This is a medley/mashup of some of the most iconic Hip-Hop songs featuring women and a showcase for the incredible freestyle talents of Breathless and Dakini Star.
credits
from Ladies Of Hip​-​Hop: West Oakland Sessions, released December 19, 2021
Music arranged by Ross Eustis
Breathless - vocals
Dakini Star - vocals
Shaina E - violin
Sophie Powers - trombone/vocals
Adam Theis - Musical Director, bass
Ross Eustis - trumpet
Tommy Occhiuto - sax
Jonathan Seiberlich - bass trombone
Kyle Athayde - keys
Action Paxton - drums/sampler

"A Hip​-​Hop Journey": No More Drama / Hypnotize / Juicy / Crush on You / Doo Wop / Get Ur Freak On"

Recorded live at Treat Social Club in San Francisco 6.14.15
featuring Realistic Orchestra with Choral Syndicate.

Live at Treat Social Club 6.14.15

This Place was a shelter (set 2)

Ladies (Opiuo Cover)

Spanish Castle Magic (Hendrix Cover) ft. Otis McDonald, Kim Nalley

Maybe Your Baby (Stevie Wonder Cover) ft. Chris McGee

Songs Performed: Spottie Ottie Dopalicious, No Diggity, Flavor of the Month (Fever for The Flavor), Sex, Love & Money, Rebirth of the Slick (Cool Like That), Hollywood Swingin', Its Your Thing, Into My Own Thang, Express Yourself, Soulful Strut, Love The One Your With, Can I Kick It?, Back 2 The Hotel, The Choice Is Yours (This or That), Patti Dooke, Don't Sweat The Technique, You Should Be Dancin, Workin Day & Night, Planet Rock, It's Just Begun 
credits
released January 20, 2022
Personell:

DJ Qbert - turntables
Adam Theis - bandleader, trombone
Ross Eustis - trumpet
Richard Benitez III - trumpet
Tommy Occhiuto - sax
Jonathan Seiberlich - sousaphone
Darian Gray - drums

20 Classic Breaks | Jazz Mafia + DJ Qbert

10 iconic songs inspired by the Final Frontier...Performed/Recorded 100% live.

"SPACE: A Mega-Mashup"
2001: A Space Odyssey (Strauss)
Space Oddity (Bowie)
Walking On The Moon (The Police)
Spaceman (Nick Jonas)
Across The Universe (The Beatles)
We Are All Made Of Stars (Moby)
Fly Me To The Moon (as played by Frank Sinatra)
Moondance (Van Morrison)
*Intergalactic (Beastie Boys)
Black Hole Sun (Soundgarden)
Rocket Love (Stevie Wonder)
*Inspired by Robyn Adele Anderson's version
credits
released November 30, 2021
Produced By - Trance Thompson and Adam Theis
Arranged By - Matt Wong
Recorded at Ciel Creative Space in Berkeley, CA 7/14/21

Jazz Mafia:
Trance Thompson - Vocals
Ross Eustis - Trumpet
Tommy Occhiuto - Sax
Shaina Evoniuk - Violin
Lewis Patzner - Cello
Jon Monahan - Guitar
Matt Wong - Keys
Adam Theis - Bass & Trombone
Chris Paxton - Drums

Audio Recording - Chris Paxton
Audio Mixing - Chris Paxton
Live Sound - Bryan "Carwash" Atarama

SPACE: A Mega Mashup

Trance Thompson transports us through this genre bending timewarp with this elegant arrangement of "When Doves Cry" by the one and only Prince.
Produced By Trance Thompson and Adam Theis
Written by Prince
Arranged by Trance Thomson & Adam Theis
Recorded at Ciel Creative Space in Berkeley, CA 7/14/21

Jazz Mafia:
Trance Thompson - Lead Vocals
Nataly Michelle Wright - Vocals
Tym Brown - Vocals
Ross Eustis - Trumpet
Tommy Occhiuto - Sax
Shaina Evoniuk - Violin
Lewis Patzner - Cello
Jon Monahan - Guitar
Matt Wong - Keys
Adam Theis - Bass 
Chris Paxton - Drums

Audio Recording - Chris Paxton
Audio Mixing - Cam Perridge
Live Sound - Bryan "Carwash" Atarama
Graphics - Shaina E

