LIVE at Piedmont Piano Company
The Dena DeRose Trio
(West Coast)
Joining vocalist and pianist Dena DeRose is her long time rhythm duo that reside in the Bay Area, Peter Barshay on bass and Akira Tana on drums. Over the past 15+ years, this trio has brought fun, spontaneity, and joy to audiences with DeRose’s arrangements of the Great American Songbook, Jazz Standards, and her original works. Top quality Jazz… in the moment…will be what happens…don’t miss out!!
$25 General Admission
$15 Student Admission
We are offering a limited number of tickets to attend this performance in person. Advance purchase is required. COVID-19 SAFETY: Masking is recommended but no longer required.
DENA DeROSE
It’s no small accomplishment to be thought of as “The most creative and compelling singer-pianist since Shirley Horn”, but that’s exactly how Joel Siegel of the Washington City Paper described Dena DeRose. If she comes to your city and you want to catch the show, go early, because the room is going to be packed. She not only awes her audiences and music critics with her facility on the piano and her swinging, soothing vocal style but, as Richard Scheinin of the San Jose Mercury aptly put it, “... she exudes joy ... what soul!” DeRose always delivers “...vivid and often exciting demonstrations of how innovative her musical concepts are...” (Philip Elwood, San Francisco Examiner).
As a recording artist, DeRose has 14 CDs to her credit, all of which have received superior accolades from most Jazz publications including Downbeat Magazine which has given each of her recordings no less than 4 stars! Her newest, and third HighNote release Ode To The Road features the incomparable rhythm section of Martin Wind and Matt Wilson, with guests jazz vocal icon Sheila Jordan, saxophonist Houston Person, and trumpeter Jeremy Pelt. This CD was released on May 29th, 2020 and has garnered great internationally response by magazines and radio stations and was featured and favored in the ‘Hot Box’ reviews of Downbeat Magazines June Issue 2020.
DeRose has also honed her skills as a Jazz educator for the past 25+ years and is currently tenured as the Professor of Jazz Voice at the Jazz Institute of The University of Music and Performing Arts in Graz, Austria. She frequently leads clinics and workshops at such prestigious summer schools and jazz festivals such as the Stanford Jazz Workshop, Centrum-Port Townsend Jazz, the Dave Brubeck Institute in Oakland, CA, The Jazz School in Berkeley, CA, Taller de Musics in Barcelona-Spain, the JEN, The Litchfield Summer Jazz Camp, Jazz Camp West, and The Royal Conservatory of Music in Den Haag, among others. denaderose.com
PETER BARSHAY
A veteran bassist who has established a strong reputation over the years from his sideman work on both the New York City and San Francisco Bay Area jazz scenes, Peter Barshay has performed with such jazz luminaries as Kenny Barron, Freddie Hubbard, Sonny Stitt, Kenny Werner, Shirley Horn, Woody Shaw, Pharoah Sanders, Blue Mitchell, Tony Williams, Joe Henderson, Joe Lovano, Johnny Griffin, and Bobby McFerrin. Barshay’s numerous appearances at clubs and jazz festivals have taken him around the world, helping to establish his reputation as a solid, reliable bassist. Having soaked up a lifetime of sounds on both coasts -- everything from salsa and straight ahead to funk-fusion, avant garde and music derived from the Afro-Cuban and Brazilian traditions -- he brings a wealth of experience to the musical table.
AKIRA TANA
Born and raised in California, Akira Tana earned degrees from Harvard University and the New England 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 90's, Tana co-led a quintet with the bassist, Rufus Reid called TanaReid, has five releases, "Yours and Mine" and "Passing Thoughts," on Concord Records and "Blue Motion" and "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 releasee on Sons of Sound as a leader is a project by the Secret Agent Men Band playing themes from the movies of James Bond, entitled “Kiss Kiss Bang Bang,” featuring the vocalist, Annie Sellick. A fourth release on VegaMusic-USA is a project entitled “JAZZaNOVA,” that features the 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 features jazz interpretations of Japanese folk and pop melodies that date as far back as the1800’s. This group has completed seven goodwill/charity tours of Tohoku performing and teaching for communites still rebuilding from the Earthquake/Tsunamai of 2011. An active teacher and clinician, Tana has taught at Rutgers University, Queens College, Jersey City State College, New York University, San Francisco State University, California Jazz Conservatory and is currently on the faculty at San Francisco Conservatory of Music. Mr. Tana is a product endorser of YAMAHA DRUMS, SABIAN CYMBALS, and VIC FIRTH STICKS. akiratana.com