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Photo by Aleksander Ziolkowski, courtesy of Susanne Thomas.
Adam Thomas performs in November.
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Cover art courtesy of Susanne Thomas.
Thomas’ debut album “Walkin Thru” features jazz compositions.
Adam Thomas has come a long way since his first year of band at Mountain Brook Junior High School when he was 12 years old.
He recently graduated with two music degrees from the University of North Texas, is currently a master’s student studying trombone at the Royal College of Music in London and released his first album in April.
Thomas said he decided to join the band because his mom and his older brothers had done the same. He chose the trombone because he thought “it was a cool instrument.”
“I realized I was actually pretty good at it, so around eighth grade, I started practicing pretty hard, and more and more opportunities came up outside of school,” Thomas said.
He became involved with the Alabama Youth Symphony Orchestra and took Saturday classes at the Alabama Jazz Hall of Fame at Carver Theater.
“I already knew how to play my instrument. I just didn't really know much about jazz yet,” he said.
About halfway through his junior year of high school, Thomas decided he would pursue music in college. After graduating from Mountain Brook High School in 2017, he participated in several college auditions and ended up choosing to attend the University of North Texas because it ended up being the best program for him. He already knew several people who had attended North Texas, including his teacher at the Jazz Hall of Fame and his private trombone teacher.
“They have a great jazz program and a great classical music program, and they allowed me to do both programs at the same time,” he said.
During his senior year in college, Thomas composed his album, “Walkin Thru.” After graduating with two bachelor’s degrees — in jazz studies and performance — in May 2021, he got everything ready and recorded the album in August.
“In jazz music, there's a lot of freedom in the rhythm section (the bass, piano and drums) and you don't necessarily write out every rhythm and note,” Thomas said. “I just give [the band members] ideas of the feel and put in specific moments that I want everyone to be together.”
The day after the album was finished, Thomas moved to London. He chose to do their two-year graduate program because he wants to be a studio musician and Royal College is one of the top-ranked schools in the world.
Although he moved to the largest city in Europe, it didn’t take Thomas long to make friends. The school’s total enrollment is 890, with 60 in the brass department and 20 trombone players. He also met two people who were from Texas.
Living in the International Students House, a residential, social and cultural center for 700 international and British students, Thomas said the city is beautiful and the buildings and parks are incredible.
Since arriving in London, he has performed with the Royal College of Music Symphony Orchestra, the Syd Lawrence Orchestra, University of London Symphony Orchestra and Imperial College Big Band. He has also performed at private parties, Hyde Park Winter Wonderland, off-West End musicals and the Starlight Big Band.
He traveled home to Mountain Brook over the Easter holiday and performed at his album release concert at Trim Tab Brewery.
Back in London, he was scheduled to perform his album at the Regent's Park Jazz Festival on June 18 and has also been playing with amateur orchestras and the student orchestra.
Thomas says he is comfortable in London and recently completed his first year of the two-year masters program, which he plans to complete by next summer.
His debut album, “Walkin Thru” featuring his jazz compositions, is available on all major streaming platforms as well as a CD, that can be ordered at adamthomastrombone.com.