When Doves Cry (Tango Version) | Jazz Mafia ft. Trance Thompson

Produced By Trance Thompson and Adam Theis
Written by Liv Warfiled
Arranged by Jazz Mafia/Teddy Raven
Recorded at Ciel Creative Space in Berkeley, CA 7/14/21

Jazz Mafia:
Nataly Michelle Wright - Lead Vocals
Trance Thompson - Vocals
Tym Brown - Vocals
Ross Eustis - Trumpet
Tommy Occhiuto - Sax
Shaina Evoniuk - Violin
Lewis Patzner - Cello
Jon Monahan - Guitar
Matt Wong - Keys
Adam Theis - Bass & Trombone
Chris Paxton - Drums

Audio Recording - Chris Paxton
Audio Mixing - Cam Perridge
Live Sound - Bryan "Carwash" Atarama
Graphics - Shaina E

Why Do You Lie | Jazz Mafia ft. Nataly Michelle Wright

Written by Prince
Produced and Arranged by Adam Theis & Trance Thompson

personell:
Tym Brown - lead vocals
Trance Thompson - vocals, programming
Nataly Michelle Wright - vocals
Adam Theis - bass, tuba, keys, trumpet, trombone, percussion, programming
Shaina Evoniuk - strings
Ross Eustis - muted trumpet
Darian Gray - drums


Recorded at Jazz Mafia Compound May 23rd-June 4th 2022
Mixed by Chris Fletcher
Engineered by Trance Thompson & Adam Theis

Sign O' The Times | Jazz Mafia ft. Tym Brown

Sometimes It Snows In April | Jazz Mafia ft. Trance Thompson & Shaina E

California producer Amp Live teamed up with Bay Area collective Jazz Mafia to craft appropriately eerie remixes of "Yonkers", "Radicals", and "Goblin" from the much-discussed Tyler, the Creator solo full-length.

http://www.jazzmafia.com
http://www.amplivesworld.com

Tyler, The Creator - Radicalz (Amp Live x Jazz Mafia Remix)

Tyler, The Creator - Yonkerz (Amp Live x Jazz Mafia Remix)

Tyler, The Creator - Goblinz (Amp Live x Jazz Mafia Remix)

Day 4
song: Whoopin’ Blues
artist: Brass Mafia

Personnel
Mike Olmos - trumpet
Joe Cohen - tenor sax
Danny Grewen - trombone
Colin Hogan - B3 organ
Adam Theis - sousaphone
Pat Korte - drums

Recorded in 2008 at Coast Recorders 
Engineered by Sebastian “Seabass” Richard
Mixed and Mastered by Chris “Fletch” Fletcher

Since it’s Mardi Gras right now, we figured it would only be appropriate to bring you some of our brass band stylings. From now until Fat Tuesday, we’ll be giving you a bunch of horn-heavy new and unreleased tracks!

“Whoopin Blues” is a traditional New Orleans song that has been played by virtually every brass band and we had a grand ol’ time putting our own spin on it. Joe Cohen, Mike Olmos and Colin Hogan all take some ripping solos on this and you can almost see us all jumping around and being silly through the sounds of this recording. Props to our drummer Pat Korte who really lays down a mean 2nd line groove on this, without the usual 2 drummers of a typical brass band..

I remember when we were in the studio the first night, I got some weird allergic reaction to something and my face started swelling up like crazy! At first, when we were cutting this song, it was just kinda annoying but manageable. Next, it got to the point where it was effecting my vision, no biggie, the show must go on! After that, it got so uncomfortable that I couldn’t really play the tuba with my face so puffy, so I got out a bass and we kept recording that way. The session came to an abrupt end when my throat started swelling a little - I knew it was probably not a big deal but didn’t want to risk it with the whole not being able to breathe thing, so Joe took me straight to the E.R. and hung there with me for hours. Thanks Joe! 

We ended up recording the next day as well and then going back into Coast later that year and doing a bunch of very challenging originals. Many of these tunes will be released this month in the 30 tracks event. 

