Transparent Productions is proud to present the Vinny Golia trio with Vinny Golia on reeds, Ken Filiano on bass, and Michael T.A. Thompson on drums. Don't miss this opportunity to hear this great LA-based composer and woodwind player.
As a composer Vinny Golia fuses the rich heritage of Jazz, contemporary classical and world music into his own unique compositions. Also a bandleader, Golia 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. Mr. Golia has won numerous awards as a composer, including grants from The National Endowment of the Arts, The Lila Wallace Commissioning Program, The California Arts Council, Meet the Composer,Clausen Foundation of the Arts, Funds for U.S. Artists and the American Composers Forum. In 1982 he created the on-going 50 piece Vinny Golia Large Ensemble to perform his compositions for chamber orchestra and jazz ensembles.
A multi-woodwind performer, Vinny’s recordings have been consistently picked by critics and readers of music journals for their yearly “ten best” lists. In 1990 he was the winner of the Jazz Times TDWR award for Bass Saxophone. 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. In 1999 Vinny won the LA Weekly’s Award for “Best Jazz Musician”. Jazziz Magazine has also named him as one of the 100 people who have influenced the course of Jazz in our Century. In 2006 The Jazz Journalists Association honored him with a Lifetime Achievement Award. 2013 Vinny won the Downbeat Critic’s Poll in the “New Star” category for Baritone Saxophone.
Golia has also contributed original compositions and scores to Ballet and Modern Dance works, video, theatrical productions, and film. As an educator Vinny has lectured on music & painting composition, improvisation, Jazz History, The History of Music in Film, CD & record manufacturing and self-production throughout the United States, Europe, Mexico, New Zealand and Canada. He currently teaches at California Institute of the Arts. In 1998 Golia was appointed Regent’s Lecturer at the University of California at San Diego. In 2009 Vinny Golia was appointed the first holder of the Michel Colombier Performer Composer Chair at Cal Arts.
Vinny has been a featured performer with Anthony Braxton, Henry Grimes, John Carter, Bobby Bradford, Joelle Leandre, Leo Smith, Horace Tapscott, John Zorn, Tim Berne, Bertram Turetzky, George Lewis, Barre Phillips, The Rova Saxophone Quartet, Patti Smith, Harry “the Hipster” 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. Ken Filiano performs throughout the world, playing and recording with leading artists in jazz, spontaneous improvisation, classical, world/ethnic, and interdisciplinary performance, fusing the rich traditions of the double bass with his own seemingly limitless inventiveness. Ken’s solo bass CD, subvenire (NineWinds), received widespread critical praise. For this and numerous other recordings, Ken has been called “a creative virtuoso, a master of technique . . . a paradigm of that type of artist. . . who can play anything in any context and make it work, simply because he puts the music first and leaves peripheral considerations behind.”
Ken composes for his quartet with Michael Attias, Tony Malaby, and Michael T.A. Thomspon; a collective with Attias and Tomas Ulrich; and for his decades-long collaborations with Steve Adams and Vinny Golia.
Michael T.A. Thompson is an anomaly. T.A.'s palate encompasses an abundance of sound colors. He hears everything and plays with it in a way that's ever inventive and perceptively responsive. Thompson plays as he breathes. You'll always find him in the moment, inspired as well as inspiring.
That's why you'll find him in the company of such a wide variety of musical artists, Jazz giants, including Charles Gayle, Nels Cline, Jason Hwang, Vinny Golia, Patricia Parker, Joe McPhee, Oliver Lake, Kidd Jordan, Fay Victor, Matthew Shipp, Uri Caine, Henry Grimes, Christopher Dean Sullivan, Marc Ribot, William Parker; The Shadow, Becket, reggae artist Owen Gray, as well as artists from classical to rap and beyond.
Born (1955) in Miami Florida, at an early age he knew he wanted to play music after hearing Gene Krupa and Buddy Rich. Years later in the summer of 1964 at the age of nine he moved to the US Virgin Islands, giving him his first real exposure to “Live Music.” There he started the process of learning how to play the drum and music. When he first played the music it was based on improvisation. He studied, listen and played all kinds of music from Caribbean to Jazz and everything else in between. He admired great drummers that wrote music. Max Roach was at the top of the list at that time. When he became aware of John Coltrane he knew the journey of music would never end. He knew his heart was deeply attracted to improvisation.
After graduating from high school he decided he would attend Berklee—he took two years to do some intense studying of music theory/chord building, basic arranging and composition—stay for a few years and head to New York. New York was his dream (and) he thought Berklee would be the place that would prepare him for New York. He stayed at Berklee for about 2-3 years, then headed to New York. He was fortunate to have connections in NYC. Eventually musicians started asking him to do gigs.
As he continued to establish himself, he longed for his first love, “Improvisation/Free Music.” He set out on a path and started to meet people like Roy Campbell Jr. who played a big role in helping him find other musicians in that area of music. He met and played/recorded/toured with musicians such as William Parker, Kidd Jorden, Joe Mcphee, Charles Gayle, Dennis Gonzales, Oliver Lake and the rest goes on and on.
