The Vinny Golia Sextet is the current manifestation of Vinny's legendary small ensembles. This particular lineup began in 2007 with Sam Minaie on electric bass. I stepped in as his replacement in 2008 when Sam moved to New York Ciry.
We recorded Abstractions and Retrocausalities in 2011.
Vinny Golia: woodwinds, compositions
Gavin Templeton: alto saxophone
Daniel Rosenboom: trumpet
Alex Noice: guitar
Jon Armstrong: electric bass
Andrew Lessman: drums
Abstractions and Retrocausalities
(NineWinds 2011)
“The Vinny Golia Sextet is a superb example of how intricate compositional ideas and tight ensemble playing combine with open-ended interpretation, loose and multi-directional improvisation, and displays of spontaneous and creative virtuosity to make a seamless and fully satisfying musical whole. “
- Alex Cline
“Reed player Vinny Golia has been around the L.A. scene long enough that he helped give young Nels and Alex Cline their start in the ’80s. Working in a sextet whose members appeared to be at least half his age, Golia kept a three-horn front line just ahead of a thundering rhythm section and the fuzzily metallic acrobatics of guitarist Alex Noice. The giddily unstable mix at times resembled something akin to Lounge Lizards jamming with one of the Smell’s heavy-footed rock headliners.”
Chris Barton – LA Times
“The Vinny Golia Sextet expostulated defiantly jumpy rhythms and tensile Schoenbergian harmonies while young guitarist Alex Noice ripped blazing fuzz guitar.”
Greg Burk – Metaljazz.com
“Vinny Golia and the Chosen Ones. These guys were so awesome…”
Jen Hung – Sleepr Wave/Halfmonk
“These musicians sought me out at California Institute of the Arts, created this ensemble and wanted to improvise and perform the music I compose. There is no greater tribute than that. These fabulous musicians are equally at home performing with complex charts, no charts, standards, music from other cultures, they are today’s new breed of musicians. I am very proud that they asked me to join them to explore and create music together. Our primary group focus became the interpretation of my compositions with an emphasis on improvisation.”
Vinny Golia 9/4/2009
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VG6 has performed at The Stone (NYC),The John Ford Amphitheatre, Ann Arbor EdgeFest (MI), LACMA, The Hammer Museum, Blue Whale, Res Box, UNM Arts Lab (NM), InTheFlowFest (sac); and conducted clinics at CalArts and The Oakwood School.