# 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. He worked with several big names in the 1950s, including Benny Goodman and Charles Mingus, and graduated in 1960. Between 1963 and 1966, Hanna led his own trio, then from 1966 to 1974 he was a regular member of The Thad Jones/Mel Lewis Orchestra. Hanna also toured the Soviet Union with the orchestra in 1972. 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. Around this time, he also began composing chamber and orchestral music; a ballet he wrote has also been performed.
In 1970, Hanna was given an honorary knighthood by President William Tubman of Liberia in recognition of concerts he played in the country to raise money for education. 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 was a resident of Teaneck, New Jersey.
He died in Hackensack, New Jersey, of a viral infection of the heart, on November 13, 2002.
Critic and jazz pianist Len Lyons grouped Hanna with fellow Detroit pianists Hank Jones, Barry Harris, and Flanagan for their "tasteful accompaniment and the sophisticated use of modern jazz elements in their soloing and trio work." 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

| Year recorded | Title | Label | Year released | Personnel/Notes |
| 1959 | Destry Rides Again | ATCO | 1959 | Trio/quartet, with George Duvivier, Roy Burns, Kenny Burrell |
| 1959 | Easy to Love | ATCO | 1960 | Trio, with Ben Tucker, Roy Burns |
| 1971 | Child of Gemini | MPS | 1971 | Trio, with Dave Holland, Daniel Humair |
| 1973 | The New Heritage Keyboard Quartet | Blue Note | 1973 | As The New Heritage Keyboard Quartet, with Mickey Tucker, Richard Davis, Eddie Gladden |
| 1973 | Sir Elf: | Choice | 1973 | Solo piano |
| 1974 | Let It Happen | RCA | 1974 | As The Jazz Piano Quartet, with Dick Hyman, Hank Jones, Marian McPartland |
| 1973–1974 | Walkin' | Jazz Hour | 1990 | Some tracks trio, with George Mraz, Mel Lewis; some tracks quartet, with Stéphane Grappelli added |
| 1974 | Perugia | Freedom | 1975 | Solo piano; in concert |
| 1974 | Informal Solo | Hi-Fly | 1974 | Solo piano. Reissued as Solo Piano (Storyville, 2005) |
| 1974 | 1 X 1 | Toho (Japan) | 1974 | Duo, with George Mraz |
| 1975 | Roland Hanna Trio | Salvation (Japan) | 1975 | Trio, with Ron Carter, Ben Riley |
| 1976 | Porgy & Bess | Trio (Japan) | 1976 | Duo, with George Mraz |
| 1976 | 24 Preludes Book 1 | Salvation (Japan) | 1976 | Some tracks solo piano; some tracks duo, with George Mraz |
| 1977 | At Home With Friends | Progressive | 1977 | Trio, with George Mraz, Richard Pratt; also released as Time for the Dancers (1980) |
| 1977 | Sir Elf Plus 1 | Choice | 1978 | Some tracks solo piano; some tracks duo, with George Mraz |
| 1977 | Glove | Trio (Japan) | 1977 | Trio, with George Mraz, Motohiko Hino |
| 1977 | 24 Preludes Book 2 | Salvation (Japan) | 1978 | Some tracks solo piano; some tracks duo, with George Mraz |
| 1978 | Roland Hanna Plays the Music of Alec Wilder | Trio (Japan) | 1978 | Solo piano |
| 1978 | This Must Be Love | Progressive | 1978 | Trio, with George Mraz, Ben Riley |
| 1978 | Rolandscape | Progressive | 1978 | Trio, with George Mraz, Ben Riley |
| 1978 | 'Bird Watching | Progressive | 1978 | Solo piano |
| 1978 | Roland Hanna and George Mraz Play for Monk | Musical Heritage Society | 1978 | Duo, with George Mraz |
