Drummer and leader Akira Tana displays taste and strength on this rich and swinging album of mostly original material with a straightahead team of Masaru Koga/ts-ss-fl, Art Hirahara/p and Noriyuki Ken Okada/b. Koga is assertive as he drives the band lead by Koga’s tenor on the traditional but muscular “Antagata”and his cymbals caress the pulse along with Hirahara’s deft piano and Koga’s feathery flute during “Ai San San.” Okada teams with som clever percussion work with Tana with Koga’s tenor giving tribute to Sonny Rollins during “For Newk” while Horace Silver’s “Peace” features sublime brush strokes and delicate flute moods and some traditional Japanese sounds produced when Koga takes on the shakuhachi. A rich mix of vintage post bop and walks around the Bodhi Tree.Akira Tana & Otonowa: Ai San San-Love’s Radiance
Drummer and leader Akira Tana displays taste and strength on this rich and swinging album of mostly original material with a straightahead team of Masaru Koga/ts-ss-fl, Art Hirahara/p and Noriyuki Ken Okada/b. Koga is assertive as he drives the band lead by Koga’s tenor on the traditional but muscular “Antagata”and his cymbals caress the pulse along with Hirahara’s deft piano and Koga’s feathery flute during “Ai San San.” Okada teams with som clever percussion work with Tana with Koga’s tenor giving tribute to Sonny Rollins during “For Newk” while Horace Silver’s “Peace” features sublime brush strokes and delicate flute moods and some traditional Japanese sounds produced when Koga takes on the shakuhachi. A rich mix of vintage post bop and walks around the Bodhi Tree.