Mikaela Talley Music

Mikaela Talley is a composer and vocalist living in New York’s Hudson Valley. She is a singer of jazz, R&B, and world music including reggae and Latin inspired music.  She sings with a warm, expressive voice that blends jazz with soul—the result of a lifetime spent singing across multiple genres, including R&B, reggae, gospel, classical, and musical theatre. Due to her artistic depth and musicality, her performance style is often likened to those of Billie Holiday and Abbey Lincoln. Whether she’s reimagining a standard or delivering something original, each song tells a story—not just through its lyrics, but through the heartfelt way it’s expressed.

Mikaela's Quartet performs a blend of jazz standards, Latin and world musics, blues and R&B.

Mikaela's vocal and piano duo with Tim Regusis performs jazz standards, R&B, Latin, blues, and reggae.

Mikaela's vocal and guitar duo with Ron Gonzalez performs jazz standards, R&B, Latin, and blues.

BIO

Mikaela grew up in Los Angeles, where she studied violin and piano in her childhood. Her mother was a classical pianist but also played Broadway tunes while Mikaela would sing along. Her early influences  included pop and R&B, including The Beatles, The Temptations, Aretha Franklin, The Supremes, Marvin Gaye and Dionne Warwick, Roberta Flack, and Joni Mitchell and later, Bob Marley. She began to explore jazz as a child when she heard and fell in love with  a Nancy Wilson album playing at a friend’s house. In her teens she discovered a Billie Holiday album at the home of her cousin, jazz drummer Lester 
Cobb.  Her career has spanned gospel, musical theatre, classical, reggae, and jazz, each genre contributing to her distinctive tone and dynamic phrasing.

Based for many years in Hawaii, Mikaela studied music theory, composition and vocal classical chorale at the University of Hawaii, Hilo. She composed, sang and played keyboard in multiple reggae bands, and eventually led an all-woman reggae band, Sister Soulibration, producing the album The Meeting Fire under her own label. After many years in Hawaii she moved her family to New York’s Hudson Valley and returned to her original passion of jazz when she was invited to portray Billie Holiday in a 2013 Hudson Valley performance of “The Women of Jazz.” From that time on she has been singing jazz standards, bossa, blues and R & B in various clubs and venues in the Hudson Valley area.

She released her album, “Adventures in Starlight,” in 2025, a collection of seven of her favorite jazz standards, and an original, Joyful Noise, done as a fusion of jazz and reggae.

 About Adventures in Starlight

Adventures in Starlight, released in July of 2025, is Mikaela Talley's debut jazz album featuring 7 timeless jazz standards and her original jazz-reggae contribution, Joyful Noise. It features inspiring piano accompaniments of Tim Regusis, as well as the rhythmic and mood inducing playing of Lou Pappas on bass and Peter O'Brien on drums.  

The Musicians: 

Tim Regusis, Pianist

Tim Regusis is a pianist and keyboardist who has been active in the jazz scene of the New York City region as well as in the fields of R&B, Latin and various world musics for many years. He has played and/or recorded with Patti Austin, David Byrne, Jonathan Butler, Ruben Blades, Chuck Mangione, Chaka Khan, Donna Summer, Ofra Haza, Najee, Daniel Ponce, Rick Margitza, Cindy Blackman, Jeff Williams, Akira Ohmori, and many others. He has toured the U.S., Europe, Japan, Australia, South Africa, Indonesia and Russia.

Lou Pappas, Bassist

Lou Pappas has played for many years with the West Point Band and with multiple symphony and operatic orchestras throughout the Hudson Valley and Connecticut. His jazz work includes freelancing with such jazz greats as Jay McShann, Bill Watrous, Tom Scott, composer Patrick Williams, Barney Kessel, David Liebman, Paquito D’Rivera, Byron Stripling, Joe Lovano, Randy Brecker, Steve Turre, James Williams, Claire Fischer, Chris Flory, Dennis Mackrel, Billy Cobham, Louis Bellson, vocalists Natalie Merchant, Veronica Nunn, and Lucy Arnaz. 

After many years he retired from teaching bass at Vassar College and SUNY New Paltz, yet continues his freelance playing and teaching career.

Peter O’Brien, Drummer

Peter O’Brien has performed and recorded with many of the greats in the worlds of jazz, blues & rock music, over a career spanning 40 years, including such names as Brother Jack McDuff, The Edgar Winter Band, Roy Buchanon, Orleans, The John Hall Band, Rory Block, Arlen Roth, Murali Coryell, Doctor Lonnie Smith, Warren Bernhardt, Eric Person, Kenny Werner, Peter Bernstein, Dave Stryker, Joe Louis Walker, Steve Wilson, Dick Oats, The Brubeck Brothers, and many others.

Peter is currently a member of the Arlen Roth Band, Murali Coryell Band, John Esposito Trio & Sextet, and is an adjunct professor at Bard College.