カテゴリー: Sir Roland Hanna Tribute

Performed
by
Hisayuki Terai-piano

Zaiko Miyamoto-bass

=1st Set=

1. Yours Is My Heart Alone (Franz Lehár)

An aria composed by German composer Franz Lehár for an operetta. Hanna recorded it repeatedly, both as a solo on Sir Elf and in a duo setting on Romanesque. It is also a favorite of Hisayuki Terai, who considers himself a practitioner of “Detroit Hard Bop Romanticism.”

2. Enigma (Sir Roland Hanna)
An atonal original whose repeating patterns morph dynamically, drawing the listener into a mysterious sonic whirlpool. Hanna recorded this with Richard Davis (b) and Andrew Cyrille (ds) on Three Black Kings (1997, JFP); Terai also interpreted it in 2002 on Echoes of OverSeas.

3. Quietude (Thad Jones)
A piece emblematic of Detroit hard bop, connected both to Hanna and his mentor Tommy Flanagan. Hanna often featured it in the Thad Jones/Mel Lewis Orchestra. Terai recalls how Hanna once praised his own performance of this tune—an unforgettable gesture of kinship.

4. This Time It’s Real (Sir Roland Hanna)
Inspired by the words of a close friend—a female French horn player with a rich romantic life—this piece explores the tangled emotions of hope and longing. Terai’s pianism unfolded like fragile rose petals, evoking both joy and ache.

5. Prelude No.14 in Cm (Sir Roland Hanna)
A melancholic, delicate waltz from 24 Preludes, Book 2 (1978, Salvation). The performance captured its haunting beauty with sensitivity, matched only by the duo’s balance of sound.

6. Prelude No. 2 in G major, Blue, Green, Brown & Black (Sir Roland Hanna)
From 24 Preludes, Book 1, this title refers to diverse eye colors, emblematic of Hanna’s belief in equality before the divine.

7. What Does It Matter? (George Mraz)
 A sensuous bossa nova composed by Hanna’s longtime colleague George Mraz sparkled with rhythmic charm, with Miyamoto’s bass resonating warmly and gracefully.

=2nd Set=

1.  Ode to a Potato Plant (Sir Roland Hanna)
A witty yet profound work celebrating the humble potato with crystal-clear dynamics and lyricism. Terai and Miyamoto highlighted its earthy humor and noble dignity.

2. A Child Is Born (Sir Roland Hanna, Thad Jones)
Often considered Thad Jones’s most popular composition, A Child Is Born was, according to Hanna, actually written by Hanna himself during his years with the Thad Jones–Mel Lewis Orchestra. Its elegant melody and harmony, filled with tenderness toward a child, are perfectly suited to Terai’s exquisite piano touch, while Zaiko Miyamoto’s bass supports a groove that ebbs and flows like waves.

3. Prelude No. 4 in Cm, München (Sir Roland Hanna)
Included in 24 Preludes, Book 1, this piece expresses Hanna’s impressions of Germany on his first visit to the country. Because of a misunderstanding in arrangements with the Japanese organizers, he had to write these 24 preludes after arriving in Japan, completing them in just one week. It is almost impossible to imagine the sheer power of Hanna’s imagination and concentration that made such an achievement possible.

4. Two Cute (Sir Roland Hanna)
A charming piece with elegant unison lines between piano and bass. Terai and Miyamoto brought out its witty interplay, a delightful showcase of duo artistry.

5. Prelude No.10 in E major, Small Red Piano (Sir Roland Hanna)
A gem of a prelude, where childlike charm and elegance coexist.
Hanna’s journey to the piano began one winter when he was five years old, when he found a piano instruction book lying on a snow-covered road.
In their interpretation of the piece, Terai and Zaiko Miyamoto imagine the sound of a little child playing a toy piano gradually transforming into the magnificent sound of a grand piano.

6.  A Story Often Told Seldom Heard (Sir Roland Hanna)
A beautiful piece with a touch of self-deprecating humor in its title.

In 1962, Hanna found himself playing between sets at New York’s Five Spot, where Thelonious Monk was the star attraction. Monk was at the height of his fame, and the audience had come to hear him. Hanna therefore had to play through a din of conversation and commotion from people who had little interest in anyone but Monk.

It was a bitter experience. Yet perhaps it was also one of the experiences that forged the extraordinary force and conviction of Hanna’s musical voice.

Hanna later recorded what would become the definitive version of this piece on his solo album Round Midnight (Town Crier, ’87), and sent the CD to Terai.

7. Summertime (George Gershwin)
The memorable opening track of Porgy and Bess (’76, Trio Records), the duo album by Hanna and George Mraz. Around 2000, Terai made every effort to reunite Hanna and Mraz, who had not performed together for many years. Sadly, just when the reunion seemed within reach, Hanna suddenly passed away from lung cancer. It remains a source of deep regret for Terai.

7. Time for the Dancers (Sir Roland Hanna)
A dynamic composition evoking dancers moving freely across the stage. The duo embraced its expansive rhythm, conjuring both freedom and elegance in motion.

8. Mediterranean Seascape (Sir Roland Hanna)
Closing the set, this grand portrait of the Mediterranean Sea unfurled with sweeping lines and resonant bass, leaving the audience immersed in Hanna’s vision.　

Encore: Souvenir (Sir Roland Hanna)
Hanna accompanied Sarah Vaughan throughout the 1960s and 1970s. When the incomparable singer passed away from cancer in 1990, Hanna dedicated this elegiac piece to her memory. Terai and Zaiko Miyamoto chose it to close the concert, performing it with their own heartfelt tribute to Hanna.

Text by Tamae Terai