| 1978 | A Gift from the Magi | West 54 | 1979 | Solo piano |
| 1979 | Swing Me No Waltzes | Storyville | 1980 | Solo piano. Additional tracks from 1973 included in 2000 reissue. |
| 1979 | Trinity | L+R | 1979 | Trio, with Hans Koller, Attila Zoller |
| 1979 | Piano Soliloquy | L+R | 1980 | Solo piano |
| 1979 | Impressions | Black & Blue | 1979 | Trio, with Major Holley, Alan Dawson. also released as Lover Come Back to Me (Norma, 1979). |
| 1979 | Och Jungfrun Gick Åt Killan... | Sonet | 1979 | Solo piano |
| 1979 | Sunrise, Sunset | Lob (Japan) | 1979 | Duo, with George Mraz. Reissued as When You Wish Upon a Star (AMJ, 2002) |
| 1982 | Romanesque | Trio (Japan) | 1982 | Duo, with George Mraz |
| 1982 | Gershwin Carmichael Cats | CTI | 1982 | Duo/trio/quartet/quintet/sextet/dectet |
| 1987? | Manhattan Christmas | Fun House | 1987 | Solo piano |
| 1987 | Round Midnight | Town Crier Recordings | 1987 | Solo piano |
| 1987 | This Time It's Real - Live At Slukefter-Tivoli Gardens | Storyville | 1988 | Quartet, with Jesper Thilo, Mads Winding, Aage Tanggaard; in concert |
| 1987 | Persia My Dear | DIW | 1987 | Trio, with Richard Davis, Freddie Waits |
| 1987? | The Bar | Fun House | 1988 | Trio, with Clint Houston, Lewis Nash |
| 1990 | Duke Ellington Piano Solos | MusicMasters | 1991 | Solo piano |
| 1990 | Memoir | Century (Japan) | 1990 | Duo, with Eiji Nakayama |
| 1993 | Sir Roland Hanna Quartet Plays Gershwin | LRC/Laserlight | 1993 | Quartet, with Bill Easley, Jon Burr, Ronnie Burrage |
| 1993 | Maybeck Recital Hall Series, Volume Thirty-Two | Concord | 1994 | Solo piano; in concert |
| 1994? | Jazz Sonatas | Angel | 1994 | Some tracks duo, with Dick Hyman; some tracks quartet, with chamber trio |
| 1995 | Ancestral Light | Red Earth Jazz | 1999 | Duo, with George Mraz |
| 1996 | 3 for All | Cei Cymekob | 1996 | Trio, with Bucky Pizzarelli, Jon Burr |
| 1996 | Hush A Bye | What'sNew (Japan) | 1997 | Trio, with Eiji Nakayama, Seiji Komatsu |
| 1997 | The Three Black Kings | Jazz Friends Productions | 1997 | Trio, with Richard Davis, Andrew Cyrille |
| 1997 | I Love Be-Bop | Rahanna Music | 1998 | Trio, with Yoshio Aomori, Cris Roselli. Self-released. |
| 1998? | Family & Friends | Prestige Elite | 1998 | With Michael Hanna |
| 1998 | Royal Essence: An Evening of Ellington | Jazzmont | 1999 | Duo, with Davey Yarborough; in concert |
| 2001 | Dream | Venus | 2001 | Trio, with Paul West, Eddie Locke (drums) |
| 2002 | Milano, Paris, New York: Finding John Lewis | Venus | 2002 | Trio, with George Mraz, Lewis Nash |
| 2002 | Everything I Love | IPO | 2002 | Solo piano |
| 2002 | I've Got a Right to Sing the Blues | IPO | 2002 | Duo, with Carrie Smith |
| 2002 | Tributaries: Reflections on Tommy Flanagan | IPO | 2003 | Solo piano |
| 2002 | Après Un Rêve | Venus | 2003 | Trio, with Ron Carter, Grady Tate |
| 2002 | Last Concert | What's New (Japan) | 2003 | Some tracks duo, with Eiji Nakayama and Mihoko Hazama (separately); some tracks trio, with Nakayama and Hazama; in concert |
Posthumous compilations
* Memoir One For Eiji with Eiji Nakayama (What's New, 2004)
* Colors from a Giant's Kit (IPO, 2011)

### As group

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