Roland Hanna

Roland Pembroke Hanna (February 10, 1932 – November 13, 2002) was an American jazz pianist, composer, and teacher.

Biography Hanna studied classical piano from the age of 11, but was strongly interested in jazz, having been introduced to it by his friend, pianist Tommy Flanagan. This interest increased after his time in military service (1950–1952). He studied briefly at the Eastman School of Music in 1953 and then enrolled at the Juilliard School when he moved to New York City two years later. During the 1970s, he was a member of the New York Jazz Quartet.

Roland Hanna was in semi-retirement for most of the 1980s, though he played piano and wrote the song "Seasons" for Sarah Vaughan's 1982 album Crazy and Mixed Up, and returned to music later in the decade. In the late 1980s and early 1990s, Hanna was a member of the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra and the Smithsonian Jazz Masterworks Orchestra. Thereafter, Hanna was often known as "Sir Roland Hanna." Hanna was a professor of jazz at the Aaron Copland School of Music at Queens College in Flushing, New York, and taught at several other music schools.

He died in Hackensack, New Jersey, of a viral infection of the heart, on November 13, 2002. Jazz pianist Dick Katz observed, "Because of Roland's extensive [classical] training ... he developed a bravura technique that led him into areas where many jazz pianists don't go. He learned how to integrate his classical background into much of what he composed and played. ... Roland had the rare gift of being able to truly improvise from scratch, letting his imagination take him almost anywhere on a given theme. He was not dependent on any specific style to tell his stories. Like Earl Hines and few others, he never played a piece the same way twice."

Discography As leader/co-leader

Posthumous compilations Memoir One For Eiji with Eiji Nakayama (What's New, 2004) Colors from a Giant's Kit (IPO, 2011)

As member of a group The Thad Jones/Mel Lewis Orchestra Presenting Joe Williams and Thad Jones/Mel Lewis, the Jazz Orchestra (Solid State, 1966) Live at the Village Vanguard (Solid State, 1967) Jazz Casual – Thad Jones/Mel Lewis Orchestra and Woody Herman and His Swinging Herd (1968) The Big Band Sound of Thad Jones/Mel Lewis featuring Miss Ruth Brown (Solid State, 1968) Monday Night (Solid State, 1968) Central Park North (Solid State, 1969) Basle, 1969 (TCB Music, 1969, released 1996) Consummation (Solid State/Blue Note, 1969) Live in Tokyo (Denon Jazz, 1974) Potpourri (Philadelphia International, 1974) Thad Jones/Mel Lewis and Manuel De Sica (PAUSA, 1974) Suite for Pops (A&M Horizon, 1975) New Life (A&M Horizon, 1976)

The New York Jazz Quartet In Concert in Japan with Ron Carter, Ben Riley, Frank Wess (Salvation, 1975) – live Surge with George Mraz, Richard Pratt, Frank Wess, (Enja, 1977) Song of the Black Knight with George Mraz, Richard Pratt, Frank Wess (Sonet, 1978) Blues for Sarka with George Mraz, Grady Tate, Frank Wess (Enja, 1978) – live Oasis with George Mraz, Ben Riley, Frank Wess (Enja, 1981) The New York Jazz Quartet in Chicago with George Mraz, Ben Riley, Frank Wess (Bee Hive, 1981)

Mingus Dynasty Live At Montreux (Atlantic, 1981) – live Reincarnation (Soul Note, 1982) Mingus' Sounds Of Love (Soul Note, 1988) Live At The Village Vanguard (Storyville, 1989) – live Epitaph (Charles Mingus composition) (Columbia, 1990) – live recorded in 1989

As sideman

With Pepper Adams Ephemera (Spotlite, 1974) – recorded in 1973 Reflectory (Muse, 1978)

With Kenny Burrell Swingin' (Blue Note, 1980) – recorded in 1956 On View at the Five Spot Cafe (Blue Note, 1959) – live Asphalt Canyon Suite (Verve, 1969) Ellington Is Forever Volume Two (Fantasy, 1977) – recorded in 1975

With Ron Carter All Blues (CTI, 1973) Spanish Blue (CTI, 1974) Stardust (Somethin' Else, 2001)

With Richard Davis Muses for Richard Davis (MPS, 1969) Persia My Dear (DIW, 1987)

With Elvin Jones Dear John C. (Impulse!, 1965) Very R.A.R.E. (Trio (Japan), 1979)

With Jimmy Knepper Cunningbird (SteepleChase, 1977) I Dream Too Much (Soul Note, 1984)

With Red Rodney The Red Tornado (Muse, 1975) Red, White and Blues (Muse, 1978) The 3R's (Muse, 1982) – recorded in 1979

With Sonny Stitt Mr. Bojangles (Cadet, 1973) Satan (Cadet, 1974)

With others Gene Ammons, My Way (Prestige, 1971) George Benson, Good King Bad (CTI, 1975) Dee Dee Bridgewater, Afro Blue (Trio, 1974) Ruth Brown, Ruth Brown '65 (Mainstream, 1965) Benny Carter, In the Mood for Swing (MusicMasters, 1988) Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis, Love Calls (RCA Victor, 1968) Eddie Daniels, First Prize! (Prestige, 1967) Mercer Ellington, Digital Duke (GRP, 1987) Jon Faddis and Billy Harper, Jon & Billy (Trio, 1974) Stéphane Grappelli, Meets the Rhythm Section (Black Lion, 1973; reissued with bonus tracks as Parisian Thoroughfare) Jim Hall, Concierto (CTI, 1975) John Handy, In the Vernacular (Roulette, 1958) Jimmy Heath, Little Man Big Band (Verve, 1992) Al Hibbler, Early One Morning (LMI, 1964) Freddie Hubbard, The Hub of Hubbard (MPS, 1970) Miriam Klein, By Myself (L+R, 1979) Hubert Laws, Laws' Cause (Atlantic, 1968) Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra, Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra – Jazz At Lincoln Center: They Came To Swing (Sony, 1992) Herbie Mann, Glory of Love (A&M, 1967) Les McCann, Comment (Atlantic, 1970) Charles Mingus, Mingus Dynasty (Columbia, 1959) Frank Morgan, You Must Believe in Spring (Antilles, 1992, Hanna plays on 2 tracks) Idris Muhammad, House of the Rising Sun (Kudu, 1976) Ray Nance, Body and Soul (Solid State, 1969) Kwame Nkrumah, The Ninth Son (Columbia, 1969) Maurice Peress, Four Symphonic Works by Duke Ellington (MusicMasters, 1989) Seldon Powell, Seldon Powell Sextet Featuring Jimmy Cleveland (Roost, 1956) Don Sebesky, The Rape of El Morro (CTI, 1975) Carol Sloane, Sophisticated Lady (Audiophile, 1977) Louis Smith (musician), Prancin (Steeple Chase, 1979) Stanley Turrentine, If I Could (MusicMasters, 1993) Sarah Vaughan, Crazy and Mixed Up (Pablo, 1982) Phil Woods, Round Trip (Verve, 1969)