Mixing it up with Golia on this album is an assemblage of some of the best new music players on the continent. Each performer here is a seasoned solo artist in their own right, and Golia's compositions exploit their talents to the utmost degree. From a purely saxophonist point of view, Golia is a master. His tone is fluid and pure. He has complete control over intonation on the most unruly members of the saxophone family. He uses multiphonics, altissimo, split tones and tonal clusters with the same ease that other players use quarter notes. This is clealry demonstrated on the first track where he plays a series of multiphonic chords on the soprano, each interlinked by a different partial. Multiphonics and extended techniques are not only part of his vocabulary for saxophone, but also the clarinets and flutes. I am continually impressed by his utter fluency on all instruments. Golia is like the person who speaks 5 different languages fluently and at the same time can read and write artful prose in each language.
The quintet setting is an excellent arena for Golia's talents. Much of the recording is spent exploring the interactions between the musicians. This is not an AABA, solo, solo, solo affair. Golia's compositional and textural mind is so far beyond standard formats that one is shocked by the sheer stamina of the players on this CD and their execution of his tunes. This interplay is readily on "Custodial Services" which spends much of its time as an up-tempo exploration. You can hear the tradition in all of the players on this set, but the focus is on exploring new ground. Watching these musicians perform together is a treat in itself, and being in the same room with this kind of sound is an experience I encourage all musicians to partake in if at all possible. This kind of music and talent only comes along once in a great while, catch it if you can.
This is CD is available from 9 Winds records, PO Box 10082, Beverly Hills, CA 90213