Jonei Productions is pleased to announce the 2022 Partnership and Management with Traviso Milner. Traviso, known to many as Maestro, is a gold and platinum awards recipient for his songwriting and production contributions. In March 2019, his accomplishments as Producer, Songwriter, and Arranger on Mel Holder’s ‘Music Book Volume III’ CD held positions #1 and #2 on Billboard’s Smooth Jazz Charts. He has toured with Grammy Award winning recording artist Norman Brown and Jonathan Butler. In addition he has toured as Musical Director for Will Downing, Peabo Bryson, Chante Moore, Brenda Russell, Patti Austin, Eric Darius, Paul Taylor, Marion Meadows, Alex Bugnon, Phil Perry, Jessy J Bill Withers, Jeff Lorber, Johnny Kemp, The Force MD's, LaToya Jackson, The Manhattans, Blue Magic, Ray Goodman & Brown, Adeva, Cindy Mizelle, BT Express, Gerald LeVert & Melba Moore, just to name a few. He’s performed and toured throughout Europe and Japan.
In the 1990’s, he had several Grammy nominations for his songwriting and production contributions to Yvonne Roome's "QUIET NIGHTS" album. This jazz project featured Toots Thielemans, Onaje Allan Gumbs, Horace Alexander Young III and a host of N.Y.'s hottest musicians. His single, "ARE YOU REALLY REAL?" (The Force MD's) appeared in Matty Rich's "Straight Out Of Brooklyn" feature film.
He was the Musical Director & arranger for the Isaac Hayes Tribute to Soul since it's inception in 1997. This star-studded gala annual event features world-class entertainers performing Isaac Hayes' songs in a benefit concert for The World Literacy Campaign. The featured artists included Dionne Warwick, Tommy Davidson, Phyllicia Rashad, Mark Curry, Sam Moore, Betty Wright, Denise Williams, Dougie Doug, Jean Carne, Freda Payne, Martha Wash, Miss Jones, Stephanie Mills, Chuck Jackson, Ray Goodman & Brown, Mary Wilson and of course Isaac Hayes, himself. Isaac brought him aboard as MD for his cooking show pilot , "Groove Kitchen" on VH1.
In addition to receiving gold & platinum awards for his songwriting/production contribution to the Busta Rhymes' album "THE COMING", he has written, produced & performed work on Flipmode's Rampage CD. He wrote & produced the theme song, "KISSING YOU WITH OUR CLASSIC LOVE", for 98.7 KISS FM. His jingle features over thirty of classic soul & today's R&B's finest recording artists (i.e. George Benson, Zhane, Freddie Jackson, Luther Vandross, and Gladys Knight). From January '97 until September of ‘99, his commercial aired at least 24 times a day. With that kind of airplay and roster of recording artists, he is one of the most heard & recorded producer/songwriters in NY.
Due to the success and demand generated by the "Kissing You" jingle, Maestro launched his own jingle house, SOUL'D OUT PROMOS. The company expanded into a service that 'Designs Radio Station's Promo Sound'. SOUL'D OUT PROMOS designed numerous station ID's across the nation. Station by station, across the nation his work is being heard daily. His theme song for The Donnie Simpson Show on 95.5 WPGC ran 5 days a week for 9 years
From 1995 to 2001 Maestro managed, taught and engineered at Soundtrack Recording Studios, an eleven-studio multi-format facility in midtown Manhattan.
Keeping God preeminent in his life is paramount. Therefore, he has been blessed to serve his church and community via a monthly Gospel Showcase, SPIRIT ALIVE, that he directs for the Congregational Church of South Hempstead. The showcase features local talent, big name talent, dancers, instrumentalists, rappers, singers, choirs, steppers, poets and dramatizations. His band, HIZ OWN, which by the way is the same band used for the Isaac Hayes shows provides the music.
In 2006 Maestro toured South Africa with Eddie & Gerald Levert, and then again with Will Downing. Will Downing's Christmas Soul Tour coupled Maestro with Norman Brown and Gerald Albright. One of the major highlights of '06 was getting the call to be Melba Moore's Musical Director.
In 2007 Norman Brown contacted Traviso to Los Angeles to perform keyboards full time. From then until now, Traviso has been a mainstay in the Smooth Jazz LA scene on keys and bass. Once on the west coast, Traviso added Jeff Lorber, Peabo Bryson, Chante Moore, Brenda Russell, Patti Austin, Eric Darius, Paul Taylor, Marion Meadows, Alex Bugnon, Phil Perry, Jessy J, & Gail Jhonson to his artist roster.
In 2011, he returned to the east coast music scene, where the Late Dennis Edwards hired Traviso as his principle keyboardist. 2014 was awesome. Traviso returned to the smooth jazz scene with Jonthan Butler, Alex Bugnon, Norman Brown and Gerald Albright. The summer of 2014 saw the renovation of his main studio facility and the completion of Gerald Alston's new CD, "Irreplaceable" and a new single & video, "Back To Basics" featuring Gerald and Mel Holder.
