Jake Hanna - Drums

JAKE HANNA was born and raised in Dorchester, Massachusetts. Growing up in the Boston area provided the aspiring drummer with many opportunities to listen to many great artists of the day and develop a growing interest in jazz music. In 1950, he enlisted in the Air Force and played in the band for 31/2 years during the Korean War.

1954 through '56 found Jake playing in various dance bands across the country until the G. I. bill helped fund his education at the Berklee School of Music, where he was fortunate to meet Toshiko Akyoshi and Gene Cerico. This trio worked the Hickory House in New York every summer for three years and while he was there, Jake met many great jazz artists with whom he has built a lasting friendship both professionally and personally; Zoot Sims, Al Cohn, Phil Woods, Chuck Wayne, Carmen Leggio, John Bunch and Dave McKenna were among this 'New York contingent.' The winter months were filled on the road with either the Woody Herman or Maynard Ferguson big bands.

1959 found Jake back in Boston as the house drummer for George Weins "Storyville," the house band consisted of a "Who's Who" of jazz musicians; Buck" Clayton, Vic Dickenson, "Pee Wee" Russel, Bud Freeman, "Champ" Jones and George Wein.

A long intermittent association with Marian McPartland followed Storyville; again, back at the Hickory House in New York and also on the road. While in New York this time, Jake met Bobby Hackett and joined his band at Eddie Condons'Club along with Dave McKenna and Bob Wilber.

After a few years at 'Condons', Jake left to join Duke Ellington's band for a short stint before spending the summer in Jacksonville Beach, Florida for an enjoyable bash with his good friend Ross Tompkins as a member of his trio. Harry James brought him to Las Vegas where Jake worked until he got a call from Woody Herman's 'Ace Boy', Nat Pierce.

The Herman band Jake joined in 1962 turned out to be the famous "Swinging Heard." Sal Nistico, Phil Wilson, Nat Pierce, Bill Chase, and many other greats in this band recorded many hit albums both in the studio and live and provided the listener with an excellent example of Jakes big band style.

In 1965, after being on the road for 10 years, Jake decided to sit down with a steady job and went to New York to start what would turn out to be 10 years of what Jake calls "limbo" on the Merv Griffen Show. His reason for staying so long with TV was only justified by the great musicians who were in "limbo" along side him Jim Hall, Danny Stiles, Richie Kamuka, Bob Brookmeyer, Bill Watrous, Dick Hafer, Ray Brown, Herb Ellis, Jack Sheldon, Jimmy Cleveland, Plas Johnson and Pete Candoli. Merv was also instrumental in moving Jake from the east coast to Los Angeles, where he lives with his wife, Denisa.

While Jake was deciding that 10 years of not being on the road was a bit much, Oscar Peterson called him on a tour of Russia and Jake began doing what he enjoys most, "playing with the best guys, in (hopefully) the best situations, by keeping the music simple and the overhead low."

The mid-seventies provided Jake with some of his fondest memories. As a member of Bing Crosby's "Personal Quartet" consisting of Joe Bushkin, Milt Hinton and Johnny Smith, he toured until Bing's death. Of that few years, Jake remembers one British tour where, "We burned a path through London and our feet never touched the ground!"

While with Bing and during a short tour with Tony Bennett, Jake was introduced to the president of Condord Jazz Records, Carl Jefferson, and an enduring friendship provided Jake with a discography of nearly 150 Concord records including four of his own and many as a sideman. This friendship also provided Mr. Jefferson with many great artists Jake managed to corral, including Carl Fontana, Ed Bikert, Woody Herman, Scott Hamilton, Rosemary Clooney, Tony Bennett, Bing Crosby, and many of his old pals from the "New York contingent". Of Carl Jefferson, Jake cites, "it's easy to record good talent for Jeff; I just recommend people whose playing I like and he does the rest."

Along with his Concord label recordings Jake has made three albums on Capitol with "Supersax", recorded on RCA with Buddy Morrow, Columbia with Bobby Hackett, Woody Herman's famous Phillips' recordings, a record with Maynard Ferguson as well as the Storyville label and recently a few records with his old friend Ross Tompkins on Harry Lim's Famous Door label.

Recently Jake has been traveling with a small combo of all-stars formed by Woody Herman and doing very good business in New York, Europe, Australia and Japan. 1986 promises to find Jake with Frazier McPherson in the Soviet Union on a repeat of their successful five week tour in 1984.

Zoot Sims suggested Jake to Hank O'Neal whose Floating Jazz Festival on the SS Norway has become a regular date on Jake's calendar since his 'working honeymoon' in 1984. His calendar also includes the Midland and Odessa jazz parties and other festivals and parties throughout the world.

Jake considers himself very fortunate to be associated with all the great people he's met in the world and goes by this philosophy, "follow the 'golden rule' and 'know thyself"' and adds, "that second part should take just about a lifetime."

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