JEFF ADAMS

As of the Fall of 2015, Jeff concluded his career in the Jazz Ambassadors of the US Army, and joined his family in Nashville who had been there since the Fall of 2014. In the Summer of 2016 Jeff joined the faculty at Tennessee State University as an adjunct Professor.

Beginning work as a freelancer at the age of 15, Jeff quickly gained experience in many styles and became an in-demand commercial trombonist in Southern California. He credits his quick rise when he was young to a big helping of good-fortune, great support, and excellent instructors, the first 2 here even dragged me along to paying little-big-band dance gigs, priceless!  Great instructors: Bob Waner, Jeff Tower-a Crisafulli student, Loren Marstellar, Bill Booth, Mike Hoffman, Don Ferrara, John Prince, Randy Campora, Milt Stevens, Tony Lada, Hal Crook, and the late 80s-early 90s teaching staffs of Berklee College of Music, CSU Northridge, CSU Long Beach, and the University of Redlands.

With that excellent early instruction he received, partially with the luck of living in a school district acclaimed for music, Jeff won numerous awards at High School and College Jazz festivals, recognition in the November 1985 issue of Downbeat Magazine (which hit the stands while I was a freshman at Berklee!), and partial and full college scholarships. Most recently receiving accolades in the trombone community for his Jazz and Educational CD's.

Since the late 80's Jeff has been in-demand trombonist in a variety of genres sharing the stage in the past with big name artists such as Lou Rawls, Tony Bennett, Kenny Rogers, Keely Smith, Frankie Lane, Frankie Valli, The Four Tops, Hank Levy, Sammy Nestico, Joshua Redman, Lew Soloff, Jon Faddis, Christian McBride, Bill Charlap, Phil Wilson, Phil Woods, Jimmy Smith, Slide Hampton, Ernie Andrews, Kevin Mahogany, Brandon Fields, Conte Candoli, Bobby Shew, Conrad Herwig, Dave Stryker, Byron Stripling, Rich Perry, Bill Watrous, Ashley Alexander, Hal Crook, Dick Shear, Ed Shaughnessy, Geri Allen, John Clayton, Justo Almario, George Bohannon, Charles McPherson, Steve Madaio, Greg Gisbert, Dick Oates, Eric Marienthal, and Les Brown.

Prior to his military career he paid some dues working for Princess and Crystal cruise lines in the late '80s and early 90's and performed at the 1995 Montreaux Jazz Festival as a guest artist. Jeff has been a pit orchestra member in numerous musicals including: Sound of Music, Camelot, My Fair Lady, Cats, Phantom of the Opera, Les Miserables', Ain't Misbehavin', Once Upon a Mattress, Joseph and the Technicolor Dreamcoat, Jesus Christ Superstar, Evita, Starlight Express, Annie, West Side Story, Fiddler on the Roof, Oklahoma, Wizard of Oz, Guys & Dolls, La Cage aux Folles, Grand Hotel, South Pacific, A Funny Thing Happened on the way to the Forum, Urinetown, 9 to 5, White Christmas, and Hello Dolly. He was also a member of the Redding symphony (semi-professional) from 1993-'97.

While living in the DC region, Jeff occasionally with the DC-based Capitol Bones.
And because of Maestro Marvin Hamlisch's utilization of the Jazz Ambassadors as a free big band at each of his Pops conducting contracts, Jeff performed with the following major orchestras, occasionally soloing in front during the trad-jazz segment: Boston, NYC, Cincinnati, Pittsburgh, Baltimore, Long Beach, Ohio, Seattle, San Diego, Denver, Madison, Syracuse and National Symphonies, even performing at Carnegie Hall in January of 2001 & 2008, first Cincinnti Pops with Kunzel, then Hamlisch and the NY Pops.

Jeff released three cd's during that time. The first being the non-profit "Jeff Adams 2000", which contains all the charts he was featured on with the Jazz Ambassadors up through that touring year. The second being a comprehensive recording of Rochut Melodius Etudes Book One, which contains all 60 etudes spanning 2 hours and 20 minutes in a two-disc set now available at Apple Music and Amazon Music. Finally, he harmonized and recorded, with rhythm section, the "Raph, Dance Band Reading and Interpretation" book by Fox Publishing, in which each exercise has an example track then a play-along track.

He also played for a number of years with the Washington Winds who record at Omega Studios in Rockville, MD. Through this affiliation he can be heard on many of the demo recordings financed by numerous music publishing companies to showcase their library each year for music educators nationwide.

Since relocating to Nashville in November of 2015, Jeff has been fortunate to work with some of the top Commercial Musicians in town…not only in the recording studio, but freelancing across Nashville's vibrant music scene. From PMJ videos to Salsa Bands, Big Bands, a Maynard-style band called Vinnie and the Hitmen, and The Accords, a favorite in the local swing dancing scene, too many to list…

Jeff has a Bachelors in Commercial Music and a Master's of Music in Music Education.
He ran a H.S. Music Dept. and maintained a private studio prior to his higher-profile time in the Army's top-touring jazz band. Some of his favorite educational assignments have been summer jazz camps and the frequent clinics he did through the Army's free clinic program while on tour with the Jazz Ambassadors.

Jeff's additional affiliations (some presently, some formerly) are the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences, American Federation of Musicians, International Association of Jazz Educators, JEN, and the International Trombone Association, Jeff was a Yamaha Artist/Clinician from 1999 to early 2005, and also had brief affiliations with Kanstul and Marcinkiewicz, prior to working exclusively with XO Brass beginning January of 2023.