Over the course of his career, jazz guitarist Nick Colionne hit scored eight #1 hits on the Billboard smooth jazz airplay charts with another nine reaching Top 10 status, and he was the only artist in that category with five #1 hits from a single album with 2016’s The Journey.
“Nick achieved contemporary jazz stardom in the early 2000s, and, since that time has been one of the genre’s most dynamic and tireless live performers,” as described at the Seabreeze Jazz Festival. “Nick was known for his wit, charisma and incredible sense of style…Nick was beloved for his compassion and caring nature; he considered his fans, friends, fellow musicians and artists as his extended family.”
An internationally known guitarist, Colionne is well known here at home in the western suburbs, for when he’s not out touring in his spare time he’s mentoring children at St. Laurence School in Elgin.
As a teen, Colionne honed his performance skills gigging with The Staples Singers, the Impressions, Curtis Mayfield and Natalie Cole. He first emerged on his own in the mid-‘90s, initially with his own self-produced project It’s My Turn (On the Edge). The album got picked up by the west suburban based Lake Shore Jazz of Chicago label, of which he released two more albums during that decade.
His breakthrough came in 2003 with Just Come On In which spanned his first hit single “High Flyin’” https://youtu.be/yOWwodfqQBY. His sound added a bright and fresh, urban, upbeat flavor to the smooth jazz genre.
Critic Jonathan Widran encapsulated where he went from there. “he has since mastered the art of Keepin’ It Cool (2006), transcended musical boundaries to explore realms where there are No Limits (2008), fired up his thousands of worldwide fans with Feel the Heat (2011), dug deep into his musical soul to share some of his deepest jazz and R&B Influences (2014) and made history with his 2016 collection The Journey by becoming the only artist in the history of the format to score five consecutive #1 singles on the Billboard Smooth Jazz National Airplay and Smooth Jazz Songs charts from a single album.” Continuing, “In 2018, he revealed the secret mindset behind his extraordinary impact. Keeping his incendiary, yet heartfelt mix of jazz, R&B, funk blues and soulful, seductive vocals fresh, funky and innovative every time out, he once again made it a blast Just Being Me.”
How does Colionne describe his music? “I feel like a lot of cats try to emulate other players, especially the legendary figures they’ve been inspired by, but I’ve always tried my best to create and cultivate my own vibe,” says Nick “That includes when I play live, because when I’m up there entertaining, I’m there to make it fun and be a bit of a clown at times, too. But I take making music very seriously and do my best to always make my albums flow the way the music does when I’m onstage. I tell the young kids I mentor that instrumental music tells a story, too – you just have to listen closely for the commas, periods and question marks.”
Over his lifetime Colionne has received numerous honors including The Wave’s International Instrumental Artist of the Year Award and the 2010 American Smooth Jazz Awards Wayman Tisdale Humanitarian Award for his ongoing commitment to mentoring youth and his work in the community and nationally in support of breast cancer causes. He also received the 1996 Malcom X College Alumnus of the Year Award, having earned his degree there in music. Nick devoted much of his spare time over the past 25 years to mentoring children at St. Laurence K-8 School in Elgin, Illinois. His roles included counseling, teaching music, computer music skills and guitar, and assisting with talent shows and holiday pageants.
Sadly, we’ve learned that Colionne was admitted to St. Joseph Hospital in Elgin on New Year’s Eve, and passed away early the morning of January 1.
Saxophonist Mindy Abair commented on Facebook, “We lost a beautiful soul, amazing performer and a good friend this morning. He did so much to bring music education to kids behind the scenes, played his heart out every night on stage, and always was a gentleman on and off stage.”
Nick passed away in 2020. Let’s enjoy Nick one more time https://youtu.be/KDQ384-e0B0
Discography
1993 It’s My Turn (On the Edge 1000)
Re-issued in 1994 by Lake Shore Jazz of Chicago (LSJ-009)
1996 Arrival (Lake Shore Jazz of Chicago LSJ-011)
1999 The Seduction (Chicago Lakeside Jazz CLJ-804)
2003 Just Come On In (Three Keys Music 9102222572)
2006 Keepin It Cool (Narada Jazz 9462373312)
2008 No Limits (Koch KOC 4482)
2014 Influences (Trippin ‘N’ Rhythm TNR 70)
2016 The Journey (Trippin ‘N’ Rhythm TNR 84)
2018 Finger Painting (Trippin ‘N’ Rhythm TNR 96)