TOURS
2011-2018 THE TEMPTATIONS REVIEW Featuring DENNIS EDWARDS - Keys
2014 THE DRIFTERS - Bass
2014 JONATHAN BUTLER - Keys
2014 GERALD ALBRIGHT - Keys
2010 JESSY J, BRENDA RUSSELL, PHIL PERRY - Keys & Vocals
2006-2010 MELBA MOORE - MD/Keys/Vocals
2009 ERIC DARIOUS, PATTI AUSTIN, GAIL JHONSON - Keys &Vocals
2008 PAUL TAYLOR, ALEX BUGNON, CHANTE MOORE - Keys &Vocals
2007 JEFF LORBER, MARION MEADOWS, PAUL TAYLOR, PEABO BRYSON -Keys
2006-2007 GERALD ALBRIGHT- Keys
2004-2007 WILL DOWNING - Keys
2004-2006 GERALD ALSTON - MD/Keys/Vocals
2004-2006 EDDIE & GERALD LEVERT "FATHER & SON TOUR"-Keys
2004 MAYSA FROM THE UK GROUP INCOGNITO - Keys
2003-2004 THE MANHATTANS - Bass & Vocals
2003-2004 WILL DOWNING-’EMOTIONS’ TOUR with GERALD LEVERT- Keys
1999 TYLER PERRY'S MUSICAL PLAY "I KNOW I'VE BEEN CHANGED" - Pit Master
1997-2001 ISAAC HAYES TRIBUTE TO SOUL MD, Keys & bass
1996 CINDY MIZELLE - MD, Keys & Vocals
1995-2006 GERALD LEVERT - Keys & Bass
1995 GROOVE THEORY - Keys
1992 ADEVA-Europe & Asia - Keys/Vocals
1993-1995 BLUE MAGIC-Musical Director- Keys
1993 BILL WITHERS - Bass & Vocals
1982 ROY AYERS Bass & Vocals
1987-1992 FORCE MD'S-Musical Director/Keys
1988 JOHNNY KEMP - "Just Got Paid" TOUR- Keys & Vocals
1989 THE MANHATTANS - Keys
2006-2019 NORMAN BROWN-MD/Keys/Vocals
DISCOGRAPHY
BUSTA RHYMES "THE COMING" - PRODUCER, WRITER - Platinum Award
YVONNE ROOME "QUIET NIGHTS" PRODUCER, ARRANGER, WRITER, KEYS, BASS
MEN AT LARGE "DON'T CRY" REMIX
AK LIVE "TUNING" PRODUCER - JAPANESE ARTIST
GEORGE KERR CO-PRODUCER - 20 TRACKS ON VARIOUS CLASSIC SOUL GROUPS
(Chilites, Ray, Goodman & Brown, Manhattans, Main Ingredient, Blue Magic)
RAY, GOODMAN & BROWN ‘A MOMENT WITH FRIENDS’ - CO-PRODUCER, ARRANGER, PROGRAMMER
GERALD LEVERT "SPEAK FOR THE WORLD" PROGRAMMER "CLICK A GLASS"
GERALD LEVERT "IN MY SONGS" PRODUCER, ARRANGER - "DJ DON'T"
WILL DOWNING "ALL I WANT FOR CHRISTMAS IS YOU" - WRITER, PRODUCER
PHAJJA "SAILING" & "WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR" - BASS
GERALD ALSTON "GA SINGS SAM COOKE" FEATURING GERALD ALBRIGHT PRODUCER, ARRANGER, PROGRAMMER, ENGINEER
"BACK TO THE BASICS" (2014) FEATURING: REGINA BELLE & MEL HOLDER
THE PERSUADERS "A WOMAN WAS MADE TO BE LOVED" PRODUCED, ENGINEERED, ARRANGED
BRENT CARTER PRODUCER, WRITER, ENGINEER
HORACE A. YOUNG “ACOUSTIC CONTEMPORARY JAZZ" PRODUCER, ENGINEER, ARRANGER
FULL CIRCLE "SOMETHING OLD, SOMETHING NEW" - WRITER, CO-PRODUCER, ARRANGER
TANIA SHANA “FROM THE HEART" - CO-PRODUCER, ARRANGER, ENGINEER
CHRIS CURRY "JAMMIN ON THE MIKE 1 & 2" - PRODUCER, ENGINEER, PROGRAMMER, VOCALS
CHRIS CURRY ‘STOP THE VIOLENCE’ (2014)-PRODUCER/ARRANGER/WRITER/ ENGINEER
FORCE MD'S "FORCE MD'S - LIVE" - PROGRAMMER, ARRANGER, ENGINEER
MEL HOLDER "MUSIC BOOK VOL. 1" WRITER, ARRANGER PRODUCER
MEL HOLDER "MUSIC BOOK VOL. 2" WRITER, ARRANGER PRODUCER
MEL HOLDER "MUSIC BOOK VOL. 3" WRITER,ARRANGER PRODUCER-BILLBOARD #1, #2
GAIL JHONSON "MILES AWAY" - WRITER, PRODUCER, ENGINEER
ALVIN FISHER "ABSOFLUTELY" - WRITER, ARRANGER, PRODUCER, ENGINEER