SONOMA COUNTY INDEPENDENT
Trombonist Adam Theis leads pack of local young jazz lions
By Greg Cahill

Trombonist Adam Theis leads pack of local young jazz lions By Greg Cahill "IN JAZZ, there are so many options--you're never locked into any certain thing," observes trombonist, bandleader, and composer Adam Theis. "I like the challenges and the freedom that presents."

True to his word, the 23-year-old Theis has created a challenging brew of traditional and contemporary jazz styles that has put him inthe vanguard of a pack of local young jazz lions. His latest project, Cannonball, is a gritty romp through the soul-jazz grooves of late sax great Cannonball Adderly, with a splash of hard bop tossed in for good measure.

Cannonball--which plays at Main St. Station in Guerneville on the weekend of the upcoming Russian River Blues Festival--is composedof a shifting lineup of six to nine musicians, all vying for a chance to play at the dates. "You usually don't find a jazz gig that's thismuch fun, since jazz is usually pretty individualistic and intellectual," says the soft-spoken Theis, a Sebastopol resident and SonomaState University jazz studies grad. "This band lies right between a great dance band with lots of energy and improvisation."

Theis is no stranger to local music fans. He already has made a name for himself on the Bay Area club scene as a member of theoriginal funk band School of Lou, and as part of a local disco band called Old School, which boasts full costumes and choreographeddance numbers. In addition, Theis and keyboardist Jason Sherbundy are members of Strangewood, a local folk-rock group.

But in recent months, Theis has shifted his attention to the jazz thang. In January, he released the self-produced Revival Kit (Flying Harold), a CD issued on Conspiracy bassist Joshua Staples' Petaluma-based label as the Adam Theis Ensemble. The disc of Theis originals features pianist Sherbundy; drummer Elliot Kavee of the Club Foot Orchestra; bass player Jon Evans, who tours with former Non-Blonde singer Linda Perry; and guitarist Liberty Ellman and tenor saxophonist Eric Crystal, both of the San Francisco Mime Troupe.

It is a sophisticated and intelligent set that spotlights both Theis' considerable gifts as a composer and his generosity as a bandleader. "It was out of necessity that I recorded that," he explains. "I was doing way too many rock gigs. I just wanted to even out the scales, so I decided to go all out."

In April, he launched Cannonball, a band designed to satisfy his own fondness for '60s soul jazz while tapping into the wealth of talented young jazz players in the county. "What I wanted [with this band] was something that was more stripped down [than his ensemble] --down-home stuff that I could play with a few friends," he says. "And we're not necessarily playing for a jazz audience."

The response has proved positive, especially among local alt-rock fans. "People are definitely there for the energy," he says. "They like a band that will take chances and that is always evolving. It's different than following a band for its image; it's more of a personal experience in which people like to root for the band.

"I mean, we might fall on our faces because we're doing new stuff all the time, always taking chances. Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't," he adds with a laugh. "But people enjoy that because they're used to seeing local bands that play the same songs, the same solos week after week.

"When people hear something different, they might not even know what it is, but they know that they like it."

SECTION M
The Adventures of Adam Theis
by Lord Felix Thursday

Some introduction to Adam Theis seems necessary, if only for reintroducing to the minds of our more enlightened readers a musician who, despite the tender age of 24 years, has a string of accomplishments to his credit that rivals those of even the most esteemed Sonoma County veterans.

As a one-time member of Ska heroes The Conspiracy and Let's Go Bowling, and currently a member of the Savoy Swingers, Funk/Jazz unit Cannonball, Electric Avenue (a cover band devoted to the music of the '70s and '80s) and his own Bop ensemble, trombonist Theis has compiled countless hours as a studio and performance musician.

Jazz Is, one of the foremost Jazz publications distributed internationally, listed him among the top ten unsigned artists in its annual competition.

Flying Harold Records has released two of his projects: The Adam Theis Ensemble's Revival Kit and Cannonball's Funky Soul Music.And fabled Ska greats, The Specials, have recently enlisted his talents to tour as a member of their band.

On a particularly stormy February afternoon, we sought refuge from nature's bitter elements in a Petaluma tavern, which is where our story begins.

Adam Theis' youthful countenance and humble demeanor do not suggest his years of education and experience. These factors, no doubt, are responsible at times for placing him at a disadvantage when in the company of old-school Jazz musicians who are notoriously skeptical of, and sometimes hostile toward, newcomers. Theis, however, consistent with his good nature, assures me that the occasional admonishments are only a small price to pay for the cultivation he receives from his older peers.

