Alanna & These Fine Gentlemen – Venice Paparazzi | Venice Beach CA, Photo Agency, Community Info, News, Events

Today the Venice Paparazzi spotlight shines on Alanna & These Fine Gentlemen.

The Venice Paparazzi’s “In the Spotlight” is an interview series that highlights people and organizations in the Venice community. The purpose is to shine a light on all the positive things being done by the fantastic folks in our town!

Give us a brief bio of yourself:

My name is Alanna Vicente. I sing, play trombone, and manage my band, Alanna & These Fine Gentlemen.

How many years in Venice?

I lived in Venice for seven years and now reside in Palms.

Tell us about your music/band:

I would describe Alanna & These Fine Gentlemen as a blend of jazzy, bossa-nova pop with vibes straight out of a Pink Panther or James Bond film. We cover artists such as Astrud Gilberto, Peggy Lee, Burt Bacharach, Nancy Sinatra, and more. These fine gentlemen include: Shin Kawasaki & Christopher Spilsbury on guitar, Evan Calbi on bass, Amos Przekaza on drums, and Kyle O’Donnell on sax.

In addition to performing at private parties or corporate events around Southern California, we’ve had long-standing residencies at Hotel Casa Del Mar, Seventy7 Lounge, and Kimpton Everly Hotel.

In March of 2020, our weekly performances came to a halt due to Covid. Thankfully, we came together remotely and recorded a few songs. This brought us much joy and kept us in touch. We’re very excited to release Home Sessions on all streaming platforms on May 14th, 2021.

Band’s Influences:

We’re heavily influenced by music and film from the sixties. We love Antonio Carlos Jobim, Astrud Gilberto, Stan Getz, Peggy Lee, Nina Simone, Ella Fitzgerald, Henry Mancini, Burt Bacharach, The Beatles, Frank Sinatra, Elvis, Nancy Sinatra, Sergio Mendes & Brasil 66 and many others.

How many years have you been a musician, and how did you get into it?

I fell in love with music early. I played flute in elementary school and trombone in high school marching band. Years later, I started to perform as a singer and brought back the trombone for a solo here and there. It worked out well and has been a fun part of the show ever since!

14th Annual Champion of Youth Boys and Girls Club of Venice Gala. Photo by Venice Paparazzi

What projects are you currently working on?

We have some original songs in the works and will be releasing more music soon. We also look forward to booking more shows this year.

Best memory/show:

We’ve performed at so many beautiful events through the years. There’s always something special about performing next to the ocean, with the sun setting…sharing a moment with a group of smiling faces.

What causes do you support?

Our band has been performing at The Boys & Girls Club of Venice Champion of Youth Gala for many years. We love supporting their organization for all they do in the Venice community, especially their music center, which provides various music classes for the kids.

Favorite book, band or movie?

The Party and Pink Panther come to mind.
We’d love to be the band in these films, hanging out with Peter Sellers.

Anything about Venice that you would like to say?

My favorite memories of Venice include riding a bike to the beach, playing a game of volleyball, grabbing a burger at Hinano’s, then heading home to play music with friends. To me…that is a perfect day.