Happy Mardi Gras y’all!
Adam

Whoopin Blues - Brass Mafia

Day 6
song: Brass Mafia Theme
artist: Brass Mafia

recorded 2006 at Coast Recorders
engineered by Sebastian “Seabass” Richard
mixed by Chris “Fletch” Fletcher

Personnel
Mike Olmos - trumpet
Joe Cohen - tenor sax
Danny Grewen - trombone
Colin Hogan - B3 organ
Adam Theis - sousaphone
Pat Korte - drums

From the same session as “Whoopin’ Blues” where I had to cut the recording short and be taken to the emergency room! Ah , the memories : ) This was the first original tune I wrote for Brass Mafia and what really begun my exploration into more modern ways to use the ensemble. The tune starts out sounding like a jazz-funk tune, definitely some quirky chords and stuff but nothing too out of the norm but around 2 minutes the mood changes drastically and we enter into another world not often explored by brass bands. I think I’d recently seen Skerik’s “Syncopated Taint Septet” which influenced this section a lot with their mixing of B3 Organ/Rock-heavy drums and lots of brass. This was also one of the first time that I used the “slow down” effect, something that has become one of my favorite arranging devices for “warping” the rhythmic feel and creating a cliff-hanging tension. I love that we had Colin Hogan playing B3 organ on this, it fits so well into the brass band sound.
Yes, that’s a rare sighting of Joe Cohen on the BARI sax! Checkout the super chunky doubling of the Sousaphone and Bari in the rock section. ARRRRGH! Sounds like a bulldozer knocking over a McMansion!

If you like it, please share and spread the word! Thanks     - Adam

Brass Mafia Theme - Brass Mafia

Day 9
song: Karlita
artist: Crossroads Collective/Jazz Mafia

written by Adam Theis, Trance Thompson and Tym Brown
produced by Adam Theis and Joe Bagale
recorded at Jazz Mafia Compound
mixed by Joe Bagale

personnel:
Trance Thompson: lead vocals/vocal arrangement
Tym Brown: lead vocals
Sarah Schweppe: background vocals
Matt Wong: piano 
Adam Theis:  trumpet, trombone, sousaphone, percussion
Drums: Joe Bagale

This tune began about 3 years ago when I was asked to produce some horn tracks for an artist from New Orleans.  I did my best to rep the Bay as a horn player and do really cool stuff in a Nola style; I was happy with what I came up with.  A year later the song came out and they only ended up using one small phrase from all the material that I had written and recorded. This is an unfortunate situation that's happened to me on more than one occasion but this is the first time that I turned it into something that I'm really happy about! 
I took all the files that I had recorded, took away the music so that just my horns were left with a click track and a bpm (beats per minute=tempo). So, I set forth on creating a new groove, harmonic structure, melodies, song form, arrangement and then started producing it.
   Yes, it's kinda weird, what's the difference between what I'm explaining and just writing a song from scratch?  Well, usually horns are one of the LAST things to be put on a song in production, like the icing on the cake. So, it was really a trip starting out with JUST the horns and working backwards; It led to new ideas that I've never thought of.
Once I found a street beat drum rhythm I liked, I programmed a demo part for that. Next i created a pre-chorus and a chorus. For the chorus I sang non-sensical syllables and sounds in a melody with no words and ran my voice through all sorts of gritty effects to a point where I actually enjoyed hearing my own singing voice for the first time ever I think!
   After recording more additional horn parts on the new sections of the song and arranging it all, i sent it to my main man Trance Thompson. After a little while I received a great demo back and we decided to play the song live at our New Years gig and try it out, which also helped shape the arrangement more.
   Trance recorded the finished vocals last week, we recorded the drums and percussion yesterday morning and the song was mixed an hour ago. The creation of this song is a solid reminder to me to always keep the options open, especially when things don't seem to be working out the way you had planned! Maybe it will just lead to something WAY BETTER.

Karlita - Crossroads Collective/Jazz Mafia

Day 11

song: Minnie the Moocher (live remix)
artist: The Shotgun Wedding Quintet
written by Cab Calloway
produced by Adam Theis

personnel:
Dublin - vocals
Rich Armstrong - trumpet
Joe Cohen - tenor sax
Adam Theis - bass/looping, trombone
Jon Monahan - banjo
Brandon Werlin - drums

recorded at Bird & Egg Studios in El Cerrito, CA
engineered by Joe Bagale
mixed and mastered by Joe Bagale

This song was THE hit of 1931 when Cab Calloway’s legendary recording came out. Modern “Club” songs and Pop-Hip-Hop are full of drug references and descriptions of seedy nightclub activities and so is this song...but it came out  about 85 years ago. This song also has what can be considered as some of the earliest “rapping”. This is why Cab Calloway can be referred to as the original gangstar rapper.

