We Are Venice Magazine: 4th Edition by BGCV BGCV Magazine | Page 14

icture this: The sun is setting, a glass of
champagne rests in one hand, and
with the other you can’t help but snap
your fingers to a nostalgic Peggy Lee
melody that floats across the room.
Sounds like a perfect evening, right?
This is what brings flocks of patrons
to Casa Del Mar regularly to hear the
one and only Alanna & These Fine Gentle-
men. Melding jazz, bossa-nova, blues and
pop, Alanna & These Fine Gentlemen have a
classic, swanky, and sultry tone that has been
delighting audiences across Los Angeles.
Whether they’re playing at the Seventy7
Lounge in Culver City, at a gorgeous wed-
ding at San Ysidro Ranch, or your next
cocktail party…the dance floor is rarely va-
cant. They take old standards from artists like
Astrud Gilberto, Nancy Sinatra, or Burt
Bacharach and weave them into modern
day renderings that you won’t soon forget.
Alanna Vicente, the band's lead vocalist
and trombone player, was born in Honolulu
and raised in San Diego. Alanna has always
been involved in the arts – she played trom-
bone in her high school band, dabbled in
musical theater and started modeling and
acting at age 16. Her diverse talents make
her a triple threat on stage, on camera, and
with the band. Her love for music is what
inspired her to begin writing her own songs,
one of which (“Pop! Goes my Heart”) was
featured in Hugh Grant’s movie Music &
P
12
Lyrics. She co-wrote this fun ’80s-inspired
pop song with Andrew Wyatt. You may have
thought Alanna’s resume was noteworthy –
well just wait, because these gentlemen also
have talent beyond measure.
A native of Los Angeles, bassist Evan
Calbi studied with Bill Markus, the leader
of the late-night jazz jams at the gone but
not forgotten 5th St. Dicks Coffee House
in Leimert Park. Evan has worked in all
styles of music, from pop bands to jazz
groups and theater ensembles.
Lead guitarist/singer/producer Shin
Kawasaki is a legend on his own. Growing
up in Japan and coming to LA in 1999 to
play music, Shin has worked with Emmy-
winning composer Misha Segal and con-
tributed to countless live recordings such as
SanDisk, Turkey Shoot Music Festival, Japan
Self-Defense Airforce, NHK Enterprises,
KDDI, and Japan Airlines. Shin is also a
two-time Independent Music Awards final-
ist (Album/Eclectic).
Amos Przekaza is the band’s drummer.
He moved from Michigan to Los Angeles in
2003 and has been playing a variety of gigs
ever since! He studied privately with Zoro
the Drummer, Ivo Nakov, and Bruce Becker.
Amos works in multiple genres of music,
from rock shows to jazz, and musical theater.
For more information, visit their website:
www.alannaandthesefinegentlemen.com