For whatever reason, the Lone Star state produces good trumpet players the way New York City produces good pizza. Mike Maher’s formal training in jazz began at the University of North Texas where he did a stint with the legendary One o’ Clock Lab Band, an association that gave him the opportunity to perform with jazz greats Benny Golson and Nicholas Payton. While at school he also performed numerous times at the Addison Jazz Festival and the Denton Arts and Jazz Festival. A fine vocalist as well, Mike has his own group, Maz, for which he is lead vocalist, trumpeter and chief composer.
Mike has also played with the Lily Maase Quintet, his own quartet, and most notably, Grammy Award-winners Snarky Puppy, whose growing popularity serves as evidence of a youth movement that is excited by challenging original instrumental music. The current base of operations for Mike’s singing, composing, playing and teaching is Brooklyn, NY, which gives him access to a vast pool of creativity and facilitates his work with a variety of artists and ensembles including Diane Birch, Lucy Woodward, Linnzi Zaorski, Marianne Bennett, The Hudson Project and Danny Ross.
Mike and rest of the trumpet section in Snarky Puppy have embraced Jo-Ral as their mute manufacturer of preference. Their irreproachable design and manufacturing standards result in quality and consistency that discriminating players appreciate. Mike can be found online at @mazsings and groundupmusic.net