Montage from Shotgun’s Live Cab Calloway Tribute:
https://youtu.be/DxB59mwcG4s

Original Cab Calloway recording
https://youtu.be/8mq4UT4VnbE

Insanely Funny Forklift Fail Video
https://youtu.be/8LqrjlqKhoQ

Minnie The Moocher Live Remix - The Shotgun Wedding Quintet

song: You Belong to My Heart
artist: Brass Mafia feat. Pat Korte
written by: Augustin Lara
Recorded in 2008 at Coast Recorders 
©2016 Jazz Mafia Recordings

personnel
Mike Olmos - trumpet
Joel Ryan - trumpet solo
Joe Cohen - tenor sax
Joel Behrman - trombone
Adam Theis - sousaphone
Colin Hogan - accordion and piano
Pat Korte - drums and vocals
Mikki Boyd - background vocals

Happy Valentine’s Day everyone!
This is our cover of a song that was originally a Mexican Bolero entitled “Solamente Una Vez”.
Here’s one of the first recordings of the song from the 40s.
https://youtu.be/7zjFeD-TKZ4
We took our version from this Jamaican remake of the song performed by Lord Tanamo from the Trojan Box Set:
https://youtu.be/fLAILukeGUg


You Belong To My Heart Feat. Pat Korte - Brass Mafia

Day 15
song: Election Blues
artist: Brass Mafia feat. Seneca

personnel
Mike Olmos - trumpet, solo
Joel Ryan - trumpet 
Joe Cohen - bari sax
Joel Behrman - trombone
Adam Theis - sousaphone
Pat Korte - drums 
Seneca - vocals

This song has had a long road from its first live performance in 2004 until finally being released now, 12 years later. The tune was originally written for Realistic Orchestra, performed once or twice and then was lost when some hard drives of mine were stolen. 3 years later, I made a 2nd arrangement of Election Blues, this time for Brass Mafia. We recorded it at Coast Recorders in 2008 and since then it has remained “almost” finished. I’ve also recently done a Big Band arrangement of the song, (for the 2nd time), I guess the good thing about losing the first version is that with each time I’ve re-written the song, it has gotten better!

The rhythm is based on a hybrid of Afrobeat and some type of Spanish March but I’m not sure, it’s just something that’s been stuck in my head.  There’s also a little nod to Mos Def’s “Sex, Love & Money” in there. 

engineered, mixed and mastered by Chris Fletcher
Recorded in 2008 at Coast Recorders 
©2016 Jazz Mafia Recordings

Election Blues Feat. Seneca - Brass Mafia

Day 16
song: Stardust Tempest
artist: Adam Theis MOBtet

personnel:
Adam Theis - trombone
Daniel Casares - sax
Kevin Wong - keys/synth bass
Joe Bagale - drums

    This piece suite was composed for a collaboration with the 18 piece Realistic Orchestra and 3 dancers for a “Space” themed show at Treat Social Club, an experimental performance-art series I started in 2013. I came up for many of the melodies and rhythms by using samples from the newly-available “NASA sound library”. For the structure I was inspired heavily by dancer Shannon Gaines (Vau De Vire) who provided me with an outline for what she was envisioning; she included tempos for various sections and numbers of bars and lengths for what she was thinking for her choreography. I think some composers might be uncomfortable with a dancer dictating these terms to them but for me it’s a challenge that I really enjoy and it always yields fresh new results.
    For the past year I’ve been performing this one live occasionally with my quartet and it’s always a really exciting challenge to navigate through the various sections, time changes, key changes, odd-length phrases etc…Everyone in the band gets to do their thing on this and I thought it would be a perfect song to capture live in the studio for this project. I’ll be posting video of this soon, when I have some “extra” time.

recorded 1/24/2016 ay Jazz Mafia Compound
engineered by Joe Bagale
mixed and mastered by Joe Bagale
©2016 Jazz Mafia Recordings

Stardust Tempest - Adam Theis MOBtet

Day 17
song: Free Ya Soul (Breathe Remix)
artist: Jazz Mafia Symphony feat. Aima the Dreamer & Teeko

