By Chris Hovan

Part of a new breed, George Colligan has expanded the mainstream language in novel ways that distinguish him as one of the strongest new voices to come along in some time. A viable trumpeter and drummer, it’s Colligan’s work as a pianist and writer that has led to such high-profile endeavors as stints with Cassandra Wilson, Lonnie Plaxico, Don Braden, Ravi Coltrane, and David Gilmore.

Since 1996, Colligan has regularly recorded as a leader for the Danish SteepleChase label, with the recently issued Agent 99 being his seventh set overall. He also has three sessions available on the Spanish Fresh Sound imprimatur where the implications of his forward-looking compositions are best heard. On the road with Robin Eubanks in Philadelphia, Colligan sat down on a recent Saturday afternoon for a phone interview that touched upon many different areas, including influences and a word or two about his tight-knit Spanish quartet.

All About Jazz: So George, were you involved in music at an early age?

George Colligan: I took piano lessons when I was in second grade and I didn’t get much beyond “The Indian Song.” I didn’t practice and wasn’t into it so that didn’t last. Then, in fourth grade I took up trumpet for the school band and actually I didn’t enjoy that either and I didn’t practice. I almost quit, but kept doing it and then when I got to middle school there was a teacher there who was really inspiring and really made you want to practice. That’s really where I got the music bug, in sixth grade, with Lee Stevens as my teacher. He just totally turned me on to music.

AAJ: How did you eventually get back to the piano?

GC: I pretty much played trumpet all the way up through college. I went to Peabody Conservatory for trumpet and music education. But when I was there I started getting back into piano again. It seemed a lot easier than trumpet because I never really had natural trumpet chops.

AAJ: Now you also play drums, so where did that come in?

GC: I started listening to different kinds of music and for some reason the drums always caught my ear and for a while it was more for the rhythm than anything. I’ve always been really attracted to rhythmic elements, I guess because when I was starting my ears weren’t so good in terms of pitch and harmony. When I first started playing piano I had a nice rhythmic feel, but I really didn’t know anything else. I’m just self-taught on drums, but I’ve always been a frustrated drummer.

AAJ: That’s really interesting because it seems like rhythm is such a central element of your piano playing and your composing.

GC: You know, rhythm is an area a lot of jazz instrumentalists don’t deal with enough. So much time is spent on this chord and that chord and lines. To me, the different rhythms in jazz and other kinds of music have always been the most interesting part. That’s what makes it special. Not like I’m trying to criticize anyone, but people get caught up in playing lines all day and if it’s devoid of anything rhythmically interesting it’s a little boring to me. There are so many different rhythmic possibilities and so many types of grooves, why not try to explore them all?

AAJ: So what kind of music were you listening to during your formative years?

GC: My parents aren’t really musicians, so even though they like music and are cultured to a certain extent, their tastes were limited to certain areas. Like my father had Fats Waller and Bunny Berigan recordings and some classical stuff too. They also had some Judy Garland and were into musicals. They were drama majors in schools and raised around New York. Then once I started playing trumpet, there was this neighbor on the street who lent me a bunch of records like Milestones, Clifford Brown and Max Roach, Art Farmer, Donald Byrd, and Dizzy Gillespie. And I don’t know how this happened, but we had a couple of Jonah Jones records. You know, he’s not really Dixieland, not really bebop, but I think he’s a great trumpet player. Of course, there was pop music. During the 80’s, I couldn’t help but hear some of that pop stuff. Although I guess some of it was pretty “bubble gum,” I wish now I had paid more attention to stuff like that.

AAJ: Let’s fast forward a bit and talk about how you got your feet wet in New York and how you ended up striking a deal with SteepleChase Records.

GC: I moved to New York from Washington D.C. in 1995 and I was working with a couple of different bands that were touring, but they really weren’t known as New York bands. Like I was playing with Gary Bartz and Gary Thomas. I remember I was supposed to be in Europe with Thomas, but part of the tour got cancelled and so I was at home unexpectedly for a week. Jed Levy called me and a pianist hadn’t shown up for a SteepleChase recording session and so they needed someone to come in at the last minute. I was just about to go to sleep because I was kind of jetlagged from being in Europe and I was literally just getting into bed. But Jed was like, “Can you come into Manhattan and do this thing?” So I went in and did it and then [producer] Nils Winther tells me this same pianist was supposed to do his own record date the day after next and he asked me if I wanted to do it as a trio. So it was just totally by chance- dumb luck.

