New Jersey-born John Colianni was only 19 when, he auditioned for the job of pianist in Lionel Hampton's big band. He made a great impression on the late, great vibraphonist - perhaps because of his percussive playing technique. In Huddersfield he used his fingers and thumbs like tiny hammers, beating out frisky melodic paradiddles at every opportunity. He certainly wielded a heavier rhythmical approach than drummer Matt Fishwick, who stuck to swishing brushes behind Simon Thorpe's muscular double bass.
Colianni has been known to be adventurous in his choice of repertoire, throwing in such splendid oddities as a jazz version of Nirvana's Heart Shaped Box. This performance found him treading more conservative waters, with a set of tunes by such homely old names as George Gershwin, Harold Arlen and Sonny Rollins. He attacked each piece with sharp-fingered alacrity. Colianni's sound and conception is American to the bone; from New Orleans boogie through to jump blues, stride and Basie swing, he not only knew them all but frequently sounded like he was playing all of them at once.
A version of Harold Arlen's Get Happy found him wielding implacable authority over both the material and his bandmates, who responded to him with the efficiency of a well-serviced engine. A tight trio sound seemed perfect for Colianni's often ornate extemporisations on simple themes. The song endings alone were like mini-compositions, full of compulsively reiterated riffs and decelerating ostinatos.
As impressive as they all were, the mind-boggling acts of technical virtuosity became a little repetitive in the second half. It was therefore something of a pleasant surprise when Colianni introduced a glamorous singer called Tira, who appeared from nowhere to serenade us with slinky versions of Making Whoopee and Louis Jordan's Knock Me a Kiss. Her slick, flirtatious interactions with Colianni and some elderly members of the audience raised a few hearty laughs, although the presence of these old songs reinforced the impression that musical nostalgia was most definitely at the top of tonight's agenda.
