Mike “Maz” Maher’s career has taken him around the world. He has worked in world famous concert halls, tiny jazz clubs, music festivals, recording studios, TV studios, and classrooms. He has been hired as a trumpeter, singer, backing vocalist, arranger, songwriter, lyricist, composer, film composer, and teacher.
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Mike is a long time member of the contemporary instrumental group Snarky Puppy with whom he has won five Grammy awards. Since 2004 he has toured the world with the group, recorded on 12 albums, and written four of the bands compositions. The band won Grammys in 2014 (Best R&B Performance for “Something” with Lalah Hathaway), 2017 (Best Contemporary Instrumental album for Sylva with the Metropole Orkest), 2019 (Best Contemporary Instrumental Album for Culcha Vulcha), 2021 (Best Contemporary Instrumental Album for Live at the Royal Albert Music Hall), and 2022 (Best Contemporary Instrumental Album for Empire Central).
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Mike has released 3 recordings of his own music. Maz (2012), Idealist (2016), and Maz Flips the Script (2018). Until now the focus of the group has been a soulful singer-songwriter sound, but the future of the band will see an inclusion of the trumpet (not heard on any of the albums to date) and an adjustment in the over all sound of the band. 2024 will see the digital release of complete scores for all three of Mike’s recordings.
In addition to writing songs for his own band, Mike has also been enlisted to write for other artists as a lyricist. Most notably for Alina Engibaryan on her 2018 album, We Are, and for Jordan Peters on his song “Etude for Humanity” (2021).
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He is proud to have been a part of countless recordings as a trumpeter and backing vocalist. Notable recordings include Becca Stevens’ Wonderbloom (backing vocals), Michelle Willis’ Just One Voice (backing vocals), Banda Magda’s Tigre (trumpet), and Laila Biali’s Out of Dust (trumpet and backing vocals).
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He has also worked extensively as a trumpeter, vocalist and arranger from his home studio. Recording horn section parts, solos, backing vocals, and lead vocals. He continues to make himself available for this kind of work.
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Mike has taught at colleges, conservatories, and high schools in the U.S. and abroad, as a member of Snarky Puppy, with the “Snarky Horns”, and as a solo clinician and educator. He has instructed young musicians in trumpet playing, improvisation, music performance, ensemble playing, composition and songwriting. He also teaches private lessons in these subjects both in person and online.
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Since 2017 Mike has been training for a certification in the Alexander Technique. He teaches private lessons in the technique as well as including this valuable perspective in all of his teaching. He will be certified by the American Society for the Alexander Technique in 2024.
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Mike is a Yamaha trumpet and flugelhorn artist, and he endorses MXR effects pedals.
