ROLAND HANNA: Duke Ellington Piano Solos

Name: ROLAND HANNA: Duke Ellington Piano Solos
Brand: JAZZ HERITAGE SOCIETY
Availability: InStock

Roland Hanna, performs his favorite Duke Ellington songs on solo piano.

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1 In My Solitude 05:12

2 Something To Live For 04:50

3 In A Sentimental Mood 03:44

4 Portrait of Bert Williams 02:48

5 Warm Valley 05:19

6 Isfahan 02:03

7 Single Petal of a Rose 04:41

8 I Got It Bad And That Ain't Good 07:04

9 Reflections In D 04:08

10 Come Sunday 02:31

11 Caravan 04:11

This record came about as a result of a performance by Sir Roland Hanna in Carnegie Recital Hall during a JVC Jazz Festival in New York. There are some of Ellington's most popular numbers here, like Solitude, ln a Sentimental Mood, and I Got It Bad, but also others that are not so well known, except among musicians. Significantly, ten out of 11 were composed by pianists -- Duke Ellington himself and his close associate, Billy Strayhorn. "There's more motion in a piano player's melody,' Hanna insisted. "Trombone players like Juan Tizol are used to holding notes, and that shows in Caravan. I sometimes cite Rachmaninov as an example of what I'm talking about, because in his piano works everything is moving. And when I write melodies, the longest note will usually be a quarter note.' His stress on melodic content is very relevant, because he invests it with emotion and rich color in this set. His improvisations rarely forsake the melodic character of the different compositions, whose harmonic foundations, in other words, do not serve as mere trampolines for flights of virtuosity. He has a wonderful gift for visualizing the imagery in Ellington's music within apposite imagery of his own.

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For lovers of solo jazz piano, this Roland Hanna disc offers one of the most consistently enjoyable 46 minutes of music to be heard. Over the ten Ellington selections here (with the addition of Billy Strayhorn's "Isfahan"), Hanna finely works the subtle phrasing and singing tone he once plied in Mingus' band and perfected on many solo outings during the '70s and '80s. An appropriately introspective version of "In My Solitude" opens the program, setting the tone for this intimate and, at times, meditative consideration of some Ellington's finest pieces. Other ballad highlights include a hushed and melancholic "In a Sentimental Mood," as well as delicate and spacious readings of "Single Petal of a Rose" and "Isfahan." Hanna enlivens the mood a bit on choice, medium-tempo renditions of "Portrait of Bert Williams" and the Ellington/Strayhorn collaboration "Something to Live For," demonstrating his easygoing, stride-piano technique in the process. In somewhat stark contrast to the rest of the set, Hanna also includes an engagingly abstract rendition of "I Got It Bad and That Ain't Good," rendering the familiar, blues-tinged theme almost unrecognizable. Hanna ends the set in upbeat fashion with a bravura performance of "Caravan." Bolstered by excellent sound, this top-notch set is a must for Hanna enthusiasts and highly recommended to all fans of straight-ahead jazz.

--All Music Guide

11/29/2024

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Sir Roland Hanna, piano

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