"It's like going to school," he says earnestly. "I played at The Tradewinds (in Cotati) every Thursday for almost a year, and it was almost all older cats. If there was someone within ten years of my age I was lucky. The crowds and the bands were a lot older. I played in Ernie Small's Big Band for three years and the average age was over 50. A lot of the older guys in Ernie's band when I first came in were like, 'Eh, whoÕs this kid?' But after you show them that you're not just messing around and that you're really serious about learning, they still won't be nice to you, but they'll give you a few pointers once in a while. I ended up being really good friends with some of the guys in that band, but it took years. That's how older Jazz musicians are; they don't waste their time on just anybody. That's why I put out my own album. Because I wanted to show people that I really love Jazz and I'm not just messing around. It cost me a lot of money at the time, but it was worth it. I'd get no respect otherwise."

Shortly after releasing Revival Kit on Flying Harold Records in 1997, preeminent Jazz magazine Jazz Is selected Theis from thousands of entries for their yearly top ten list of best unsigned artists. Though he concedes that the award is beneficial, Theis is not content to rest on his laurels, especially considering that his efforts have gone widely unrecognized by the local press.

"ItÕs totally backwards. I need people in the Bay Area to come check out the shows, not people on the East Coast; we're not over there yet. And then Jazz Now wrote up Cannonball as being one of the best festival performances that theyÕd seen. Of course that was good recognition, but you need to get that over and over before anyone realizes who you areÑespecially in Jazz."

Attracting attention from Sonoma County newspapers has not been his only local dilemma. Theis cites other geographical limitations as well.

"There aren't enough venues here," he continues. "We'd probably choose to play about five nights a week otherwise. Even if it meant packing all our stuff in the car, driving somewhere and doing all that, that's fine. We'll do that. It just has to pay our bills. There's no way Cannonball can do that. We'd have to travel all over the United States because people here are like, 'Oh, Ive already seen Cannonball once this year.'Savoy Swingers haven't played up here forever because we keep rehearsing and writing new songs and still people are like, 'Oh, I've seen that before.' We have to split it up. Play some Swing here, some Hip Hop/Jazz here, Ska or whatever, because I want to play as much as I can. Cannonball has been around for years, but if we do a show and don't promote it, no one will show up. We have to go and beg people and have gimmicks and free giveaways to get them to come and see us. I don't understand how bands like Edaline can survive without going out on the road and sleeping on couches. That sucks because they shouldn't have to do that. Bands should be able to play in their area until they get a solid following and then start branching out and having good shows everywhere. But because people donÕt go out, it's tough."

Despite his status as a reputable Jazz musician, Theis devotes much of his time to the retro outfit Savoy Swingers, an enterprise he claims to enjoy despite the dismissal of Swing as puerile by many Jazz sophisticates.

"I've never felt like IÕm too good to play a style of music," he explains. "I don''t look for virtuosity as far a Swing goes. If people are dancing and the band is having fun then I can have a good time. I'm different than most other people in that I can play just about any kind of music and as long as it's the right vibe. I can really enjoy myself. I love playing a sit down Jazz club one night and a raging Hip Hop party the next night. That's what I want to do more of. IÕm tired of playing Swing here for Swingers, Disco here for Disco heads and Jazz here for Jazz heads. All those people would enjoy everything if it was presented to them in the right way. A lot of the people who go to see Cannonball would love Savoy Swingers if they didnÕt have to dress up in all that crap. Free lessons and dance contestsÑall that crap that they do with Swing could happen with Salsa too. So it's kinda cool that Swing is big in that way, it opens people's views a little bit."

When asked about the resurgence of cover bands, which some musicians claim are eclipsing original acts, Theis responds candidly.

"People like knowing what they can expect. They like knowing that they're going to hear a particular song that they can sing along to. I mean, there are Cannonball songs that you can sing along to, but they're not YMCA; they're a little more difficult. The same goes for most of the local bandsÑyou can sing along to their tunes but it requires more thinking, and I think people get turned off by that. When I play in Electric Avenue we play all '70s and '80s cover tunes in that band, but we donÕt do the same thing every time. Like one night we played all Prince and Madonna songsÑI think even that bothers people. If we donÕt play 'Oh Mickey, you're so fine' (Mickey by Toni Basil) and some girl came just to hear that song, she might not want to come back the next time because we didnÕt play it. We keep switching it up. It's almost like if you play cover songs you have to play the same ones every time. But if IÕm gonna play cover tunes, I'm at least going to have fun doing it. I can definitely see getting bored of that quick, but it's entertaining right now; we have a good time doing it.

"The main thing is that if youÕre playing with your friends you can do anything. You can get away with murder and you'll have fun doing it. Like in Cannonball we have these orange velvet suits that are like super hot and really uncomfortable, but we're all friends and we're being stupid together. If I wasnÕt with my friends I wouldn't be playing Swing, I wouldn't be playing cover tunes, I'd just be playing Jazz."