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Well traveled sideman pianist George Colligan made a trio hit at the Athenaeum Music & Arts Library on June 16, with an LA rhythm section comprised of Hamilton Price on bass and Steve Hass on drums.
Opening with "Waiting For Solitude," Colligan kicked up clouds of resonant harmonies and strands of melody that hung in the air until Price and Hass entered, transitioning the tune into a Latin vamp that Hass tattooed with roiling accents as Colligan embarked on a long, sparkling solo. Price followed, over quiet cymbal washes and choked hi-hat -- the bassist built a spot that balanced alacrity with meaty, low-tones.
Price struck a furious walk over pinpoint ride cymbal articulations for "Song for Tarahumara," a wicked blues that found the pianist toggling between racing scales and stuttered repetitions as Hass turned up the heat before dialing down for Price's time-centric solo. Hass got his own feature in -- an exciting turn that got so involved his hands became a constant blur.
Colligan picked up a pocket trumpet for a run on Freddie Hubbard's "Up Jumped Spring," providing a delightful detour from the "piano-trio" orthodoxy. He's got a raw, looser harmonic conception on the horn, a little more on the free side.
To me the highlight of the evening came in the second set, when Colligan totally deconstructed the middle-of-the-road Carpenter's hit "Close To You," co-opting the theme with languid blues phrasing and block chords, a la Red Garland -- stretching the theme to its outer limits.
Well traveled sideman pianist George Colligan made a trio hit at the Athenaeum Music & Arts Library on June 16, with an LA rhythm section comprised of Hamilton Price on bass and Steve Hass on drums.
Opening with "Waiting For Solitude," Colligan kicked up clouds of resonant harmonies and strands of melody that hung in the air until Price and Hass entered, transitioning the tune into a Latin vamp that Hass tattooed with roiling accents as Colligan embarked on a long, sparkling solo. Price followed, over quiet cymbal washes and choked hi-hat -- the bassist built a spot that balanced alacrity with meaty, low-tones.
Price struck a furious walk over pinpoint ride cymbal articulations for "Song for Tarahumara," a wicked blues that found the pianist toggling between racing scales and stuttered repetitions as Hass turned up the heat before dialing down for Price's time-centric solo. Hass got his own feature in -- an exciting turn that got so involved his hands became a constant blur.
Colligan picked up a pocket trumpet for a run on Freddie Hubbard's "Up Jumped Spring," providing a delightful detour from the "piano-trio" orthodoxy. He's got a raw, looser harmonic conception on the horn, a little more on the free side.
To me the highlight of the evening came in the second set, when Colligan totally deconstructed the middle-of-the-road Carpenter's hit "Close To You," co-opting the theme with languid blues phrasing and block chords, a la Red Garland -- stretching the theme to its outer limits.