Roland Hanna

Roland Pembroke Hanna (February 10, 1932 in Detroit, Michigan – November 13, 2002 in Hackensack, New Jersey) 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, 1950-52. He studied briefly at the Eastman School of Music in 1953 and then enrolled at the Juilliard School when he moved to New York 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 this 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 90s, 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.

Hanna is often referred to as "Sir Roland Hanna" as he was given an honorary knighthood by President William Tubman of Liberia in 1970. Sir Roland Hanna was a professor of jazz at the Aaron Copland School of Music at Queens College (CUNY) in Flushing, NY and taught at several other music schools. He died of a viral infection of the heart on November 13, 2002.

As leader

 * Roland Hanna Plays Harold Rome's Destry Rides Again with George Duvivier, Roy Burns, Kenny Burrell, 1959
 * Easy To Love with Ben Tucker, Roy Burns, 1959
 * Child of Gemini with Dave Holland, Daniel Humair, 1971
 * Sir Elf, Solo album, 1973
 * The New Heritage Keyboard Quartet with Mickey Tucker, Richard Davis, and Eddie Gladden, 1973
 * Stephane Grappelli Meets the Rhythm Section with Stephane Grappelli, George Mraz, Mel Lewis, 1973
 * Perugia, Live at Montreux '74, Solo album, 1974
 * Informal Solo, Solo album, 1974
 * 1 X 1 with George Mraz, 1974
 * A Jazz Hour With Roland Hanna Walkin' with Stephane Grappelli, George Mraz, Mel Lewis, 1974,
 * Let It Happen with The Jazz Piano Quartet, 1974
 * Porgy & Bess with George Mraz, 1976
 * Sunrise, Sunset, Super Duo with George Mraz, 1976
 * 24 Preludes Book 1 with George Mraz, 1976
 * Sir Elf Plus 1 with George Mraz, 1977
 * At Home With Friends with George Mraz, Richard Pratt, 1977
 * Glove with George Mraz, Motohiko Hino, 1977
 * Time For The Dancers with George Mraz, Richard Pratt, 1977
 * Roland Hanna Plays The Music Of Alec Wilder, Solo album, 1978
 * A Gift From The Magi, West 54 Records, 1978
 * Bird Tracks: Remembering Charlie Parker, Solo album, 1978
 * Play For Monk with George Mraz, 1978
 * 24 Preludes Book 2 with George Mraz, GP 3154, 1978
 * Rolandscape with George Mraz, Ben Riley, 1978
 * This Must Be Love with George Mraz, Ben Riley, 1978
 * Impressions with Major Holley, George Duvivier, Alan Dawson, Oliver Jackson, 1978
 * Trinity with Hans Koller, Attila Zoller, 1979
 * Och jungfrun gick åt killan …, Solo album, 1979
 * Piano Soliloquy, Solo album, 1979
 * Swing Me No Waltzes, Solo album, 1979
 * Gershwin Carmichael Cats
 * Romanesque with George Mraz, 1982
 * Manhattan Christmas, Solo album, 1987
 *  'Round Midnight, Solo album, 1987
 * Persia My Dear with Richard Davis, Freddie Waits, 1987
 * This Time It's Real with Jesper Thilo Quartet, SLP 4145, 1987
 * The Bar with Sir Clint Houston, Lewis Nash, 1988
 * When You Wish Upon a Star with Ron Carter, Ben Riley, 1989
 * Memoir with Eiji Nakayama1990
 * Duke Ellington Piano Solos, Solo album, 1991
 * Sir Roland Hanna Quartet Plays Gershwin with Jon Burr, Ronnie Burage, Bill Easley, 1993
 * Live at Maybeck Recital Hall, Volume 32, Solo album, 1994
 * Jazz Sonatas with Dave Brubeck, Roland Dick Hyman, 1994
 * Hush A Bye with Eiji Nakayama, Seiji Komatsu, 1996
 * 3 for All with Jon Burr, Bucky Pizzarelli, 1996
 * The Three Black Kings with Richard Davis, Andrew Cyrille, 1997
 * Royal Essence: An with of Ellington with Davey Yarborough, 1999
 * Ancestral Light with George Mraz, 1999
 * Milano, Paris, New York: Finding John Lewis with George Mraz, Lewis Nash, 2001
 * Dream with Paul West, Eddie Locke, 2001
 * Everything I Love, Solo album, 2002
 * I've Got a Right to Sing The Blues: The Music of Harold Arlen, with Carrie Smith, 2002
 * Last Concert with Eiji Nakayama, Miboko Hazama, 2002
 * Apres Un Reve with Ron Carter, Grady Tate, 2002
 * Tributaries: Reflections on Tommy Flanagan, Solo album, 2003

With New York Jazz Quartet

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

As sideman
With Gene Ammons With George Benson With Kenny Burrell With Ron Carter With Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis With Al Hibbler With Elvin Jones With Jim Hall With Hubert Laws With Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra With Herbie Mann With Charles Mingus With Idris Muhammad With Don Sebesky With Sonny Stitt
 * My Way (Prestige, 1971)
 * Good King Bad (CTI, 1975)
 * Asphalt Canyon Suite (Verve, 1969)
 * Ellington Is Forever Volume Two (Fantasy, 1975)
 * All Blues (CTI, 1973)
 * Spanish Blue (CTI, 1974)
 * Love Calls (RCA Victor, 1968)
 * Early One Morning (LMI, 1964)
 * Dear John C. (Impulse!, 1965)
 * Very R.A.R.E. (Trio (Japan), 1979)
 * Concierto (CTI, 1975)
 * Laws' Cause (Atlantic, 1968)
 * Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra - Jazz At Lincoln Center: They Came To Swing (Sony, 1992)
 * Glory of Love (CTI, 1967)
 * Mingus Dynasty (Columbia, 1959)
 * House of the Rising Sun (Kudu, 1976)
 * The Rape of El Morro (CTI, 1975)
 * Mr. Bojangles (Cadet, 1973)
 * Satan (Cadet, 1974)