JAZZ REVIEW : Golia Ensemble Pursues ‘Truth’

Don Quixote is the name that keeps coming to mind while listening to Vinny Golia’s music. Like the questing Spanish knight, the saxophonist-composer continues to pursue goals as elusive as they are unfashionable.

Of the various groups he leads, the Large Ensemble, which made one of its rare appearances at Harbor College on Friday, is one of the most fascinating--as well as one of the most demanding to hear.

The entire program was devoted to nine sections from a suite--”One Moment of Truth”--dedicated to the memory of clarinetist John Carter. Performed by an assemblage of 22 musicians, it juxtaposed long, slowly unfolding orchestral masses against free soloing from such players as pianist Wayne Peet, saxophonist Kim Richmond, trombonist Bruce Fowler, drummer Alex Cline and, on a variety of woodwinds, Golia.

The ensemble, whose muddy sound and occasionally imprecise execution sometimes obscured Golia’s lines, nonetheless made the most of the arduous music. There were times when the disjunct rhythms and rich textures proved dramatically effective, producing an almost Wagnerian intensity. Just as often, unfortunately, the pieces appeared to wander aimlessly from one unrelated idea to another.

Difficult music, to be sure, with the pluses and minuses of all vanguard efforts. Despite the unevenness of Golia’s work, however, one has to admire someone who, at a time when the bottom line is the true dragon for creative artists, is so determined to follow his own creative crusade.