Jazz Library - Jake Hanna

Best known as the powerhouse behind the 1960s Woody Herman band, Jake Hanna was one of the most versatile and experienced drummers in jazz before his death in February 2010. Alyn Shipton presents an archive interview with Hanna in which the drummer selects the highlights from his recorded work, including discs with Herman, Harry James, Marian McPartland and Toshiko Akiyoshi. When Jake Hanna joined Harry James, the bandleader sent his wife to collect him and his drums from the station - not everyone can claim to have been met off a train by Betty Grable. This is just one of the stories that Jake Hanna tells Alyn Shipton in his highly entertaining account of his recording career, which also includes work with Bing Crosby and re-launching the career of Rosemary Clooney as a jazz singer.