Roland Hanna

Roland Hanna possessed a versatile command of the keyboard that allowed him to navigate swing, bop, and more exploratory contexts with equal assurance. He stood among the final wave of outstanding Detroit pianists who surfaced after World War II, a group that also featured Hank Jones, Barry Harris, and Tommy Flanagan. Following Army service and formal studies at Eastman and Juilliard, he drew notable attention during his 1958 tenure with Benny Goodman. A 1959 stint alongside Charles Mingus preceded a career in which Hanna most often fronted his own trios. Between 1967 and 1974 he served as a key member of the Thad Jones/Mel Lewis orchestra, then joined Frank Wess in 1974 to establish the New York Jazz Quartet. In 1970 the President of Liberia bestowed knighthood upon him—hence the “Sir”—for a series of benefit concerts supporting Liberian children. Hanna issued numerous solo and trio recordings while also writing extensively for ensembles of differing scales, both jazz and classical. The Detroit Symphony Orchestra presented his “Oasis” for piano and orchestra in 1993. Beyond his active performing life, he taught as a tenured professor at Queens College in New York. After nearly five decades on stage and in the studio, Sir Roland Hanna died of a heart attack on November 13, 2002, at age 70.