He has performed with Detroit bassmaster Rodney Whitaker, and received an Outstanding Soloist award at the Notre Dame Jazz Festival while at Western.

• Sue Burrill - Vocal

Sue is another graduate of WMU, having studied with Steve Zegree and performed with Gold Company. She has worked with many small groups, jazz and pop, in the Kalamazoo area. In addition, she has been a featured vocalist with the Kalamazoo Big Band over the past 15 years.

 

Releases

	mind's eye SMC 004 "Seasons" Recorded December 1997 Rob Smith SteveTalaga Tom Lockwood Quincy Davis Sue Burrill
	mind's eye SMC 002 "Angst For The Spoiler" Recorded spring 1996 Rob Smith Steve Talaga Tom Lockwood Keith Hall