Risky Notion

4-STARS ...Colligan's drumming is as joyful as his music is enthralling.
Ken Micallef, Downbeat

A wildly inventive, dynamic and ubiquitous pianist for the last two decades, George Colligan certainly needs no introduction in that role. But with his Portland-based band Theoretical Planets, Colligan displays an alternate yet equally effective side as he leads his chord-less, two saxophone quartet from behind the drums. With Colligan's long hours spent on the bandstand with a multitude of the world's premier drummers (he currently tours with Jack DeJohnette and Lenny White), their influences are apparent, but his powerful and distinctive musical vision always prevails.

Production Info:

Recorded March 16th at Dead Aunt Thelma's in Portland Oregon
Engineered and mixed by Sacha Muller
Mastered by Dana White
Photos by Sacha Muller
Cover design & layout by John Bishop

Reviews of Risky Notion

Midwest Record (Chris Spector)
Looks like touring with Lenny White and Jack DeJohnette has given the piano man impetus to lead a crew from the drummer's chair. With twin saxes leading the charge from the front of the bandstand, Colligan and his pals show more appreciation for civil rights jazz that you might expect from a white boy. Wild stuff for when you need to ride a jazz r ...

KUCI, Irvine, CA (Hobart Taylor)
Colligan is a renowned pianist composer who also whetted his chops on trumpet from time to time. On this new outing on Seattle's Origin label he switches to drums. He has worked with the great Jack DeJohnette and Billy Hart on some of his previous recordings, and some of it has rubbed off. He is a very melodic drummer, fluid, casual and precise. T ...

Gina Love Jazz (Berlin) (Matthias Kirsch)
George Colligan, the pianist who has worked with everyone from Phil Woods to Cassandra Wilson, from Nicholas Payton to Vanessa Rubin, or from Gary Bartz to Don Byron, also plays trumpet, organ, and drums. And his latest album “Risky Notion” is where you can hear him solely playing the latter. With his group, the Theoretical Planets, he has come ...

Downbeat (Ken Micallef)
Finally, what with everyone thinking they're as smart as their drummer, some want to become the drummer, as heard on pianist George Colligan & Theoretical Planets' Risky Notion. As Colligan tells it, after recording his 25th album, it was "time for something drastically different." But can Colligan play? Well, can Jack DeJohnette play the piano ...

Music Life & Times (Travis Rogers, Jr.)
George Colligan has released an album of new compositions with young musicians and Colligan himself in a new role with the CD "Risky Notion" by George Collian and Theoretical Planets (Origin 82681). Most people who know George Colligan think first of him as a pianist and that is as it should be, to think of him as a pianist first. What falls f ...

Jazz Society of Oregon (Tree Palmedo)
It's a common scene at a Portland jam session: George Colligan walks in, sits at the piano and rips a nimble bebop solo. George Colligan pulls out his pocket trumpet, plays a subdued solo, then moves to the bass--you see where this is going. Colligan's multi-instrumental prowess is well known, but until Risky Notion, the acclaimed pianist had never ...

Cadence (Don Lerman)
George Colligan has performed with many prominent jazz figures as well his own group, has recorded prolifically both as a sideman (over 100 albums) and as a leader (25 albums), is a noted composer, and is currently on the jazz faculty at Portland State University in Portland, Oregon. Better known for his work on piano, Colligan plays drums on (1), ...

Improvijazzation Nation (Rotcod Zzaj)
Here's a new one (for us, anyway)… George (the pianist) leading his Theoretical Planets band on drums… two tenor saxophone (Nicole Glover and Joe Mantis, Jon Lakey on drums and Tony Glausi on trumpet (3,4,5)… as I listen to the 8:15 "Con Woman", it's evident that his rhythm-keeping skills are just as healthy as his keyboard chops… the tune ...

WTJU - Richmond (Dave Rogers)
Multi-instrumentalist Colligan pulled this current group together by recruiting two of his students at Portland State (Nicole Glover, tenor & soprano sax and Jon Lakey, bass) and other locals Joe Manis (tenor & alto sax and Tony Glausi, trumpet). Though most widely known as a pianist, Colligan is the drummer on this release - his first as a leader ...