Music written by Teeko
Vocals and Lyrics written by Aima and Chris Mcgee
Arranged by Joe Bagale and Jeanne Geiger
Orchestrated by Jeanne Geiger

Hear Teeko’s original version here:
https://youtu.be/QaoK2ro5AnI

This song came together when we were creating the 2nd Jazz Mafia Symphonic-Hip-Hop wprk, “The Emperor Norton Suite”, in 2010-2011. Teeko brought in his tune “Free Ya Soul” and thought it would be nice to orchestrate out the parts and possibly add some things to it. Chris Mcgee wrote the “Breathe” hook, that inspired Jeanne to write her beautiful arrangement and the rest is history. We’re really happy to finally bring you the finished version of this song that includes some of the deadliest musicians in the Bay Area. Enjoy! 

personnel:
Aima the Dreamer - lead vocals
Joe Bagale - vocals
Chris Mcgee - vocals
Crystal Monee Hall - vocals
Anthony Blea - violin
Shaina Evoniuk - violin
Darcy Rindt - viola
Rebecca Roudman - cello
Neil Levonious - lead trumpet
Mike Olmos - trumpet
Rich Armstrong - trumpet
Derek James - trombone
Adam Theis - trombone
Jeanne Geiger - trombone
Jamie Dubberly - bass trombone
Rita Thies - flute
Evan Francis - flute/sax
Sheldon Brown - sax
Doug Rowan - Bari sax
Jon Monahan - guitar
Colin Hogan - keys
Tommy Folen- bass
Eric Garland - drums
Brandon Werlin - drums
Pat Korte - drums
Joe Bagale - drums

recorded in 2011
Engineered by Ben Yonas
Produced by Teeko and Joe Bagale
Mixed and mastered by Joe Bagale
©2016 Jazz Mafia Recordings

Free Ya Soul (Breathe Remix) - Jazz Mafia Symphony feat. Aima the Dreamer & Teeko

Day 20
song: Mama
artist: Realistic Orchestra feat. Uriah Duffy & Carlos Caro
written, orchestrated and produced by Adam Theis

Personnel:
Uriah Duffy - electric bass solo
Carlos Caro - bongo, congas and timbale solos
Joel Behrman - trombone solo
Erik Jekabson - trumpet solo
Matt Nelson - tenor sax solo
Evan Francis - alto sax
Joe Cohen - alto sax
Sheldon Brown - tenor sax
Paul Hanson - Bassoon
Doug Rowan -bari sax
Dave Scott - lead trumpet
Mike Olmos - trumpet
Joel Ryan - trumpet
Adam Theis - trombone
Danny Grewen - trombone
Marc Bolin - bass trombone
Jon Monahan - guitar
Colin Hogan - keyboards
George Ban Weiss  - upright bass
Eric Garland - drums

One of the many tunes I composed for Realistic Orchestra during our 8 year long Tuesday night Jazz Mafia residency where this group performed once a month. Having a regular outlet to try out new compositional ideas was an amazing opportunity to be a part of. I spent many sleepless nights working on these sort of overly-ambitious quirky songs knowing that a band with some of the best and most supportive musicians would all be there for our regular soundcheck/rehearsals to run all the new material that me and the other hell-bent composers would bring in. This is where I truly went to school for big band arranging(Sorry Sonoma State but you wouldn’t even let me into the jazz orchestra arranging class!). 

The title “Mama” comes from one of the many inside jokes the band developed in it’s many years of playing shows and late night hangs...If a pretty lady walked into the club, you could often hear one of the guys in the band softly and kind of nerdily utter “Mama”...I guess in a way it’s the introverted jazz-guy version of “Hey baby, you lookin’ mighty fine tonight, what’s yo name!?” Of course, no attractive females were ever actually engaged with in our manner, as they couldn’t actually hear what we were even saying. Anyway, it made for a nice memorable title for the band, which is sometimes all you need to simply keep the songs from getting mixed up in a book of over 150 charts.

I usually don’t write songs with more than 1 or 2 solos in them but for some reason this one really led me in that direction. I didn’t start with a lead sheet or any sort of demo, I just sat down and started composing and orchestrating.This is an approach that I don not recommend for composers who’d like to maximize the use of their writing time! ...but sometimes it does yield interesting results (and really lonnnnnng tunes like this one). The trumpet solo/soli is a concept I heard used first by Gil Evans where you have a soloist shredding away and then out of nowhere they are playing an ensemble rhythm with the rest of their section , maybe doing some call and response with them...blurring the lines between improvised and composed is always fun for me and challenges these amazing musicians in new ways as well.

