GEORGE COLLIGAN QUARTET plus special guest Jaleel Shaw

This what Portlanders think all East Coasters are like

I have 2 very important gigs coming up soon and I'm using my inside connections here at jazztruth.blogspot.com to promote it. It's April 24th at the Jazz Standard in New York, and April 25th at An Die Musik in Baltimore. Yes, I'm flying from Portland, Oregon to the legendary East Coast of the United States just to play for YOU, dear reader! (It's funny how people in Portland talk about the East Coast, like it is so exotic, it must only exist in movies or television; as if you are from anywhere on the East Coast, then you must be some kind of overly-aggressive ruffian, or a former cast member of Jersey Shore, or The Sopranos. "Hey, how you DOIN?".....Many of us, while we might have strange accents, are actually quite normal, and occasionally even polite and considerate.)

Debbie Deane

The first gig is April 24th at the Jazz Standard(116 East 27th Street, New York, NY,(212) 576-2232). Sets are at 7:30 and 9:30. The band will feature the great Lonnie Plaxico on bass, the great Clarence Penn on drums, the great Jaleel Shaw on saxophone, and vocalist Debbie Deane, who you should be somewhat familiar with if you have been following some of my earlier blogs about my December tour of Japan. We will be performing my original music:a handful of instrumentals, but more importantly, music which I wrote lyrics for, or music which I combined with poetry written by my sister, Dana Colligan. It's a bit of a departure for me, and I hope this will pique your interest enough to come check it out. I would hope that the other cats in the band would make you want to check it out!

Jaleel Shaw

April 25th will be in Baltimore at An Die Musik(409 North Charles Street  Baltimore, MD ,(410) 385-2638), which is right down the street from my alma mater, Peabody Conservatory of Music. This is a cool venue; its got a really great, well maintained Steinway piano, and it has a historic feel to it. This performance will be just duo with Debbie Deane. So if you didn't see us in Japan, which is more than likely, you'll get to see us in Baltimore! Sets are 8 and 9:30.

I'm working on a recording with many of these original songs. I'll be playing all of the instrumental tracks on the recording, while Deane will be covering the vocals. Most of these songs I wrote during my 2 year stint in Winnipeg, Manitoba. And no, there are no lyrics about -40 C or curling.

Hope you see you there!