John Carl "Jack" Hannah

1944 - 2024

1944 - 2023 Upright bass player Jack Hannah died the first week of August 2023 in Muskogee OK, his hometown. Born September 15, 1944 to Geraldine "Jerry" (Bates) Hannah and John T. Hannah, his earliest memory is walking around the house singing Slim Gaillard's 'Cement Mixer (Put-Ti-Put-Ti)' accompanying himself on snare drum. As a young child Jack organized neighborhood parades and in 1955 played shortstop on the state championship Pee Wee team alongside his younger brother Joe and two cousins. Jack studied piano from 1st through 6th grade and added coronet in 5th grade, catching heat for jazzing up the national anthem.

At the age of ten Jack was gigging on trumpet with Charlie Procter, and in his father's Dixieland Band (John played baritone sax). By junior high he had a good record collection and was frequenting the Rubiot in Tulsa. Jack switched to double bass in high school, playing jobs with Chick Rains, Ivory Starr, and musicians from the Black high school.

Inspired by his mentor John Rigney, Jack enlisted in the Navy in 1963. He often visited the Bohemian Caverns and the Showboat Lounge during his year at the Naval School of Music. While stationed on the USS Springfield, the Admiral's ship based in Nice France, he played a wide variety of music in diverse settings and doubled on tuba. Seeing Dragonetti's bass on leave in Italy made a lasting impression. Jack and Denny Seiwell played with Booker Ervin and Pony Poindexter in Barcelona, in Nice they played with Barney Wilen.

Jack met Carol Neal on the way to Navy music school. They married in 1966, and less than a year later moved to Texas, where he was in North Texas State's One O'Clock Lab Band at a time when the standup was being challenged by the electric. The night their son Al was born in Los Angeles 1971, Jack was so excited that he arrived at Willie Bobo's gig without his bass. He lived in L.A. three times: '68-73; '83-87; '89-94. Jack also had stretches in New York City, Kansas City, Tulsa and Milwaukee, where he met his second wife Debra Lemonds. Both marriages ended amicably.

While living in San Diego, Jack studied in L.A. with Bob Stone. After moving to Los Angeles, he begged Nat Gangursky to take him on even though Nat was not accepting new students. Nat's lessons focused on the instrument and technique using Hrabe and Simandl. At the time, Jack was the principal bassist for the Hollywood Youth Symphony in addition to playing jazz dates. Years later, out of the blue he phoned Nat, for whom he had great respect and affection. Nat's wife Bea had just come from the hospital where Nat died. That night in NYC, Jack ran into Mingus and broke the news to him.

Jack learned jazz on the bandstand. His playing was sensitive, with precise intonation. Physically animated, Jack could drive a big band and burn with the best, but he also dug slow ballads and playing free. His vibrato was relaxed and his double stops satisfying. Drummers loved him for his time, yet he effortlessly accommodated Mose Allison's rubato. Jack greatly enjoyed playing with Mose (1973-1976), was filmed with him ('Soundstage' in Chicago, 'In Performance' at Wolf Trap) and is the bass player on 'Your Mind Is On Vacation.'

Some of the well-known people Jack played with include Horace Silver, Art Pepper (at Synanon), Eddie Harris, Slim Gaillard, Tete Montoliu, Tex Beneke, Lin Halliday, Larry Coryell, and Chet Baker in a stint that began mid-set when his bass player got lost and walked out.

Jack's chart has three stelliums bunched together holding all but one of its planets in the sixth house: Moon, Mercury, Jupiter, Sun, Neptune, Mars and Venus.

Jack bought a pocket trumpet in 1993 and sounded pretty good on it after 35 years. He liked word play and often wrote numbered lists of favorite writers, painters, philosophers, actors, cities, composers, tunes, players (etc): "LaFaro, Haden, Carter, Chambers, Peacock, Stinson" and Swallow. He had a phenomenal memory, was gregarious, affable and always willing to converse about music or politics. He didn't sleep much and liked his place uncluttered. Jack used a French bow for scales and arco. He played a 1921 Morelli, purchased from David "Buck" Wheat, which bears the label 'Handmade Reproduction Antonius Stradivarius 1721.' Its big warm sound can be heard on 'Jack Hannah Concert Jazz Trio' with Bob Summers and Nick Martinis. It includes 'Stella by Starlight' and ends with an exquisite solo performance of 'Lonely Woman.'

Jack's ashes are buried in Fort Gibson National Cemetery, near the home of his beloved maternal grandparents, Carl and Winifred (Hurd) Bates. Jack is survived by son Albert Neal Hannah of Chicago IL, brother Joe (Margie) Hannah of Muskogee OK, and former wives Carol (Neal) Hannah of Rice Lake WI, and Debra D. Lemonds of East Pasadena CA.