When we recorded this we intentionally left 2 sections open for features - one for my homie and friend of the band Uriah Duffy on Electric bass and another for our vibraphone player MNO who had relocated to France in 2005. For some reason the MNO solo didn’t end up happening, I think I wanted something a little more in your face -  so I started to think of percussionists and one of the baddest dudes in the Bay (and Cuba where he’s from) came to mind: Carlos Caro. The addition of these two incredible performers puts this song over the top into one of my favorite collaborative tracks we’ve ever done. Uriah’s bass solo was recorded back in 2008 and I tracked Carlos just a few weeks ago here at the Compound as the final piece of the puzzle called Mama. 

Oh and I guess I should say something about the “weird sounds” that happen right after the percussion solo. Actually, nah.
- Adam Theis 2/20/16

Recorded March 3rd, 2008  at 20th & Mission in SF by Chris Fletcher.
Produced by Adam Theis
Mixed and Mastered by Chris Fletcher.
©2016 Jazz Mafia Recordings

Mama - Realistic Orchestra feat. Uriah Duffy & Carlos Caro

Day 25
song: Wilderness
artist: Tiffany Austin w/ Jazz Mafia
words by Tiffany Austin
music by Tiffany Austin and Adam Theis
produced by Adam Theis

personnel
Tiffany Austin - vocals
Matt Wong- piano (solo)
Adam Theis - bass, trombone, trumpet
Dame Drummer - drums

Lyrics:
Have you ever found yourself
Lost in your own wilderness?
Started at the edge of town
How could things have gotten this far?
 
Don’t retrace your steps, just go
Never self-reflect—you're gold
Look how much you shine when you’re alone
 
Shut the windows, bar the doors
Wouldn’t want a soul to get in
Then you set off on your lonely climb
They lie low when you are summit

 Air up there is cold and thin
Do you really have thick skin?
Or are you just a hollow sounded by the wind?

recorded at Jazz Mafia Compound January 2016
mixed and mastered by Chris Fletcher
©2016 Jazz Mafia Recordings

Wilderness - Tiffany Austin w/ Jazz Mafia

Day 26
song: I Can't STAND(we Can't STOP) Live
artist: Otis McDonald
written by Joe Bagale
recorded live at Jazz Mafia Compound 2/21/16
engineered, mixed and mastered by Joe Bagale

personnel
Joe Bagale - vocals, bass, drums
Max Miller Loran - trumpet, juno synth
Daniel Casares - sax, percussion, vocals
Adam Theis - trombone, vocals, bass
Max Cowan - organ, keyboards
Nino Moschella - drums, guitar

artwork by Courtney Duvendack
©Jazz Mafia Recordings 2016

I Can't STAND(we Can't STOP) Live - Otis McDonald

Day 27
song: Gluttony
artist: Jazz Mafia feat. Yvette Pylant    
lyrics  and vocal melodies by Yvette Pylant music by Adam Theis
produced and engineered by Adam Theis


personnel
Yvette Pylant - vocals
Adam Theis - drums, tuba, keys, trombone, trumpet
Dame Drummer - drums

I originally wrote the music for this song for the 20 piece Realistic Orchestra as an instrumental accompaniment for a dance piece that was performed live at Treat Social Club, an underground-collaborative performance art series I started in 2013. It was a nod to the “Electro-Swing” movement but played all live with no electronics, so I don’t know what that’s called but it was fun to play and I went into the studio to produce a version, hopefully with a vocalist. I’d been wanting to collaborate with Yvette for about 6 months after being amazed at her talent on recordings she played me. She turned around the demo I sent her into full blown/completed lyrics in less than a week and that’s where the real inspiration to finish this into something special happened for me. I re-wrote most of the horn parts and added all sorts of new flavor to the rhythm section. This is also one of my few forays into playing and sampling myself on live drums although I ended up having the amazing Dame Drummer play the more involved bridges, I don’t think I could’ve pulled those off!
   All of Yvette’s vocals were tracked in one short session and were done smoothly and effortlessly without any studio trickery. A true talent on the microphone. Expect more from us in the near future. Adam - 2/28/16

recorded at Jazz Mafia Compound Jan 2016
artwork by Courtney Duvendack
©2016 Jazz Mafia Recordings

