The Roland Hanna Trio - Child of Gemini (1971/2017)

Sir Roland Hanna’s 1971 sessions for MPS pairs the veteran pianist with bassist David Holland and drummer Daniel Humair, focusing exclusively on the leader’s originals that were originally intended as a suite, though they stand very well individually, too. The first four selections display the influence of the classical portion of Hanna’s studies, especially the Bach-flavored “Prelude-So You’ll Know My Name” and the lovely “Courrante-Blue.” The lively blues “Ha-Ho-Da” showcases each of the three musicians in turn. Hanna switches to an electric piano (set to sound like a harp) for the ballad “Blue Lilly” and wraps the sessions with “A Statement of the Truth,” a complex bop line with a nod to Lennie Tristano. Overall, the music is not quite up to the level of other recordings under Hanna’s leadership, though it is still a worthwhile LP. Since MPS ceased operations not long after the 1972 release of this album, it may be somewhat difficult to find.