About
Adam Zaves first delved into the world of music in fourth grade with a soprano clarinet. Eventually learning bass clarinet and drum set, early in high school, Adam finally ended up playing the tuba. He has since added the tenor and bass trombones to his repertoire, as well as more eclectic instruments like the cimbasso and EWI.
Mr. Zaves has recently completed his course of study at a prestigious northern California conservatory, where he has received (credits for) a BA in Tuba Performance. He has received instruction from such prestigious musicians as Peter Wahrhaftig, of the San Francisco Ballet, Doug Hunt, from the Stockton Symphony, Gene Pokorny, from the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, and Mic Gillette, the original lead trumpet player of Tower of Power.
Mr Zaves' degree encompassed all aspects of classical tuba playing including wind bands, orchestras, small ensembles (brass quintets), and solo work. During the summer of 2011 after Adam's junior year, Mr. Zaves collaborated with local musicians to form the rock based mashup band, the East Bay Brass Band. Diving down the rabbit hole that is rock music, Adam eventually teamed up with Cyclub, a neo-psychadelic Gypsy Punk Opera, acting in place of an electric bass through the help of electronics.
As much at home in a symphony orchestra as a rock band, Adam Zaves is a versatile musician who is perfect for your ensemble. He is also available to give private lessons as well as master classes for Tuba, Trombone and Bass Trombone, and Euphonium players at a very reasonable rate. Currently based in Walnut Creek and willing to travel, feel free to inquire about having him give a lesson, masterclass, perform in your ensemble, or perform a solo.
Influences
"In looking to write down my musical influences, I realized that they fell into two distinct categories. On one hand, there are the influences that act on me as a musician, the overarching themes and ideas which are universal among all musicians. On the other hand are those forces which provided influence to my tuba-centric world. It is because of this plethora of influences that I've ended up with so many musical influences.
"As a musician, some of those intangible ideals must be passed down from generation to generation. The easiest way to receive these ideals is to simply listen to the music of your predecessors. If you listen to a band, you absorb some of their musical aura, or that mysterious essence that makes you want to listen to them. All of the music that you like earns a place in your ear, especially in phrasing and presentation. Once you really know an artist's style (including what brought them to that point in time and the context of their music) and get to know many of them, you will conglomerate them into your own personal sound.
"My personal musical concept is heavily influenced by bands like Led Zeppelin and the Grateful Dead as well as artists like Jimi Hendrix and Janis Joplin. It is not limited to these rock musicians, though. I have always been a fan of brilliant composers like Shostakovich, Mahler, Stravinsky, Bernstein (etc) as well as those who first fiddled with electronic music (Milton Babbit, John Cage, and Steve Reich). In listening to and enjoying their music, I not only absorbed the sounds, but also the essence and drive that these composers provided.
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"It is with this in mind that I point out that all music is essentially the same. It is made with the intention of allowing the listener to see a different perspective. Whether that is through the hard rocking distorted blues of Jimmy Page's guitar or Terry Riley's seemingly endless tape loops, its main goal is to elevate the listener to a different state of mind. Whatever state the music happens to bring you to is a personal connection between the listener and the artist. This is how all music that speaks to you ends up forming a foundation for your own creativity.
"I also have some tuba influences and while they never contradict these larger ideas (and in fact, usually support them), their impact was much more tuba-centric which is why they form a separate category. My first and biggest kick to playing tuba came from seeing the Boston Brass. I had already played tuba for 2 years, but my interest was waning. After their performance though, I threw the contrabass clarinet out the door and focused on tuba. My first sound concept came from my first teacher, Peter Wahrhaftig. He had a terrific tuba sound, very dark with a core that was more than a foot wide. As this was my first real tuba sound, I did my best to emulate it. As time went on and I started listening to solo recordings, I really fell in love with the "California Power" sound of Roger Bobo. It was significantly brighter (more trombone-like), but when done with control gave both a beautiful tuba sound and brass section sound. Finally, as I was getting into brass band playing, I heard Brooklyn by the Youngblood Brass Band. Nat McIntosh has provided me with a unique, extremely punchy, brassy, and edgy sound concept which has proven invaluable in the world of brass band playing. It was also first through him that I heard polyphonics and beatboxing used in the context of a real song (I had previously heard and performed Oystein Baadsvik's Fnugg, but this is a solo piece) as well as electrified tuba effects. Thanks to these ideas, I have started exploring the world of electric tuba where I hope to make my mark.
"So...there's not an easy answer to the question of who has influenced me."
-Adam Zaves 11-12-2012