Contributed
Mickey Hanson

Krista Henry, Staff Reporter

Riding the flow of music for more than 40 years, trumpeter, Mickey Hanson, has made his name as an accomplished musician. A self-taught instrumentalist, Hanson has performed with some of Jamaica's greatests.

Before first taking the stage with the Presidents and the Cascades band in the 1960s, Hanson was a talented teenager with a passion for music. "I had an inborn desire to play the trumpet. I taught myself through personal desire. It was a long process, by trial and error. I read whatever literature I got my hands on. My first formal training was when Melba Liston came here. Prior to that I was playing professionally with bands, then I went to the School of Music. There I had a turn-around.", he said.

This turn-around occurred when he trained under Liston, an American composer, arranger and trombone player.

As his career flourished, Hanson did a five-year stint at the then Sheraton Hotel (now Hilton Kingston), in New Kingston, where he got his first big break playing with the Caribs band.

"That band was at the Sheraton and it gave me the opportunity to push myself as a soloist. Now, I'm a soloist," he said. While playing mainly jazz, which he regards as one of the highest art forms, Hanson is adept at other genres as well.

His first venture into the studio was in 1985 when he produced his rendition of Kyu Sakamoto's Sukiyaki. This was followed by releases of Stevie Wonder's Harmour Love,and fellow Jamaican, Glen Browne's Love Song.

His album, For The Love Of It,seemed to encourage other musicians, who followed suit in making albums of their own. He is currently working on his new album, Something Special, to be released next year.

Work history

Hanson has worked with Bob Marley, Gladys Knight, Denise Williams and Aretha Franklin, playing with Marley at his last concert in Jamaica, as well as on the Survival album.

While working with Marley was a milestone, it was his sojourn with the Skatalites that Hanson treasures most. "A high point for me in recording was to work with the Skatalites. I did an album (Last of the Great Guns) with them and I did one live performance with them. The Skatalites are the group, which gave Jamaica its cultural identity back in 1962. They backed everyone back in the '60s and are an indelible part our history," he said.

Sharing expertise

Having been one of the few local musicians to perform at the famed Hard Rock Café, Hanson is now taking his expertise to others. He says "All these years I've thought I wanna teach. I'm writing a booklet on How to Teach the Trumpet. I find other material is outdated. My big push next year is to teach privately and otherwise."