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Reviews
Akira Tana: Secret Agent Men
(Sons of Sound/King SSPCD012)
"To the best of my knowledge, it's
been some time since anything has been heard
from the excellent drummer Akira Tana, so this
disc under his leadership was a pleasant surprise
to me. As an extra added attraction,
his coleader (Rufus Reid) of the rotating combo
TanaReid is on board… Don't ask why Lethal
Weapon or Quincy
Jones' "In The Head Of The Night" are
included but the latter makes for one of the
most effectively rendered tracks heard. Utilizing
the Hammond organ of Dr. Lonnie Smith is a neat
twist and he contributed "Chase
Game." B-3 buffs and video-types
will definitely go for this one." [read
the review]
— Cadence, September 2003
"Sure, it's kitschy and gimmicky
and a bit predicatable, but Secret
Agent Men, veteran drummer Akira Tana's treatment
of real and imagined movie themes, works for one
simple reason - it grooves like hell! And
with ringers like Dr. Lonnie Smith at the B-3,
Rodney Jones on guitar, and Tana's frequent colaborator
Rufus Reid on bass, what else would you expect? …The concept, cute as it is, might wear thin in
the
hands of lesser musicians. But Tana,
Reid and Co. have the chops and the imagination
to elevate the material above the norm, and the
good sense to have fun with a fun idea."
[read
the review]
— All About Jazz New York, June 2003
"Session drummer Akira Tana visits themes
from classic spy movies and TV shows on Secret
Agent Men (Sons of Sound), his American debut
as a leader. Kinda kitschy, you say? Well,
maybe the CD artwork is, but the performances aren't.
Tana and his outstanding ensemble — bassist
Rufus Reid, guitarist Rodney Jones, organist Dr.
Lonnie Smith, saxophonist Bob Kenmotsu and percussionist
Chuggy Carter — mine the improvisational
possibilities in these familiar tunes… features
some nice interplay between
Kenmotsu's melodic sax and Jones' spiky guitar.
The album also includes several originals billed
as themes from a fictitious film called Tough
Guys. The good-humored "Struttin' About" has
plenty of spring in its step, while Tana's
driving drums and clashing cymbals impel Jones'
guitar and Kenmotsu's sax…" [read
the review]
— JazzTimes, April 2003
"Their mission, should they decide to accept
it: play old spy themes with swing and soul. Mission
Possible. Akira Tana’s sextet pulls it off
with fun retro-cool sans gimmickry.
Once again teamed with supremo bassist
Rufus Reid, Tana’s
drumming leads the pack with nimble touch and urgent
groove. Setting this apart from previous
TanaReid CDs is the inspired addition of Lonnie
Smith’s
sumptuous, grooving B-3 setting the tone. It’s
also exciting hearing Tana joined by a percussionist,
the fiery Chuggy Carter, bringing out the tight,
compositional side in the leader’s kit work.
Case closed." [read
the review]
— Modern Drummer, March 2003
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