Thanks to a grant from the Gerbode-Hewlett Foundation and a sold out premiere performance at the Palace of Fine Arts in San Francisco, in 2009 the Jazz Mafia Symphony was born. An extension of Jazz Mafia’s 20-piece Realistic Orchestra, this 50 member group includes a full jazz orchestra, string section, and eight vocalists and catapulted the ensemble known as a “symphony” into the future performing “Brass, Bows & Beats: A Hip-Hop Symphony” by Adam Theis.

With Theis as the ringleader, this massive group became ground zero for ambitious multi-composer collaborations between a dozen core Jazz Mafia personalities. With a vast arsenal of instruments and sounds, a distinctly Bay Area hybrid emerged: Soaring strings, a wall of punchy Brass, virtuosic rapping, soulful singing, and a rock-solid foundation of futuristic beats made by equal parts acoustic and electronic instruments.

After making their debut with the highly acclaimed “Brass, Bows, & Beats”, they skyrocketed past all expectations and premiered their second symphony “The Emperor Norton Suite” not much more than a year later. In 2011 the Jazz Mafia Symphony took “The Emperor Norton Suite” on the road across North America, including a performance with Roy Ayers in front of 10,000 people at Summer Stage in Central Park, and a hometown show at the Stern Grove festival in SF. 

The Jazz Mafia Symphony has performed in front of tens of thousands at major festivals nationwide including the Montreal Jazz Festival, Newport Jazz Festival, Playboy Jazz Festival at the Hollywood Bowl, and the Monterey Jazz Festival. The group’s bold and interactive creativity and stage presence captivated audiences across the continent.