Roland Hanna

A rare Japanese-only album - one that presents familiar songs from Porgy & Bess, but delivered in a completely sublime setting - just the bass of George Mraz and the piano of Roland Hanna - opening up with a sense of flow that really transforms each tune into a very special creative moment! Mraz is at his best here - with that round yet sharp tone that makes some of his 70s performances so wonderful - and Hanna complements his playing beautifully with his own balance of force and lyricism - maybe more sometimes on the left hand than usual, but also never slavishly tied to rhythm - just carrying a bit more of the sound without the drums.

Roland Hanna - Destry Rides Again (1959) {Atlantic-Wounded Bird Records WOU108 rel 2007}
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© 1959, 2007 Atco / Atlantic / Wounded Bird Records | WOU108
Jazz / Hard Bop / Cool / Piano

When Destry Rides Again, with music by Harold Rome, became a hit on Broadway, it was not a surprise that certain A&R men saw possibilities in producing jazz treatments of selections from this musical. Both Randy Weston and Sir Roland Hanna were prodded into doing albums of Rome's songs from the play, while Weston made a point to encourage Mosaic not to include it in a boxed set they compiled, Hanna passed away prior to this 2007 Wounded Bird reissue, so he didn't have a voice in the decision.

A talented pianist with a style diverse enough to fit into swing, bop, and more adventurous settings, Roland Hanna was one of the last in an impressive line of great pianists who emerged in Detroit after World War II (including Hank Jones, Barry Harris, and Tommy Flanagan). After serving in the Army and studying music at Eastman and Juilliard, Hanna made a strong impression playing with Benny Goodman (1958). He worked with Charles Mingus for a period in 1959, and went on to generally lead his own trios. Hanna was an integral part of the Thad Jones/Mel Lewis orchestra (1967-1974), and in 1974 helped found the New York Jazz Quartet (with Frank Wess).

This CD represents one venerable pianist paying tribute to another: Sir Roland Hanna and his fine trio playing compositions by, associated with, or written for John Lewis, the musical director of the Modern Jazz Quartet for all of its life. Lewis was admired for his distinctive bop playing and his creative involvement with one of the greatest groups in jazz history, but only one of his originals has become a standard: the immortal "Django," rendered here in an elegant arrangement that alternates between somber and swinging.