Sir Roland Hanna
piano
Detroit-born pianist (1932–2002), known as Sir Roland Hanna; a younger Detroit contemporary who, as Barry tells it, climbed the stairs to Barry’s house with Sonny Red to learn chords.
- mentions
- 12
- recordings
- 9
- Barry speaking
- 7
What Barry says
The last time Barry spoke with Roland Hanna before Hanna died, Hanna told him that he and Sonny Red, who came from the north end of town, used to climb the stairs to Barry’s house to learn how to play changes and chords.
The last train to Monk: an interview7:468:26Interview: Detroit, Bud Powell and the shuffle18:13Barry Harris, Smithsonian Jazz Oral History Program ¶103
Barry was always at the piano after school, so the young musicians knew where to find him. He lists Hanna with Donald Byrd, Yusef Lateef, Sonny Red, Joe Henderson and John Coltrane among those who came, and calls his house a kind of Mecca.
Ep.3 | Everything no one has ever told you about jazz | Barry Harris0:33Interview: Detroit, Bud Powell and the shuffle18:1318:47The last train to Monk: an interview8:26
Barry looks back on it as a real community, and on himself as a leader without knowing it: so many of the young players came to him that he must have been some kind of leader back then.
The last train to Monk: an interview8:26Barry Harris, Smithsonian Jazz Oral History Program ¶103
Hanna was one of the Detroit pianists, with Hank Jones and Tommy Flanagan, whom Coleman Hawkins had worked with before Barry, which is why Hawkins greeted Barry as another Detroit piano player.
On Coleman Hawkins0:34Interview on Italian television0:00Barry Harris on WKCR-FM ¶96Barry Harris on WKCR-FM ¶397
Barry names Hanna, with the Jones brothers and Tommy Flanagan, among the twenty or so Detroit musicians who came to New York and all made it, because they came from a background of music.
Interview: Detroit and after1:45
In his own words
They would come to my house, climb those stairs just to come up there and learn... My house was like a mecca, you know... like the place to come.
last time I spoke to Roland Hanna before he died, he said, “yeah, me and Sonny Red used to climb the stairs to come to your house to learn how to play chords.”
See they all came to my house, Donald Byrd, Roland, Yusuf... So we had a really community thing.
Joe Henderson came to my house, Sir Roland Hanna came to my house... John Coltrane came to my house.
Because he went through Detroit piano players, you realize. Hank Jones, Roland Hanna, Tommy Flanagan, me… So he had a Detroit relationship.
Every mention
12 moments in the recordings, 7 of them Barry speaking. Each says who is talking.
The last train to Monk: an interview
Interview: Detroit, Bud Powell and the shuffle
- 18:13
Hanna and Sonny Red, from the north end, climbed his stairs to learn changes and chords.
Ep.3 | Everything no one has ever told you about jazz | Barry Harris
- 0:33
Lists Sir Roland Hanna among the young musicians who came to his house to practise.
On Coleman Hawkins
- 0:34
Coleman Hawkins had used Detroit pianists Hank Jones, Roland Hanna and Tommy Flanagan before him.
Interview on Italian television
- 0:00
Same Hawkins story: Hawkins played with Hank Jones, Roland Hanna and Tommy Flanagan.
Interview: Detroit and after
- 1:45
Names Hanna among the Detroit musicians who came to New York and all made it.
JAZZ NOTES 026 | Jazz Biography | Jazz From Detroit Pt 2 | Jazz Radio
Artists House Master Class Barry Harris - Introduction by Gary Giddins
- 1:58
Someone else
Gary Giddins lists Roland Hanna among the Detroit pianists of Barry’s generation.
ManagersPro.com “Barry Harris talks about as a mentor to developing pianists.”
- 1:58
Someone else
The same Giddins introduction, another upload, naming Roland Hanna.
In the interviews and notes
Because Barry was always at his piano, young players came to his house: Roland Hanna, Sonny Red, Donald Byrd. The last time they spoke, Hanna told him he and Sonny Red used to climb the stairs to learn chords. Barry concludes he must have been a leader without knowing it.
Barry tells JazzTimes that most Detroit players passed through his house, Hanna and Sonny Red climbing his stairs to learn chords, and that he became a teacher without meaning to, simply because he knew a bit more than the others.
unknown (JazzTimes; the byline is missing on the current site), Barry Harris: Teacher Man ¶7
Coleman Hawkins had worked with Tommy Flanagan, Roland Hanna and Hank Jones, all Detroit pianists, so Barry was simply the next one; Barry calls it Hawkins’s Detroit relationship.
Barry’s Detroit peer group included the pianists Tommy Flanagan, Terry Pollard and Roland Hanna, alongside players such as Thad Jones, Donald Byrd, Yusef Lateef, Sonny Red and Paul Chambers.
Among Barry’s Detroit colleagues once Hank Jones had left for New York were Tommy Flanagan, Hugh Lawson, Roland Hanna and Kirk Lightsey.
unknown (JazzTimes; the byline is missing on the current site), Barry Harris: Teacher Man ¶7
Recordings that name them
Barry’s performances and records in the archive that credit or name them.
Method ideas nearby
Ideas of the method taught in the classes where they come up, with how many mentions fall in each.