AAJ: That first record, Activism, is still one of my favorites.

GC: Well, thanks. No rehearsal and I think half of it was first takes and the other half took us a minute. I was always happy with it.

AAJ: So now you’ve continued to do the records with SteepleChase, in addition to just releasing your third set for Fresh Sound. Como La Vida Puede Ser is your second record to feature a group of Spanish jazz musicians. Tell us about that group.

GC: Well, Marc Miralta is the drummer for the group and he lived in the first apartment I lived in in Brooklyn. So we got to know each other and he had this flamenco jazz group and he introduced me to some of these flamenco rhythms. So I was playing with him a lot, first in New York and then we were starting to do it in Spain a lot. Then I met Perico Sambeat, he’s the alto player, and I really thought he was amazing. He’s one of my favorite alto players. I wish there was a way for him to be more known in other places in Europe or in the States, but unfortunately right now it’s sort of hard for European musicians to get a larger name for themselves. Now the bass player, Mario Rossy, I knew through his sister Mercedes and so we ended up doing a couple tours and now we’ve done two recordings with that band.

AAJ: The latest one has a very strong sense of togetherness and your tunes are particularly strong.

GC: Well, when you have an opportunity to write for particular people [it makes a real difference]. That record is a good example of that because I knew Marc could do certain things and if we had a tour it would be a chance to work on the music and then go in and record. I can’t really do that with a New York band because I’ve never really done a tour where I was able to fly a band anywhere, just maybe a gig here and there. But this [the Spanish group] was really the only touring I’ve done with something that could be called my own band. So it’s a great chance to develop the music if you’re playing it every night.

AAJ: Speaking of your writing, you have mentioned that Gary Thomas and his early albums, like The Kold Kage, have made an impact on your own composing.

GC: Well, the first time I heard Gary was on a Wallace Roney record and I remember seeing him around at different gigs in Baltimore. In fact, he actually subbed just playing flute on this hotel gig I had playing standards. I always felt like his concept was really original. Again, he deals with rhythm in an interesting way. I have to say, at first it sounded really “out” and I really liked that because dissonance has always attracted me harmonically. But the more I listen to him play, the more I see how much of it relates to the harmony. I mean, it’s pretty staggering.

AAJ: Are there any other recordings that have left an impact on your musical life?

GC: I guess a lot of his [Gary Thomas] records, like his first record is called Seventh Quadrant, which is pretty amazing. There’s one called Till We Have Faces. I guess I’d have to start going to piano players. One record that really got me wanting to play piano was Herbie Hancock on V.S.O.P.. I just thought the way he was comping, it seemed he had so much control over the situation. Actually, three records I listened to a lot when I was starting was Herbie Hancock- Headhunters, Clifford Brown- The Beginning and the End, and Coltrane- My Favorite Things. I remember too I had taped off the radio The Massey Hall Concert and I listened to that a lot. It was funny though, because I would hang out on my block and some of my friends had a radio and they were just flipping around channels. Then they flipped to this one channel and I recognized it immediately. I was like, “Hey this is Charlie Parker at Massey Hall” and they were like, “What’s that?” So early on I knew that jazz was the bastard child of music.

AAJ: Now you spent some time with Cassandra Wilson recently, what other gigs are currently keeping you busy?

GC: Well, when you don’t have a really steady gig you end up being a total freelance. I added it up and I think I’ve worked with 25 different bands just this year. Well, I’m still working with Robin Eubanks. I’m working with Don Byron. I’ve been subbing with Christian McBride and Nicholas Payton. I’m doing a gig with Ralph Peterson’s group and [Michael] Brecker is going to be on it. I’m looking forward to that.

AAJ: Anything else you’d like to share with our readers?

GC: I’d like to do more as a leader and I’m observing what other people are doing. I’d definitely like to do a tour with a band that I can bring out.