Career
He performs in the genres of contemporary music, jazz, free jazz, and free improvisation. As a composer, Golia fuses the rich heritage of jazz, contemporary classical and world music into his own unique compositions. Also a bandleader, he has presented his music to concert audiences in Europe, Canada, Mexico, Japan, Australia, New Zealand and the United States in ensembles varying dramatically in size and instrumentation.
In 1982 he created the ongoing 50 piece Vinny Golia Large Ensemble to perform his compositions for chamber orchestra and jazz ensembles.
A multi-woodwind performer, Golia"s recordings have been consistently picked by critics and readers of music journals for their yearly "ten best" lists. In 1998, he ranked 1st in the Cadence Magazine Writers & Readers Poll and has continually placed in the Downbeat Critic"s Poll for Baritone & Soprano Saxophone.
Jazziz magazine has also named him as one of the 100 people who have influenced the course of jazz in the 21st century. Golia has been a featured performer with Anthony Braxton, Henry Grimes, John Carter, Bobby Bradford, Joëlle Léandre, Wadada Leo Smith, Horace Tapscott, John Zorn, Tim Berne, Bertram Turetzky, George Lewis, Barre Phillips, The Rova Saxophone Quartet, Patti Smith, Harry Gibson, Eugene Chadburne, Kevin Ayers, Peter Kowald, John Bergamo, George Gruntz Concert Jazz Band, Misha Mengelberg, Han Bennick, Lydia Lunch, Harry Sparrney and the Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra, amongst many others
Golia founded the jazz record label Nine Winds Records in 1977.
Golia has a formed a number of ensembles that showcase both his style of composition and improvisation. These groups range from the his Large Ensemble to a variety of mixed quintets, saxophone quartets, duos, sextets and arrangements for jazz and classical orchestras. Most recently, Golia has performed and toured with his sextet which features some of the new voices in the Los Angeles free-improv scene.
The group, composed of Gavin Templeton (alto sax), Daniel Rosenboom (trumpet), Alexander Noice (guitar), Andrew Lessman (drums) and Jon Armstrong (bass), has given performances at many of the premiere United States. new music venues and festivals including Angel City Jazz Festival at the John Anson Ford Amphitheatre, the Outsound New Music Summit in San Francisco, and The Stone in New New York