Vocalist Dana Land returns to HPR’s Atherton Studio on February 27 with the songs of America’s favorite crooners, Frank Sinatra, Tony Bennett, Dean Martin, Mel Torme, and Bobby Darin. The evening is dubbed “Dana Does Frank, Tony, Dean, Mel, & Bobby!” Land’s music director and accompanist on piano is the Duke Ellington Orchestra’s Tommy James. She is also accompanied by Rockford Holmes (saxophone, flute, clarinet), Alika Lyman (bass), and Von Baron (drums).
Tickets to “Dana Does Frank, Tony, Dean, Mel, & Bobby!: The Music of Our Favorite Ol’ Crooners” are $30 general, $25 for HPR members, and $15 for students with ID. Reservations may be made at www.hprtickets.org or by calling the station (955-8821) during regular business hours. The Atherton Studio is located at Hawai?i Public Radio, 738 K?heka Street. Doors open at 7:00 p.m.; music begins at 7:30 p.m.
About the artists
Dana Land (vocals) is a pop jazz vocalist, recording artist, comedienne, producer, and educator. A fifth-generation Hawai?i resident, Land is happy to be back in her home state having returned from the San Francisco Bay Area, where she lived for many years with her husband and two daughters, performing throughout the West Coast as a jazz vocalist and involving herself with music education, producing children’s benefit concerts, and directing Sonoma’s Teen Jazz Camp.
With a background in piano, Land took her first voice lesson at age 39 and began singing professionally a year later, proving that it’s never too late to find and pursue one’s passion. She cites the unusual mix of Ella Fitzgerald, Cab Calloway, and Carol Burnett as her main inspirations, drawing from those inimitable artists a sense of playfulness and fun. Land’s repertoire spans a wide range from vintage to contemporary popular jazz, blues, world rhythms, and funk. She, along with her top-notch ensembles, have performed at numerous jazz festivals including the highly acclaimed Monterey Jazz Festival, upscale events for corporate presidents, private celebrity functions, and at her regular performance home for three years at one of the Bay Area's best jazz venues, The Lodge at Sonoma.
Since her return to O?ahu in 2013, Land has been working with Tommy James, presenting her new shows “TROPICABANA! A Musical Romp through the Tropics with Dana Land & The Cabana Boys,” “Exotica Jazz in Shangri La: The Sounds of Martin Denny and Arthur Lyman,” and “Dana Does Frank, Tony, Dean, Mel, & Bobby!: The Music of Our Favorite Ol’ Crooners.” She also performs with the PBS Big Band and the Mike Lewis & Friends Big Band. Land and her band continue to offer their one-hour jazz presentation, “Spirit of Jazz,” for elementary and middle schools, Summer Fun programs, and family concerts.
Tommy James (piano, music director) is a leading pianist, composer, arranger, and music director. He majored in composition at the Manhattan School of Music. Over the years, he has worked with an eclectic group of artists in many musical genres. Among the outstanding artists and bands with whom he has performed and /or recorded are The Duke Ellington Orchestra, Lionel Hampton, Joe Williams, Maureen McGovern, Cleo Laine/John Dankworth, Nell Carter, Marlena Shaw, Roy Ayers, The Stylistics, Melba Moore, George McCrae, Grand Master Flash, Manu Dibango, Billy Vera, The Spinners, and the Temptations. He has served as music director with the international tour of the Tony-award winning musical Bring in ‘da Noise starring Savion Glover. He has also been musical director for Dawnn Lewis, Doc Powell, Bobbi Humphrey, and others. Mr. James’ arrangements (some published by Warner Bros.) have been performed by the Ellington Orchestra, New York Pops, LA Philharmonic, Buffalo Philharmonic, Atlanta Symphony, Brooklyn Philharmonic, New York’s The Supper Club, and during the Jerry Lewis Labor Day Telethon. Tommy James now calls Hawai?i his home and can be seen weekly playing at some of the finest jazz clubs.
Rockford Holmes (saxophone, flute, clarinet) began his musical studies at the age of nine, beginning with the clarinet and, subsequently, the saxophone, oboe and flute. By the age of 15, he was playing professionally and, by 19, was on tour with the Eddy Howard Orchestra. He graduated from the University of Hawai?i in 1985 with a bachelor of music degree in music composition, and went on to complete graduate work in music theory in 1988. He has been a professional musician in Hawai?i since 1977. His extensive list of credits includes performances with such greats as Michael McDonald, Sergio Mendes, Gladys Knight, Aaron Neville, Natalie Cole, Jack Jones, Rita Moreno, Jane Oliver, Little Anthony, The Cherelles, The Temptations, The Four Tops, as well as local talents Henry Kapono, Kit Samson, Anita Hall, Sonya Mendez, Jimmy Borges, Azure McCall, Paradise and Company, Keahiwai, Fiji, SwampaZZ, the Del Courtney Orchestra, Don Tiki, and The Matt Catingub Orchestra. He was the musical director for the Wally Amos Show. Holmes continues to perform regularly at Lewers Lounge at the Halekulani Hotel alongside Maggie Herron and Dan Del Negro.
Alika Lyman (upright bass) is a Hawai?i native and musician of 13 years. His first venture was a love for playing Beatles songs on guitar and tenor sax in middle school. He played lead guitar in local rock/metal acts around O?ahu during his high school years, before developing an appreciation of jazz in 2007. In 2009, he relocated to Seattle to pursue a jazz career and private teaching. He led The Alika Lyman Group that played regularly in the greater Seattle area and held a steady gig at Lucid Jazz Lounge, Triple Door, and Sullivan's Steakhouse. While in Seattle, Lyman worked at Ev Stern's Jazz Workshop in the Fremont neighborhood, where he taught jazz to students of all ages, levels, and instruments. He developed a profound love for upright bass and piano while teaching at the workshop. Now back in Hawai?i, he can be found around Honolulu with The Alika Lyman Group and backing some of Hawai?i's finest vocalists and ensembles.
Von Baron (drums) has a unique music and education background attending both the Berklee College of Music and earning a degree in Sociocultural Anthropology from the University of Washington. In addition, he has been a professional “A-list” drummer for 25 years, a professional composer for almost a decade, and a drum instructor for over 15 years. He has more than 10 years developing child-centered programs and evaluating and measuring their effectiveness. He co-authored and has co-instructed ?Iolani School’s successful Leadership Education Alternative Decision-Making Program (L.E.A.D.). Von is a critically acclaimed drummer and has appeared with many groups and on numerous recordings, both in the U.S. and internationally, including with The Von Baron Band, The Honolulu Jazz Quartet, Yoshimasa Kasai, Hajime Kobayashi, Nobuaki Komori, Tennyson Stephens, Tommy James (Duke Ellington Orchestra), Geoffrey Keezer, Eddie Henderson, Henry Kapono, Danny Carvalho, Michael Ruff, Shelly Berg, Benny Golson, Pete Christlieb, Ira Nepus, Yasuko Hayakawa, Don Ho, Ota san, Ray Brown Jr., Tita Lima, Nathan Osmand, Jeff Peterson, Paul Shimomoto, Hiromi Kanda, Henry Allen, Jimmy Borges, Yoshiaki Miyanoue, Theresa Bright, Gabe Baltazar, Matt Catingub & The Honolulu Symphony Pops, and Byron Nease (Phantom of the Opera).
View original press release.
