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Sir Roland Hanna


Jim R

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It's a shame there are so few of his albums available. I haven't many, but all are great:

A rare solo piano LP on the German L+R label, Piano Soliloquy

The New York Jazz Quartet in Japan (there are two different albums on CTI/Slavation), each has a precious piano solo

Perugia is great!

... and his very unorthodox playing in the Thad Jones / Mel Lewis band gets me every time!

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Here are some GREAT NY Jazz Quartet albums - although I don't know their availability. I only have the LPs. Well worth hunting down!

  • "Blues For Sarka" - Frank Wess, Roland Hanna, George Mraz, Grady Tate
  • "Surge" - Frank Wess, Roland Hanna, George Mraz, Richard Pratt

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I must recognize the only CD I have with Roland Hanna as a leader is "Sir Roland Hanna plays the music of Alec Wilder" in the "Helen Merrill presents" series, reissued in Gitanes/Verve. A good collection of solos, halfway between jazz and classical music (at least to my ears) rounded off with a beautiful version of "Sounds around the house" with Helen on vocals. Though this one is not in the first line of my "most spinned discs" starting grid, I really dig it.

And I really appreciate his work with Mingus.

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I'm enjoying this Hanna Plays Alec Wilder since I got it at the start of the Paris fall sales season a couple of weeks ago. Mentioned in a post in the Greatest Finds thread that the Virgin Paris store had more than half a dozen of Hanna CDs sales mostly from Japan at can't beat prices. Got the Alec Wilder in its Japanese Trio version and the 'Romanesque' CD, a duo album of Hanna and George Mraz. Kicking myself now for having not bought the whole Hanna lot at the time

An early Hanna album I thoroughly liked was the 'Destry Rides Again' LP that came out on Atco. Not sure this one has been reissued.

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Anyone has an idea where I could find the Hanna plays Wilder (as well as the Al Haig album in the same Helen Merrill presents Gitanes/Universal series)? I was looking for them for some time, alas with no luck.

I do not own any Hanna records, besides his sideman work with Mingus (Lon's comment re. Hanna/Byard is one which pretty well describes my perception of Hanna - interesting that they both worked with Charles Mingus!) and on the Thad Jones/Mel Lewis Mosaic - where he absolutely stands out! I find myself very often listening to the rhythm section when spinning those discs. Hanna/Davis/Lewis were something else!

ubu

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  • 14 years later...

Here are a number of Roland Hanna CDs I have that were not mentioned. I enjoy all of them,

At Maybeck (solo) - Concord

Tributaries : Reflections on Tommy Flanagan (solo) - IPO 

Duke Ellington - Piano Solos - Jazz Heritage

Plays Gershwin (Quartet) - LRC

Play For Monk (duo) - Musical Heritage Society

Glove (trio) - Storyville

This Time It's Real - (quartet) - Storyville

Apres Un Reve (trio) - Venus

Porgy & Bess ( duo)  - All Art

 

 

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