Sir Roland Hanna Trio - Milano, Paris, New York May 2026
Listen to the incredible interplay of the trio on the opening track of the album: Django - Sir Roland Hanna Trio hotshiawase2 YouTube• Feb 3, 2019
Listening to this album is like eavesdropping on a conversation between two masters. It is the sound of an artist knowing his time is short, packing all the travel, respect, and beauty he has experienced into 57 minutes of pure, unforgettable music.
Finally, the journey crosses the Atlantic to the gritty, electric streets of Manhattan, captured in tracks like "Skating in Central Park" and "New York 19" . Sir Roland Hanna Trio - Milano, Paris, New York
The story begins with quiet sophistication in Italy. Roland Hanna on piano, George Mraz on double bass, and Lewis Nash on drums gather to paint a portrait of John Lewis—the mastermind behind the Modern Jazz Quartet (MJQ). : Mist hanging over stone plazas.
What makes this story profoundly deep is the real-world weight resting behind the notes. Roland Hanna was an actual knight (knighted by the President of Liberia for his humanitarian work), and he played with a "noble" touch. Recorded on April 1, 2002, this session became one of his very last before he passed away in November of that same year. Listen to the incredible interplay of the trio
: Hanna's fingers dance lightly over the keys with an effortless, polite charm, while Mraz's bass walks with a steady, reassuring pulse. It captures the post-WWII era when American jazz musicians found artistic sanctuary and profound respect in Europe. 🗽 Act III: New York – The Pulse of the Pavement
: Hanna bridges the gap between European classical structure and American swing. The story begins with quiet sophistication in Italy
: The record locks into a hard-driving groove, most notably on Milt Jackson's iconic "Bag's Groove" . Nash’s brushwork on the drums becomes a masterpiece of restraint and drive. New York is presented not as a place of chaos, but as a place where the sophisticated lessons learned in Milano and Paris are set on fire. 🎹 The Epilogue: A Final Bow