Gluttony - Jazz Mafia Accomplices feat. Yvette Pylant

Day 28
song: Set if Free
artist: Golden Arrow

lyrics by Aima the Dreamer and Dakini Star
music by Adam Theis and Shaina Evoniuk
produced by Adam Theis


personnel
Aima the Dreamer - vocals
Dakini Star - vocals
Shaina Evoniuk - violin, vocals
Daria Johnson - drums
Adam Theis - bass, keys, trombone, trumpet, tuba

Golden Arrow is a group formed in 2014 that plays a diverse selection of Hip-Hop music. The idea for the group was to feature ladies of the Jazz Mafia crew in the spotlight and let them tear it up however they want. Aside from a few local spotlights and and 2 appearances at Symbiosis Festival, this group has been laying low while getting recordings together but expect to see more in 2016!

recorded at Jazz Mafia Compound 2015-2016
engineered by Chris Fletcher
mixed and mastered by Chris Fletcher
artwork by Courtney Duvendack
©2016 Jazz Mafia Recordings

Set It Free - Golden Arrow feat. Aima the Dreamer & Dakini Star

Day 29
song: Community 3.0
artist: Jazz Mafia Symphony feat. Lyrics Born, Dublin, Aima the Dreamer, Seneca and Soulati
lyrics by: Lyrics Born, Dublin, Aima the Dreamer, Seneca, Joe Bagale, Karyn Paige
music written and orchestrated by Adam Theis
produced by Joe Bagale and Adam Theis


Personnel
Lyrics Born - vocals
Dublin - vocals 
Aima the Dreamer - vocals
Seneca - vocals
Soulati - beatbox
Joe Bagale - lead vocals
Karyn Paige - vocals
Chris Mcgee - vocals
Rita Thies - Alto sax, flute
Sheldon Brown - bass clarinet, clarinet, tenor sax
Matt Nelson - tenor sax
Doug Rowan - bari sax, bass clarinet
Niel Levonious - lead trumpet
Mike Olmos - trumpet
Joel Ryan - trumpet
Erik Jekabson - trumpet
Rich Armstrong -trumpet
Joel Behrman - trombone
Jeanne Geiger - trombone
Adam Theis - trombone
Jamie Dubberly - bass trombone
Wayne Van Lieu - french horn
Shaina Evoniuk - violin
Rachel Noyes - violin
Sarah Dabby - viola
Crystal Pascucci - cello
Jon Monahan - guitar
Colin Hogan - keys
Matt Wong - acoustic piano
Matt Berkeley - synths
George Ban Weiss - upright bass
Tommy Folen - electric bass
Matt Lucas - percussion
Pat Korte - drums
Eric Garland - drums

recorded by Ben Yonas and Alberto Hernandez at Fantasy Studios 2009
additional recording at Jazz Mafia Compound January 2016
mixed and mastered by Joe Bagale
©2016 Jazz Mafia Recordings


Community 3.0 feat. Lyrics Born, Dublin, Aima the Dreamer, Seneca & Soulati

additional recording at Jazz Mafia Compound January 2016
mixed and mastered by Joe Bagale
©2016 Jazz Mafia Recordings


Day 30
song: Moon Day Night
artist: Adam Theis & The Western Territory Project
written by Adam Theis

personnel
Adam Theis - trombone
Paul Hanson - bassoon
Matthew Szemela - violin
Alisa Rose - Violin 
Lewis Patzner - cello
Matt Wong - keyboards
Sascha Jacobsen - upright bass
Mitchell Wilcox - drums

Inspired by an unreal full moon over the Truckee River on a Monday night. As simple as that! Some burning solos on this one by Paul Hanson, Matt and Alisa trading on violins and Mitchell on the drums. I’m excited to put out more music from this really special group of composer/performers. Thanks for listening! 

engineered by Joe Bagale and Chris Fletcher
mixed and mastered by Joe Bagale
at Jazz Mafia Compound Summer of 2015
Artwork by Courtney Duvendack
©2016 Jazz Mafia Recordings

