Celebrating Asian American Jazz: Akira Tana TrioCentric

Sat, May 2, 8 pm (pre-concert talk at 7:30 pm)$25 General / $15 Youth Celebrating Asian American Jazz: Akira Tana TrioCentric Concert series programmed by pianist/composer Erika Oba. Trio 1:  Wayne de Silva, saxophone John Wiitala, bass Akira Tana, drums Trio 2:  Rumi Abe, piano John Wiitala, bass Akira Tana, drums Versatile and dynamic drummer Akira Tana brings not one but two trios to the Jazzschool to launch our month of concerts celebrating the Bay Area Asian American jazz community. Tana has worked with artists such as Milt Jackson, Sonny Rollins, Jaki Byard, George Russell, Sonny Stitt, Art Farmer, Benny Golson, Jim Hall, Jimmy Rowles, Zoot Sims, Cedar Walton, Lena Horne, and many others. With bassist Rufus Reid he leads TanaReid, and has released four recordings with his group, Otonowa, which feature jazz interpretations of Japanese folk and pop melodies. Tana is on faculty at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music and hosts the Monday and Tuesday evening radio show Jazz Oasis on KCSM. Joined by first-call bassist John Wiitala for both sets, Tana features Hawaiian saxophonist Wayne de Silva in the first set, and Japanese pianist Rumi Abe in the second.  This May, in honor of Asian American/Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month, the Jazzschool celebrates the contributions of Asians in Bay Area jazz through a series of salons and concerts organized in collaboration with artists in the AAPI community.