NICK COLIONNE
Keepin' It Cool
Narada
Jazz
Nick Colionne has been around for awhile,
but it was his last CD, 2003’s Just Come on In
that brought him to the attention of many listeners. Influenced
by Wes Montgomery and George Benson, Colionne’s work
is a welcome sound for listeners who grew up with CTI recordings
and George Benson’s Breezin’. Eschewing
much of the programming that makes so much smooth jazz sound
like cookie-cutter music, Colionne keeps his guitar work
front and center and plays with an excellent group of supporting
musicians.
Colionne is a Chicago-based musician, and
he recorded Keepin’ It Cool around the Windy
City. Chicago musician/producer John Blasucci of the band
Soleil Moon does quite a bit of keyboard and programming
work as well as producing some of the tracks here. Other
musicians appearing on this disc include percussionist Lenny
Castro, Ricky Peterson (David Sanborn, Prince, Mindi Abair),
and Steve Cole. The resulting music bears the imprint of
musicians who are comfortable with each other and who have
worked together in various configurations.
Colionne leads off with the late-night theme
of “Can You Feel It,” and his Benson/Montgomery
guitar work is in evidence immediately. For listeners who
have found some of Benson’s more recent work to be
too radio-friendly R&B or hip-hop influenced, this sound
will at once be familiar and friendly. Drummer Khari Parker
and percussionist Castro keep the rhythm edgy and interesting,
and though there is programming, it never overwhelms the
group’s energy. The title track is a swinging yet
mellow number that features some nice Hammond B-3 fills
by Ricky Peterson. Again, Colionne and company keep it smooth
but musically interesting. In fact, this is one of the most
interesting to listen to contemporary jazz joints to come
down the road in a while, holding even the casual listener’s
interest throughout.
Other standout tracks include the radio-friendly
hit ballad, “Always Thinking of You,” “You
Were There For Me,” on which Blasucci plays some acoustic
piano that perfectly complements Colionne’s guitar
sound, the relaxed “John L” on which Colionne’s
debt to Montgomery is fully featured, and the funky “Liquid”
on which Cole plays tenor sax and flute. Rounding out the
program is Colionne’s sole vocal on a cover of Tony
Joe White’s “Rainy Night In Georgia,”
on which his deep voice is a welcome addition, and a reprise
of one of the hits from Just Come on In, “High
Flyin’.” Hell, you can’t blame Colionne
for reminding listeners of a good thing, but there’s
plenty of good stuff on Keepin’ It Cool for
his fans to enjoy. If your bag is instrumental contemporary
jazz/funk that is reminiscent of some of the best work in
the genre from the late 1970s and early 80s, then this disc
is definitely for you.
