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Drummer, bandleader and Peninsula native Akira Tana gets a chance to play close to home this week when he and his band perform at the Bing Studio cabaret at Stanford University on Saturday, April 14.
With his Secret Agent Band, Tana and his bandmates present the music heard in James Bond films with a jazz aesthetic. The project has its roots in his “Secret Agent Men” album, which was released domestically in 2002. It features such jazz heavyweights as organists Dr. Lonnie Smith and Lonnie Liston Smith (no relation), guitarist Rodney Jones and bassist Rufus Reid, with whom he partnered as TanaReid for years.
“Secret Agent Men” covered music associated with espionage films and television programs: Lalo Schifrin’s “Theme from Mission: Impossible,” “It’s Probably Me” from “Lethal Weapon III,” the nearly titular “Secret Agent Man” and songs from the James Bond franchise such as “From Russia with Love.”
Starting with “Dr. No” from 1962, the James Bond film oeuvre has stretched through “Spectre” from 2015, with a 25th installment planned for next year. Vocalists from Dame Shirley Bassey, Louis Armstrong and Sir Tom Jones to Sir Paul McCartney, Tina Turner and Adele have all sung theme songs to various James Bond motion pictures.
“As well as being familiar, people really enjoy it because it’s really good music,” Tana said. “Like when Otonowa (Tana’s Japanese-American quartet) goes to Japan, we do these Japanese songs. And the audience may not know what the hell is going on when we improvise. But when we play the melody, they recognize them and sing along.
“It’s been real cool thing to discover how cool these Bond songs are,” he continued. “And the lyrics are incredibly clever.”
For the Bing Studio shows, the Secret Agent Band will consist of vocalist Annie Sellick, tenor saxophonist James Mahone, guitarist Jeff Massanari and organist Midori Ono. Tana is flying Sellick out from Nashville and Ono in from Nara, Japan, and appreciates the diversity of backgrounds on the bandstand.
“It’s not like the record,” he pointed out, noting the absence of a bass player and a dedicated percussionist. “It’s been a quintet; more of a jazz-oriented combo. So it’s streamlined and a little looser.
Tana enjoyed growing up in Palo Alto, where he was able to witness Miles Davis opening up for locals the Grateful Dead at the Fillmore. After graduating from Gunn High School, he attended Harvard as an East Asian studies major. Staying in the Boston area, he went on to study classical percussion at New England Conservatory with the famed Vic Firth.
After settling in New York City, Tana quickly established himself on the jazz scene, gigging and recording with the likes of Art Farmer, James Moody and the Heath Brothers. He was Wynton Marsalis’ first roommate in the Big Apple, when the trumpeter and future cultural icon attended Juilliard.
Since returning to California in 1998, he continually reunites with friends and former classmates.
“I’ve just been getting Facebook messages from some of these high school friends that I haven’t seen in 30 or 40 years,” he said. “Some of them live outside of Palo Alto. But they’ve heard about these shows, and they’re actually coming. They’re getting a hotel room, and they want to get together. So that’s a nice side benefit of these concerts.”
Freelance writer Yoshi Kato can be emailed at yoshiyoungblood@earthlink.net.
What: Akira Tana and His Secret Agent Band.
Where: Bing Studio, 327 Lasuen St., Stanford.
When: Saturday, April 14, 7 p.m. (currently at capacity) and 9 p.m.
Cost: $10-$30.
Info: Go to Stanford Live or call 650-724-2464.
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