Akira tana biography
- •
Akira Tana
Akira Tana was born in San Jose, California. He received degrees in East Asian Studies from Harvard University in 1974 and percussion from the New England Conservatory in 1979. Since moving to New York, he has established himself as one of today's most sought-after drummers on the international jazz scene.
Recognized for his ability to ignite the spark of many top rhythm sections and create pure musical dialogue with mainstay soloists, his colorful interactive style has led to concert, club and recording work with jazz greats such as Sonny Rollins, Sonny Stitt, Zoot Sims, Hubert Laws, Milt Jackson, Jim Hall, Art Farmer, The Paul Winter Consort, Paquito D'Rivera, James Moody, J.J. Johnson, Lena Horne, and The Manhattan Transfer, just to name a few. His work has not solely been limited to the jazz field; he has performed at the Tanglewood Festival under the direction of Leonard Bernstein, Seiji Ozawa and Gunther Schuller and has accompanied diverse artists such as Charles Aznavour, Maurice Hines and Van Dyke Parks with performances on over 100 recordings. Tana has play
- •
Akira Tana | Jazz Legend | Interview
Akira Tana | Jazz Legend | Interview
Akira Tana is a legendary jazz drummer who worked with Sonny Rollins, Sonny Stitt, Zoot Sims, Hubert Laws, Milt Jackson, Jim Hall, Art Farmer, The Paul Winter Consort, Paquito D’Rivera, James Mood, J.J. Johnson, Lena Horne, The Manhattan Transfer, Ruth Brown, Charles Aznavour, Maurice Hines, Van Dyke Parks and many others. He actually appeared on over 200 recordings.
In the nineties, Tana co-led a quintet with the bassist, Rufus Reid called TanaReid. They released ‘Yours and Mine’ and ‘Passing Thoughts’, on Concord Records and ‘Blue Motion’ and ‘Looking Forward’, and ‘Back to Front’, on Evidence Music. On Sons of Sound, Akira has two releases as a leader, ‘Moon Over the World’ and ‘Secret Agent Men’. The third US release on Sons of Sound as a leader is a project by the Secret Agent Men Band playing themes from the movies of James Bond, entitled ‘Kiss Kiss Bang Bang’, featuring the vocalist, Annie Sellick
- •
Akira Tana
American jazz drummer (born 1952)
Akira Tana | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1952-03-14) March 14, 1952 (age 72) San Jose, California, United States |
| Genres | Jazz |
| Occupation | Musician |
| Instrument | Drums |
| Labels | Sons of Sound |
Musical artist
Akira Tana (born March 14, 1952, in San Jose, California) is an American jazz drummer.
Biography
Tana grew up in Palo Alto, graduating from Gunn High School in 1970.[1] Tana then obtained a bachelor's degree from Harvard University in the social sciences, playing gigs on the side, then enrolled at the New England Conservatory of Music. There he performed in both classical and jazz idioms, playing with the Boston Symphony Orchestra and student ensembles as well as with musicians such as Helen Humes, Milt Jackson, Sonny Rollins, George Russell, and Sonny Stitt.
Tana recorded frequently as a sideman in the 1980s, and began releasing albums as a leader in the 1990s. He formed a group, Tana Reid, with Rufus Reid, and added Kei Akagi on occasion to form the Asian-American Jazz Trio. Tana's performing and rec
Copyright ©bandtide.pages.dev 2025