Risky Notion

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? Can Chick Corea play the drums? Like these masters, Colligan acquits himself nicely in warm, open-ended compositions where he can flail, roll, stroke, and swing to his heart's content. Throughout Risky Notion, Colligan's drumming sometimes exemplifies the naivete of a young musician in love with the sounds of the instrument, his ideas sometimes executed hurly-burly. But Colligan's drumming is as joyful as his music is enthralling.