Vinny Golia: Lineage

As the album title suggests, lineage in jazz flows from like minds to the like minded. Vinny Golia’s Nine Winds label, the reservoir of West coast creative music, presents more challenging music than any label releasing modern music today. His quartet heard here includes long time collaborators Ken Filiano (bass) and Alex Cline (drums), plus the legendary trumpeter and veteran of Ornette Coleman and John Carter’s bands, Bobby Bradford. Golia on tenor & baritone saxophones and Bb & bass clarinets leads the pianoless quartet through eight original compositions too sober to be Ornette knock-offs. The lineage referred to here comes directly through John Carter. The quartet keeps its emotions checked but lets lyricism flow throughout the set. Bradford, the replacement for Don Cherry in Ornette’s band, plays with the folksiness of Cherry, but doesn’t display his brittle nature. Perhaps this is the format best suited to display Vinny Golia’s immense talent. With a familiar rhythm section and a sympathetic horn to trade off, Golia finds his voice. His sound dares comparisons to Anthony Braxton, but I’ll place Golia alongside Marty Ehrlich for imagination and creative compositions. The quartet plays at a relaxed organized groove, outside enough to please adventurous fans, yet composed enough for casual listening.

Track List:Hello To Mrs. Minifield; Winterset; Tenorphonicity; Legends; Logic; Folklore, Fact; Hsaibde; So Close To Where You Live; Pierriot For Al; Caught By Surprise