Vinny Golia Quartet - Sfumato (2005)

American West Coaster Vinny Golia has pursued his unique skills as band leader, sideman, organizer, mentor, composer, and improviser in a plethora of settings going back to the 1970s. The wonderful piano-less quartet that he leads here was recorded in a studio session in Lisbon, Portugal two weeks before the group appeared at a nearby festival. At the peak of his powers, and performing with players with whom he was comfortable, this prolific, unsung giant of the reeds and former visual artist offers some of his finest work on Sfumato -- named after a painting technique used by Leonardo DaVinci. The recording quality is stellar, as Golia and trumpeter Bobby Bradford wind, glide, and tangle through eight tracks that bring out the best in each, abetted by superb bassist Ken Filiano and musical soulmate, drummer Alex Cline. The tunes hint at longtime influences Anthony Braxton and Ornette Coleman, as Golia offers some of his most inspired arrangements for quartet. A perfect example is "Monday at Eight, Just Black & White," which features a head performed by soprano sax and trumpet just slightly out-of-synch, with varying velocity. Another winner is "All Together Now," in which bass clarinet and trumpet perform an attractive Braxton-like theme, interspersed by rollicking percussion, while the wildly expressive and difficult theme of "Repetition" pounds out a rapidly repetitive shotgun barrage of notes, leading to variations galore and a splendid show of technique and pure sound. In Zorn-like fashion, there is always something new happening, defying expectations, and the improvisations, whether solo or collective, are consistently top quality from all four players. Filiano crunches with deeply emotional, hard-hitting force, while Bradford, the truest of the brass eggshell walkers, performs with singular grace in his patented rough-hewn style. The freely improvised "That Was for Albert Phase 3" and "That Was for Albert Phase 5" offer original tributes to the great Albert Ayler, the first featuring Golia on flute complementing Bradford's twisted trumpet, and the latter highlighting subdued though thoroughly engaging percussion and acoustic bass in a glorious show of restraint. Each piece on the album shines, without a weak link anywhere, and the broad range of timbre, syncopation, and contrasting lines, with astonishing solo performances and versatility, ensures the staying power of an outstanding emblem of radical jazz.