Akira Tana

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Akira Tana (born March 14, 1952 in San José , California ) is an American jazz musician ( drums , percussion, keyboards, band leader).

Live and act

Tana grew up in Palo Alto ; his mother played koto . From 1970 to 1974 he studied Oriental Studies at Harvard University and then studied percussion at the New England Conservatory (with Vic Firth and Fred Buda) until 1979 , after having had private drum lessons with Alan Dawson in 1973 . In 1977 he appeared with George Russell and the Paul Winter Consort , among others, and then with Sonny Rollins , Sonny Stitt and Helen Humes (1977/78). Between 1977 and 1987 he was a member of various Art Farmer bands (most recently his revived Jazztett with Benny Golson , on whose album Mirage he was involved). Then he moved to New York City , where he has been a session musician ever since. Tana played in the late 1970s and early 1980s a. a. with Milt Jackson , Percy Heath , Sylvia Sims , Al Cohn / Hank Jones as well as with Zoot Sims / Jimmy Rowles ( Suddenly It's Spring ) and with Claudio Roditi (1988 to 1990).

From 1991 he led the band TanaReid with the bass player Rufus Reid , with whom he also played in the trio of Tete Montoliu . This successful band included saxophonists such as Craig Bailey , Jesse Davis , Ralph Moore or Mark Turner , the trumpeter Tom Harrell and pianists such as Rob Schneiderman and John Stetch ; she also accompanied singers Carol Sloane and Helen Merrill . With TanaReid and the guitar project Project G7 , he and Reid recorded a number of albums for the Concord Jazz , Evidence and Paddlewheel labels from 1990 onwards . With Reid and the pianists Ted Lo and Kei Akagi, he also formed the Asian American Trio in the 1990s , which improvised on the basis of Japanese and Chinese melodies. In the 1990s, Tana worked in the bands of Fred Hersch ( Last Night When We Were Young ) and JJ Johnson ( Vivian ). In 2000 he played with Reid in a quartet with Kenny Burrell and Onaje Allan Gumbs ( Lucky So and So ). With the organist Dr. In 2002 he recorded an album for Lonnie Smith and guitarist Rodney Jones with film music themes such as Mission Impossible , from TV series from the 50s / 60s and from Alfred Hitchcock films ( Secret Agent Men ).

Tana has taught at several universities such as New York University , Queens College and Berklee and gave jazz clinics, among others on behalf of the State Department in South America together with The Heath Brothers . After 20 years in New York, he moved to Belmont (California) in 1999 , where he continues to work and teach with his own bands. a. from San Francisco State University .

Tana has also worked with Jim Hall , von Manhattan Transfer , Sarah Manning , Art Hirahara , Satoshi Inoue , Warne Marsh , Rob Schneiderman , Van Dyke Parks ( Tokyo Rose , 1989), Sumi Tonooka , Jack Wilkins , Joe Thomas and Charles Aznavour (1984 / 85).

Discographic notes

  • TanaReid: Yours and Mine , 1991
  • TanaReid: Passing Thoughts (Concord, 1992)
  • TanaReid: Blue Motion (Paddlewheel, 1993)
  • TanaReid: Rumor 1993
  • Project G7: A Tribute to Wes Montgomery (Evidence, with Kenny Burrell, Gene Bertoncini , Kevin Eubanks , Ted Dunbar , Jack Wilkins , Rodney Jones, William Ash and Rufus Reid)
  • Asian American Trio: Moon Over the World (Paddlewheel, 1993)
  • TanaReid: Looking Forward (Evidence, 1994)
  • Secret Agent Men (Sons of Sound, 2002)
  • Asian American Trio: Sound Circle 1992

Lexigraphic entries

Web links

personal data
SURNAME Tana, Akira
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American jazz musician
DATE OF BIRTH March 14, 1952
PLACE OF BIRTH San Jose , California , USA