JJ Morgan, Founder
Camp Executive Director JJ Morgan, co-owner of Moody’s Bistro in downtown Truckee, founded Moody’s Jazz Camp in 2005. His vision was to bring to Truckee what he experienced in the Berkeley Public School system: a living respect for music and musicians. “The coolest kid in the school wasn’t the quarterback but the saxophonist,” Morgan said. He dreams that one day, people will look to Truckee and ask, “How did so many great musicians come from that small mountain town?”



Musical Staff

Adam Theis, Director

Adam Theis is a multi-instrumentalist bandleader/composer/producer based in San Francisco, CA who plays trombone, bass, trumpet, tuba and keyboards. Adam has been an active member of the San Francisco Bay Area music scene for the past 15+ years. Growing up in Sebastopol, California, Adam helped create a Jazz music awareness in the North Bay while leading many successful bands in his college years. After studying with Mel Graves, Jon English, Wayne Wallace and graduating from Sonoma State University with a degree in Jazz Composition & Performance Adam hit the road with some of the world’s best Ska bands; The Skatalites (1998/1999), Let’s Go Bowling (1998/1999), and The Specials (2001). While performing with these well-established acts, Adam’s main concentration was always on forming his own groups. In 1998 he moved to San Francisco’s Mission District and began founding the San Francisco JAZZ MAFIA which now consists of Realistic Orchestra, The Shotgun Wedding Quintet, The Jazz Mafia Symphony, Jazz Mafia String Quartet, Adam Theis & Subharmonic and many other projects. Adam now produces the Treat Street Social, an experimental arts venue in San Francisco featuring local musicians, dancers, visual artists, makers and game designers. 

Adam has performed with hundreds of the most well-respected Bay Area musicians and national acts including:  Carlos Santana, Bobby McFerrin, Lyrics Born, KRS One, Bernard Purdie, Ruben Wilson, Clyde Stubblefield, Roy Ayers, Liz Phair, Booker T. Jones, Benny Maupin (Headhunters, Miles Davis), Stanton Moore, Mickey Hart, and more.



Adam Benjamin, Piano

Josh Jones, Drums http://www.joshjonesdrums.com

Sam Bevan, Bass
http://www.sambevan.com

  Kenny Brooks, Sax
http://kennybrooks.com

Will Bernard, Guitar
http://www.willbernard.com

​Joe Bagale, multi-instrumentalist and producer
http://joebagale.com

Sam Bevan

Shane Endsley

Mani Draper

Students from UNR Jazz Department
http://www.unr.edu/cla/music/pages/jazz/index.htm

In their words

When JJ first called me 10 years ago to help him put together a music camp to help expose the youth of the Truckee and Tahoe area to Jazz, he had one instruction: 
"Expose the kids to 'Real Deal' Jazz."

--Adam Theis, Teacher
Moody's Jazz Camp shows that in addition to the satisfaction young people can get from playing music in a group, it can be fun and exciting for them have an active role in actually "making" music. De-mystifying the process of creating music is a big part of what we teachers try to do there. 

--Peter Apfelbaum, Teacher

Testimonials

As a former student of the Moody's Jazz Camp, the drive and knowledge it instilled remain with me to this day. I was a student at the camp from the first year, and the connections I built with the musicians last to this day. As well as teaching me various jazz techniques (on multiple instruments throughout the years,) Adam and the gang opened my eyes to the beauty of hip-hop, a genre I had previously written off. I am currently living in the bay area, studying music, and I sincerely doubt this would be the case if it weren't for the camp.
--Jordan Nadell, Student
San Francisco State University, Sound Engineering / Production
It was really fun to play with professional musicians at an amazing jazz camp right in Truckee. Before jazz camp I hadn't ever played jazz before so when I went to the camp I realized how fun it was to play jazz. I also loved how close it was to my house because I could just bike to camp. The food was amazing and the teachers were awesome. I dislike playing classical music on my violin and sometimes I feel like quitting but jazz camp made me want to keep playing my violin. I loved jazz camp last year and I can't wait for jazz camp this year.
--Dylan Thomas, Camper
My daughter has been attending Moody’s Jazz camp for the last three years and when I say it has changed her life in a wonderful manner, I am not exaggerating. This unusual program that brings to Truckee working, successful jazz musicians from New York and other areas of the country, is a fresh take on why learning music is so important. 

Since participating in the camp, my daughter has changed her piano studies to specifically study jazz ‒ learning a dizzying array of chord progressions and scales. She is happy to do it knowing that she wants to play jazz, and cannot wait to show her camp teachers what she has learned. 

I also have to say how special these teachers are. They have sent my daughter postcards from around the world and we have developed special bonds and relationships with some of the teachers. 

This is one of those special Tahoe events that is not reproduced anywhere else.

--Marjori Todd, Parent of a Camper