Moon Day Night - Adam Theis & The Western Territory Project

We put this epic production together for the Tribute to Green Day's "Dookie" Album by Undercover Presents. To purchase the album go here:
https://undercoverpresents.bandcamp.com/album/undercover-presents-a-tribute-to-green-days-dookie

Produced by Adam Theis, Trance Thompson and Brian Adam McCune
Featuring:
Trance Thompson - Lead Vocals, Choir director/arranger, music arrangement
Adam Theis - trombone, bass, music arrangement, Procucer
Kevin Wong - Moog Bass, B3 Organ
Maya Kronfeld - piano
Dame Taylor - drums, tambourine, additional choir arrangement
Max Miller - trumpet
Raffi Garabedian - bari sax
Shaina Evoniuk - violin
Keith Lawrence - viola
Lewis Patzner - cello
Choral Syndicate Choir:
Tim Brown (leads), Gabriela Marguerite Welch (leads), Joe Bagale (leads), Felicia Walker (leads), Audio Angel, Stevie Greenwell, Erin Greenwell, Katy Stephan,  Danielle Pollard, Glenda Bates, Oona Garthwaite, Acacia Quien, Leah Tysse, Trixxie Carr, Sonya Distel,  Lilan Kane, Sarah Schweppe, Mikki Boyd, Nina Jordan,  Chris McGee, Rocky Ramirez, Josh Cantero, Bryan Matheson, Jesse Brewster

Longview - Jazz Mafia's Choral Syndicate feat. Trance Thompson

Dublin - No Debating

Realistic - Acid

Tales From The Barbary Coast

Bridge and Tunnel

Founded in 2000, the collective known as Jazz Mafia is one of the most ubiquitous names in innovate music on the West Coast, including such artists as: The Shotgun Wedding Quintet, Realistic Orchestra, Joe Bagale, Jazz Mafia Symphony, Brass Bows & Beats and founder Adam Theis. 
 This talented group of musicians seamlessly combines Latin polyrhythms, boom-bap rhymes, melancholy ballads, swinging jazz and blistering solos, while at the same time adhering to symphonic structural elements. All spun together in the spirit of a Jazz Era big band- but conducted with a maestro's sense of timing, timbre, and mood- the experience is akin to watching the New York Philharmonic back a street corner B-Boy battle in the heart of downtown Oakland.

The "Brass, Bows & Beats" premiere sold out two shows at the Palace Of Fine Arts as well a sold out a six-show run at Yoshi's in San Francisco. The 60 piece incarnation of Jazz Mafia's "Brass, Bows & Beats" that premiered at the Palace of Fine Arts was recorded and released as a live album in June 2010. 2010 has been a break through year for Jazz Mafia, with performances at the Newport Jazz Festival, Montreal Jazz Festival, Playboy Jazz Festival (Hollywood Bowl), and the Monterey Jazz Festival. 

The original 60-piece Palace ensemble can be pared down to a tighter core of 40 to accommodate and emphasize more intimate settings. The piece marks a coming of age for The Jazz Mafia as a new voice in composition. Jazz Mafia Symphony is a monumental achievement displaying an exciting barrage of compositional elements, which the composers ingeniously weave together through a complex blend of skill, talent and courage. An eager and quickly growing global audience awaits their further contributions. A creative force on the Bay Area music scene for more than a decade, the loose-knit band of jazz cats, MCs, arrangers and composers known collectively as The Jazz Mafia, is fast emerging as the most prolific musical organization on the West Coast. Launching some of the Bay Area's most innovative and stylistically expansive ensembles, these musicians contribute their varied talents to a cross-cultural mix of new beats and melodies, blended with instrumental virtuosity. The Jazz Mafia Horns have recorded in the studio with Carlos Santana and backed artists such as Zion-I, KRS One, and Thomas Dolby. Other bands in the JM pantheon include The Shotgun Wedding Quintet, the incredible Realistic Orchestra, Supertaster with Joe Bagale, Brass Mafia, Jazz Mafia Trio, Spaceheater, and The Shotgun Wedding Hip Hop Symphony. With top-tier brass players and an always premium rhythm section, and dealing in jazz, funk, hip hop, soul, R&B and more, The Jazz Mafia form one of the most powerful assemblies of virtuosic performers on the West Coast.

Popular tracks by Jazz Mafia