Real name: Reginald Thomas

Pianist, organist, bandleader, sideman for touring performers, recording artist, arranger/composer and educator at Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville. Often teaming with his wife Mardra, a singer and actress, Thomas has been a constant presence and a consistent indicator of quality on the St. Louis jazz scene. At the same time, he's also developed a national reputation as a teacher and clinician for events such as the Thelonious Monk International Jazz Competition at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., and the Essentially Ellington festival at New York's Jazz at Lincoln Center. This will be the Thomas' last summer in St. Louis (2011). He has accepted a new job at Michigan State University.