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George Colligan
George's first instrument was the trumpet, although he did take piano lessons for a brief
period at age 7. It was clear that he was to pursue music as a career. In 1987, George enrolled
at Peabody Conservatory of Music in Baltimore as a trumpet and Music Education major. However,
during his time at Peabody, his interest in the piano and jazz became stronger and he started
gigging in hotels and clubs in town.
Upon graduation from Peabody in 1991, George promptly quit the trumpet to focus exclusively on the piano. He was freelancing more in the Baltimore area, playing with many different bands at night while practicing hard during the day. He also began composing more frequently. Additionally, George was the director of the Peabody Jazz Ensemble from 1991 to 1993. In 1994 George was a semifinalist in two piano competitions; in Indianapolis and Jacksonville respectively. When Gary Bartz invited him to join his band for a week at Sweet Basil's, George decided to make the the move to New York (1995). He has been on this scene since then. George plays regularly with the bands of Buster Williams, Don Byron, Lonnie Plaxico, Robin Eubanks, and David Gilmore. He has toured, recorded, and/or performed as a sideman with Cassandra Wilson, Gary Bartz, Gary Thomas, Steve Coleman, Eddie Henderson, Ralph Peterson, Vanessa Rubin, Steve Wilson, Jane Monheit, Ravi Coltrane, Lenny White, Michael Brecker, Mike Clark, Nicholas Payton, Sheila Jordan, Janis Siegel, Christian McBride, Billy Hart, Charles Fambrough, Mingus Big Band, Rodney Holmes, Michal Urbaniak, Mark Turner, David Binney, Don Braden, Shunzo Ono, Lee Konitz and Stefon Harris, among others. In 2001, George began working with clarinetist Don Byron. He has performed with Mr. Byron in his Jungle Music project, which features early works of Ellington, and Bug Music, which features music of Raymond Scott. As part of Byron's Symphony Space Ensemble, George played keyboards and samples on a concert celebrating Sugar Hill, the record label of rap music in the early 80's. Also worth noting is George's work with the Lonnie Plaxico Group, where George also plays Hammond B-3 organ and synthesizers. The group has toured Europe, Japan, and the U.S. Other highlights of George's activities include his tenure with Grammy winning vocalist Cassandra Wilson from 1999 to 2001. Not only did George tour with her in Japan, North America, and almost every country in Western Europe, but he appears with Cassandra in The Score, a movie which features Robert DeNiro and Edward Norton. George Colligan also won the 2001 jazzconnect.com competition. The winner was decided by over 18,000 voters deciding between three finalists. |
contact: | georgecolligan4@gmail |
homepage: | www.georgecolligan.com |
Click on the logo to see George's tour dates. |
Unresolved Fresh Sound New Talent FSNT 054CD recorded in Paramus, NJ/USA |
George Colligan, Hammond B-3 organ, piano, synthesizer, trumpet, drums Jon Gordon, soprano sax Jon Gordon, alto sax Mark Turner, tenor sax Kurt Rosenwinkel, guitar Drew Gress, bass Howard Curtis, drums |
Pride SteepleChase SCCD 31479 recorded May 1999 |
Lee Konitz, alto sax George Colligan, organ, piano Doug Weiss, bass Darren Beckett, drums |
Mélange Blue Note 7243 5 32355 2 9 recorded in Brooklyn, NY/USA |
Lonnie Plaxico, bass Tim Ries, tenor sax Marcus Strickland, tenor sax Jeremy Pelt, trumpet Lew Soloff, trumpet George Colligan, organ, piano Helen Sung, piano Lionel Cordew, drums Jeffrey Haynes, percussion |
Going To Meet The Man Koch Jazz KOCCD 61413 recorded April 2000 in Brooklyn, NY/USA |
Mark Turner, tenor sax Kurt Rosenwinkel, guitar Mark Gross, alto sax, soprano sax George Colligan, piano, Hammond B-3 organ Joshua Ginsburg, bass H. Benjamin Schumann, drums |
Live At The 5:01 Jazz Bar Plaxmusic 39819 recorded live 02 May 2002 in Columbus, OH/USA |
Lonnie Plaxico, bass Alexander Pope Norris, trumpet Marcus Strickland, sax George Colligan, Hammond B-3 organ, piano Nathaniel Townsley, drums |
Mad Science Sunny Sky 723 recorded December 2002 in Paramus, NJ/USA |
George Colligan, Hammond B-3 organ Tom Guama, guitars Rodney Holmes, drums Gary Thomas, tenor sax, flute |
Rhythm & Soul Sirocco Music SJL 1023 recorded January 2003 |
Lonnie Plaxico, bass Marcus Strickland, soprano sax, tenor sax Wayne Escoffery, tenor sax Jeremy Pelt, trumpet Alex Sipiagin, trumpet George Colligan, organ, piano Arene Lomax, piano Billy Kilson, drums Jeff Haynes, percussion Aneilia Lomax, vocals |
Realization Sirocco SJL 1030 recorded September 2004 in New York/USA |
George Colligan, Hammond B-3 organ, synthesizers Tom Guarna, guitars Rodney Holmes, drums |
Do The Boomerang Blue Note 0946 3 41094 2 0 recorded December 2005 in Shokan, NY/USA |
Don Byron, tenor sax, clarinet, bass clarinet Curtis Fowlkes, trombone David Gilmore, guitar Chris Thomas King, guitar, vocals George Colligan, Hammond B-3 organ Brad Jones, bass Rodney Holmes, drums, tambourine Dean Bowman, vocals |
West Side Stories Plaxmusic LLP 0004 |
Lonnie Plaxico, keyboards, bass Steve Coleman, alto sax Ravi Coltrane, alto sax David Lee Jones, alto sax Gary Thomas, tenor sax Jeff Hermason, trumpet Alex Norris, trumpet George Colligan, Hammond B-3 organ, Fender Rhodes Kenny Grohowski, drums Khalil Kwame Bell, percussion Jeff Haynes, percussion Carla Cook, vocals Cassandra Wilson, vocals |
East Harlem Skyline Zoho ZM 200902 recorded November 2007 and March 2008 in New York, NY/USA |
Greg Skaff, guitar George Colligan, organ George Laks, organ Darryl Jones, bass Charley Drayton, drums, percussion E.J. Strickland, drums |
In Monk's Mood SteepleChase 31675 recorded October 2008 |
John Tchicai, alto sax George Colligan, piano, Hammond B-3 organ Steve LaSpina, bass Billy Drummond, drums |
Live At Queen Elizabeth Hall BBC recording recorded November 2012 in London/Great Britain |
Jack DeJohnette, drums Don Byron, clarinet, tenor sax Marvin Sewell, guitar George Colligan, piano, keyboards, pocket trumpet Jerome Harris, electric bass |
Extension Deadline bjurecords BJUR 052 recorded June 2013 in Warren, NJ/USA |
Alex Norris, trumpet, flugelhorn Gary Thomas, tenor sax George Colligan, Hammond A-100 organ Rudy Royston, drums |
The Golden Mean SteepleChase SCCD 33120 recorded September 2014 |
Joe Manis, tenor sax, bass clarinet George Colligan, Fender Rhodes, Hammond B-3 organ Lillie Manis, viola Kevin Congleton, drums |
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