Steve Adams & Vinny Golia: Circular Logic-Music For Woodwinds

West Coast based Woodwind specialist’s Vinny Golia and Steve Adams perform a series of duets on Circular Logic-Music For Woodwinds. Adams, a member of the outstanding ROVA Quartet also performs with the Vinny Golia Large Ensemble. Here, the 2 musicians alternate their choice of Woodwind instruments throughout these 14 pieces.

The opener, “Phonation” is a collaboration of contrasting tones or timbre as Adams performs on the Alto Flute while Golia utilizes the Contra Bass Clarinet. These compositions are not entirely free as some might expect or presuppose. “Not Quite” features well-coordinated unison statements and structure while Adams operates the soprano sax as Golia once again is effective with his sharp, sonorous phrasing on the Bass Clarinet. Throughout, these duets afford the duo situations where improvisation and dialogue becomes bountiful yet the compositions adhere to form, contain gobs of lyricism and evoke many moods. On “5 AM” , Adams and Golia both utilize the C & Bass Flutes while performing somber passages along with slight interludes of dissonance yet the austere demeanor lends to somewhat of a semi-classical approach. “Circular Logic” is probing and sure enough portrays a circular compositional feel through Adams and Golia’s phrasing on Flute and A Clarinet respectively. Here, the vivid, lifelike imagery elicits many thoughts and feelings. This writer imagined “Circular Logic” as a theme or soundtrack for a Black & White movie documentary. On “Glue”, Adams on Alto Sax along with Golia’s Baritone Sax perform unison choruses, which evolves into a swing motif. The final track, “Symbolic Logic”, is brief and introspective.

Although the music represented here may appear to be quite intellectual or sober, Golia and Adams manage to shape this affair into something highly entertaining and diverse. The compositional-improvisational mix is on the mark as Circular Logic-Music For Woodwinds represents a tiny yet contemporary glimpse of the history of woodwinds in modern music. Recommended. * * * *

Instrumentation: Steve Adams; Sopranino, Soprano, Alto, Tenor & Baritone Saxophones, C, Alto & Bass Flutes: Vinny Golia; Sopranino; Baritone, Sopranino & Bass Sax, English Horn, Bassoon, Piccolo, C, Alto & Bass Flutes, Eb, Bb, A, Alto, Bass, Contra-Alto & Contra Bass Clarinets.

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