Jazz Reviews : Idiosyncratic Sounds From Vinny Golia’s Ensemble

The stage at Patriotic Hall bris tled with flutes, clarinets and saxophones of all sizes Friday as the 18-piece Vinny Golia Large Ensemble presented a program of its leader’s ambitious, sometimes quirky originals. And Golia, a smart composer with a good ear for orchestration as well as a sense of humor, made sure all that firepower didn’t go to waste.

Passages during the long program recalled Bob Graettinger’s impressionistic “City of Glass” that the Kenton band recorded in the ‘50s. Golia looks to re-create that same kind of urban landscape in his music, balancing fragile, stately lines with periods of turbulence and seeming anarchy. Ominous fanfares give way to stirring solo statements. Shostakovich-like marches suddenly snap-to with funky backbeats. A quiet, almost reverent, dirge serves as a backdrop for a frantic alto saxophone solo.

Golia, who credited pianist Wayne Peet for helping with the arrangements, also showed himself to be a sly orchestrator, using a wide variety of instrumental combinations to create pleasant as well as disturbing tonal effects. In the opening number, “Mr. Justice,” his shrill blend of flutes, clarinets and vibraphone framed warm rhythmic lines from the trombone section.

The ensemble displayed precision when called for, but could also play with a considered looseness much like the late Gil Evans’ bands. Guest soloist John Carter tested the range of his clarinet during “Constellations, Made My Own,” hitting clean-as-a-whistle high notes that threatened to climb right out of hearing range. Also standing out was the punchy trombone work of Mike Vlatkovich, John Fumo’s sweet, yet agile trumpet sounds and Mike Acosta’s over-the-edge alto sax solos.

Holding it all together was drummer Alex Cline and dual bassists Ken Filiano and Pablo Aslan. Cline’s array of cymbals, gongs and woodblocks added to the tonal colors while his polyrhythmic attack kept the group powered in the right direction.

Sometimes lost in the proceedings was Golia himself, under-amplified and almost completely encircled by his instruments (which took three full lines in the program to list). He provided a dreamy sopranino solo on “Constellations” and his deep, funky bass saxophone lines highlighted “An Arrow in the Dark.” Although it provided space for many of the night’s best improvisations, “Arrow,” the lengthy closing piece, seemed to continue on in a predictable fashion for too long. But that’s what happens when there are so many potential soloists in one band. Everyone deserves to be heard.