Born and raised in California, Akira Tana earned degrees from Harvard University and the New Conservatory of Music. Tana has worked with, among others, 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, The Manhattan Transfer, Ruth Brown, Charles Aznavour, Maurice Hines, and Van Dyke Parks. He has appeared on over 200 recordings.
In the 90s, Tana co-led a quintet with the bassist Rufus Reid called TanaReid, which has five releases: "Yours and Mine" and "Passing Thoughts" on Concord Records, and "Blue Motion," "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 James Bond movies, entitled "Kiss Kiss Bang Bang," featuring vocalist Annie Sellick. A fourth release on VegaMusic-USA is a project entitled "JAZZaNOVA," featuring vocalists Claudio Amaral, Claudia Villela, Jackie Ryan, Carla Helmbrecht, and Sandy Cressman. Guest artists include Branford Marsalis and Arturo Sandoval. Also available are three recent releases as a leader: "Otonowa," "Stars Across the Ocean," and "Ai San San (Love's Radiance)," which feature jazz interpretations of Japanese folk and pop melodies dating back as far as the 1800s. This group has completed seven goodwill/charity tours of Tohoku, performing and teaching for communities still rebuilding from the earthquake/tsunami of 2011.
As an active teacher and clinician, Tana has taught at Rutgers University, Queens College, Jersey City State College, New York, San Francisco State University, and the California Jazzatory. She is currently on the faculty at the San Francisco Conservatory of. Additionally, you can catch Tana hosting "Morning Cup of Jazz" on Jazz 91's KCSM.
Mr. Tana is a product endorser of YAMAHA DRUMS, SABIAN CYMBALS, and VIC FIRTH.
Publicity & Marketing by Holly Cooper, Mouthpiece Music
