Vince Leafers

The Truth in Jazz Orchestra rhythm section is rounded out by the keyboard stylings of Vince Leafers.

He started early with his interest in music, playing the piano at three years old. At the age of seven he began four years of formal piano lessons and then moved from piano to a focus on the French horn during his middle and high school years.

Vince had two brothers and a sister who were also musically talented and their interests had great influence on him. His brother was involved in jazz and exposed Vince to the genre early in his teen years.

“Basically I listened a lot. Then I played what I heard.” From the listening, playing, and venturing into improvisation, Vince became a jazz pianist.

And he continues to enjoy the improvisational elements of jazz. “Jazz offers freedom of expression as musicians build creativity on the spot.” And TIJO’s type of music allows Vince to do just that. He prefers music which guides him with chords instead of a fully written out piece. The freedom to play from within is what drives Vince’s style and expression.

Vince has freelanced in various small ensembles through the years, but TIJO is his primary performance outlet presently.

And he enjoys the musical interaction with other performers in the group. “Inherent within jazz is exchanging musical ideas with other band members. There’s a lot of give and take and true interplay if things are going as they should,” Vince comments.

He spends a lot of time playing at home for his personal enjoyment, particularly jazz, as he takes an idea and expands it on the keyboard.

A Muskegon native, Vince earned two associates degrees from Muskegon Community College before going on to Ferris State University to earn a Bachelor of Science degree in pharmacy. Vince presently lives in Twin Lake and works as a pharmacist at Walmart in Fremont.