Bella Musica

Jazz Ensemble




Tuesday, March 24, 7-10pm

Port Restaurant in Corona Del Mar


Bella Musica Jazz Ensemble will be performing at the Port Restaurant in Corona Del Mar. This unique group is is based out of the beautiful Bella Musica Violin Store in Huntington Beach. They have been together – in various configurations, for over 10 years with extensive experience performing for private parties, weddings, jazz clubs, and concerts.

The group features some of the best musicians in Orange County. They have a huge repertoire of thousands of Jazz Standards, everything from Ellington, Gershwin, and Cole Porter to Jobim and Miles Davis. Wherever and whenever they play, Bella Musica Jazz Ensemble gets a tremendous reception from their audience.

Here are the musicians who are currently in the Bella Musica Jazz Ensemble:

Carl Freedman - Sax / Violin

Carl Freedman falls in the unique category of multi-instrumentalist, having mastered 4 instruments over his long career. Jazz Violin, Alto Sax, Scat, and Blues Harp. He has played professionally for over 55 years. Besides being one of the few jazz violinists on the planet, he is a proficient scat singer. While scatting is not generally considered a ‘jazz instrument’, he is able to use it as a complex improvisational vehicle with great expressive character.

Carl started on violin at age 10, attending Camp Encore summer music camp for 5 summers. By age 20, he had picked up the blues harp and alto sax. For the next 10 years he toured with the Portable People Blues Band in Rochester, playing Blues Harp, singing and scatting blues and jazz. He also studied privately at Indiana University, Bennington College, and Berklee School of Music.

Carl moved to Southern California in 1980, where he has played hundreds of gigs with classical string quartets and straight ahead jazz ensembles in the greater L.A. area. He has performed at dozens of major hotels, jazz clubs, restaurants, and numerous private events. He plays regularly with vocalist Andrea Miller (opened for Al Jarreau) at the Black Marlin in Tustin; the Jus’ Friends group in Laguna Beach; the Bella Musica Jazz Ensemble; and he recently finished a 2 year gig with Mando Cordova at Mozambique in Laguna Beach. For his ‘day gig’, Carl was a computer programmer for 30 years. He is also part owner of the Bella Musica Violin Store, with his wife Bella.

Dr Bob Weathers - Drums

Dr. Bob Weathers, with his Ph.D. in clinical psychology, has committed the past 40 years of his professional life to providing counseling and coaching to clients from around the world, along with teaching and training graduate-level mental health providers at several southern California universities. Currently, full-time recovery coach, founder of the "Vitality Project" (online recovery support group with daily podcasts), and regular columnist for "21st Century Drummer" magazine.

Dr. Bob loves to perform locally, as an avid, lifelong drummer, in several highly praised jazz ensembles. He led his own band for 2 years at the Port Restaurant, Corona Del Mar. Additional venues include Veterans Academy tribute to Hollywood War Movies (Beverly Hills); International Institutional Technology Conference (UC San Diego), and Micah's Way (community outreach locally in Tustin).

Allen Takatsuka - Piano

Allen Takatsuka started playing piano at age 7. He initially studied classical and was introduced to jazz while growing up in the SF Bay Area. He played occasional gigs while studying through community jazz programs and eventually studying briefly with Don Haas. He played with the New Vintage fusion and JLQ jazz groups as well as with the Cal Poly and Cuesta College Jazz Bands and vocal groups while earning his Mathematics degree from Cal Poly University in San Luis Obispo. Since moving to Orange County, he has played with a variety of artists including Satin Express group, Pacific Sounds duo, Art of Jazz contemporary jazz group, jazz vocalist Janet Orsi, vocalist Mondo Cordova, Saddleback Night Big Band, and others. He is currently regularly seen with the Jus' Friends house jazz band that hosts the weekly jazz jam at The Pottery Place in Laguna Beach, and as a backup sideman with various jazz musicians in Orange County.

For his “Day Gig”, Allen is a Senior Software Development Leader.

Evan Tom - Bass

Evan Tom is a jazz bassist currently based in Long Beach, CA. Originally from the San Francisco Bay Area, he has received a Bachelor of Music in Jazz Studies from the University of North Texas, and is currently pursuing a Master of Music in Jazz Studies at Cal State Long Beach’s Bob Cole Conservatory of Music.

He has performed with renown musicians in California, Texas, and Hawaii. As a music teacher, he specializes in bass, guitar, ukulele, piano, voice, lap steel guitar, arranging, and music theory. Evan is also a composer and arranger of Jazz, Hawaiian, oldies, soul and R&B. Currently he is studying with the world-famous jazz bassist, Bruce Lett.

Hideaki Tokunaga - Guitar

Born in Osaka Japan, the guitarist, Hideaki Tokunaga came to the United States in 1985 and settled in New York, playing with an organization called Music Under New York (MUNY). In 1990 he moved to Southern California and started attending Calfornia Institute of the Arts through the Charlie Mingus Scholarship Program. In 1998 he graduated from CalArts with his Master's Degree.

During his school years the 18th Annual Down Beat Magazine Student Music Awards gave one of three Best USA Jazz Instrumental Soloist-College Awards to Hideaki Tokunaga. "The Awards," explains CalArts Jazz Program director, pianist David Roitstein, "bring a lot of competition. Students in high schools, colleges and universities all over the world submit their work and pieces are judged by internationally known musicians who know what they are listening to. There is a high level of competition and winning an award is a big honor."

After receiving this award, Tokunaga contracted with Moo/MIDI Records. His debut cd "The Wind Told Me" was released in 1997 and the second album "Midnight Rainbow" was released in 1998. On "Midnight Rainbow" the core band features the Hammond B3 playing of Greg Kustin and the drums of legendary jazz drummer Billy Higgins. This trio is augmented by a string quartet as they swing through a program of Hideaki's own music and eclectic jazz standards.

Jazz Program founder, bassist Charlie Haden said " Some people think that only musicians who grew up in this country can play jazz. I totally disagree with it. Listen to how Django Reinhardt used to improvise on his guitar. He really digged jazz theory. And Hideaki is another example, if I close my eyes to listen to how he plays bebop, I would think he was from Brooklyn." As a matter fact, he lived in Brooklyn when he met his wife, and followed her to Los Angeles. Hideaki recently returned from a highly successful tour of jazz concerts in Japan and China. For his “Day Gig” he teaches math at a local high school.