Nick Colionne

Nick Colionne cultivated a devoted audience through his fluid guitar technique and vibrant live presence, yet he sustained an active teaching practice across more than two decades in music. After releasing his debut album It's My Turn during the 1990s, the Elgin, Illinois native quickly became a sought-after session player throughout the Chicago region, channeling the soul-infused jazz approach of Wes Montgomery, George Benson, and Grover Washington, Jr. While maintaining that performing schedule, he also served as a K-8 educator and mentor in his hometown. Recognition arrived for both endeavors when he received the Wayman Tisdale Humanitarian Award in 2010, then saw his Feel the Heat album reach number one on the smooth jazz airplay charts the next year.

Prompted by his stepfather, Colionne first took up the guitar at age nine. By fifteen he was already working as a touring professional, sharing stages with the Staple Singers, Curtis Mayfield, and the Impressions. Academic pursuits remained equally important; after high school he earned a degree from Chicago's Malcolm X College and began teaching elementary students. For more than fifteen years he held positions as both music instructor and counselor at St. Laurence Elementary School in Elgin. In 1996 his alma mater presented him with the Malcolm X College Alumnus of the Year Award in acknowledgment of his ongoing student mentorship.

Parallel to classroom duties, Colionne issued several smooth jazz and funk-tinged recordings, among them Arrival in 1996, The Seduction in 1999, and Just Come on In in 2003. He joined the Narada roster for Keepin' It Cool in 2006, then earned the International Instrumental Artist of the Year Award at the 2007 Wave Jazz Awards, succeeding Chris Botti. The following year he moved to Koch Records and delivered the well-received No Limits.

Extensive road work outside the classroom helped him develop a loyal European audience. In 2010 the American Smooth Jazz Awards named him a finalist for both Guitarist of the Year and Entertainer of the Year, while the Wayman Tisdale Humanitarian Award again honored his work with children and his support of breast cancer initiatives. That same year he signed with Trippin 'N' Rhythm Records, which issued Feel the Heat in 2011; the project quickly ascended to the top of smooth jazz radio charts.

Influences appeared in 2014. Its opening track, "Got to Keep Moving," reached the summit of the airplay rankings and crossed over into dance clubs. Maysa and James Lloyd contributed guest performances. The Journey, his third album for Trippin 'N' Rhythm, arrived in April 2016, with Just Being Me following in 2018. Nick Colionne died on January 1, 2022, in Elgin, Illinois, at the age of 55.