Articles by George Colligan
Jim Beard: Serving The Music
by George Colligan
[ Editor's Note: The following interview is reprinted from George Colligan's blog, Jazztruth ] Joe Zawinul said, “Jim Beard is my favorite keyboard player besides myself." I think that's a pretty high compliment, don't you? Jim Beard has been on the scene since the 1980s with a resume that reads like a sideman's dream: Wayne Shorter, Michael Brecker, John McLaughlin, Steely Dan, and a host of other upper echelon artists. Beard is a virtuoso pianist and composer, yet ...
read moreJaleel Shaw: Philly Soul
by George Colligan
[ Editor's Note: The following interview is reprinted from George Colligan's blog, Jazztruth ] Jaleel Shaw has been one of my favorite young alto players for about a decade. We first played together with the Charles Mingus Band, and we kept in touch over the years. I've worked a few times in his band and he's worked with me a number of times. You might know him from the Roy Haynes group, which he has been working ...
read moreDwayne Burno: Tradition
by George Colligan
[ Editor's Note: The following interview is reprinted from George Colligan's blog, Jazztruth] Dwayne Burno is one of the great bass players of his generation. Originally from jny: Philadelphia, Burno has been on the New York and international jazz scene since 1990. He has played with so many of the great legends of jazz: Betty Carter, Benny Golson, Freddie Hubbard, Joe Chambers, and so many more. Burno is truly a musician's musician in that the integrity of the ...
read moreSteve Wilson: Lifetime of Study
by George Colligan
[ Editor's Note: The following interview is reprinted from George Colligan's blog, Jazztruth] I'm very happy to have the opportunity to interview a musician that I've worked with a lot over the years. When people say that a musician has worked with everybody in the business, Steve Wilson has literally worked with everyone in jazz. It would be hard to name somebody that he hasn't worked with in jazz. I feel like this is kind of a coup ...
read moreRudresh Mahanthappa: Integrity
by George Colligan
[ Editor's Note: The following interview is reprinted from George Colligan's blog, Jazztruth] I had only met Rudresh Mahanthappa once briefly; we played with different bands at a gig at the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C. I was subbing with Miguel Zenon [while] he was performing with Vijay Iyer's quartet. I always found his playing to be super intense, which made me think that he might be a super intense personality. When we met years later at ...
read moreDavid Fiuczynski: Salt, Sweat, Love, Tears
by George Colligan
[ Editor's Note: The following interview is reprinted from George Colligan's blog, Jazztruth] David Fiuczynski is a very unique guitarist. Many of you know him from his successful band called Screaming Headless Torsos. He's played with Hasidic New Wave, trumpeter Cuong Vu, and pianist Hiromi. I first met David at a rehearsal with drummer Billy Hart, and then we played a few projects with clarinetist Don Byron over the years. We've been working together in Jack DeJohnette's band ...
read moreChristine Jensen: Impressionism
by George Colligan
[ Editor's Note: The following interview is reprinted from George Colligan's blog, Jazztruth] I was first exposed to alto saxophonist Christine Jensen through working with her trumpet playing sister Ingrid Jensen. We played some of her music, which really struck me as direct, mature, grounded and highly creative. Later on I got to meet her; unfortunately, we have not played together much (except for maybe one or two jam sessions years ago). I hope that will be rectified ...
read moreRalph Peterson: Music Teaches You Life
by George Colligan
[Editor's Note: The following interview is reprinted from George Colligan's blog, Jazztruth] I was recently in Athens, as part of my tour with Jack DeJohnette. Shortly after arriving, I'm sitting in my hotel room, and I get an unexpected call. “Colligan!" “Uh...yes?" And then I hear one of my obscure compositions, “Reaction," being sung by a gravelly yet pitch perfect voice. It could only be one person.... “Ralph? What are you doing here?" Ralph Peterson is ...
read moreLonnie Plaxico: Being Your Own Bird
by George Colligan
Editor's Note: The following interview is reprinted from George Colligan's blog, Jazztruth] Electric and acoustic bassist Lonnie Plaxico has been on the jazz scene in New York since 1980. He is on hundreds of recordings with everyone from Art Blakey, Cassandra Wilson, Jack Dejohnette, to Ravi Coltrane. He has 13 CDs as a leader, the latest being Ancestral Devotion (Plaxmusic, 2009). I first played with Lonnie Plaxico in 1999 on some gigs with trombonist Robin Eubanks. Lonnie barely ...
read moreJerome Harris: Guitar and Bass Doubler
by George Colligan
[ Editor's Note: The following interview is reprinted from George Colligan's blog, Jazztruth]Jerome Harris is a highly underrated musician. He's proficient doubler on bass and guitar; he's been a regular on the former with Jack DeJohnette and the latter with Sonny Rollins. Add to that he's got a wonderful singing voice, and has also recorded 4 albums as a leader. Harris initially went to Harvard with the intent of being a psychiatrist, but ended up being swayed by ...
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