George Golla

George Golla AM[1] (born 10 May 1935 in Chorzów, Poland) is an Australian jazz guitarist.[2][3] In 1959 he commenced a long-term working musical partnership with clarinetist/flautist/saxophonist Don Burrows that continued for almost forty years. On 10 June 1985, Golla was made a Member of the Order of Australia with the citation, For service to music. In 1987, The George Golla Orchestra won the inaugural ARIA Fine Arts Award category of 'Best Jazz Album' for Lush Life.[4]

He has made hundreds of recordings, including The Don Burrows Quartet at the Sydney Opera House (1974, Cherry Pie 1017), and Steph'n'Us (1977, Cherry Pie 1032) with Stephane Grappelli during a tour with Grappelli and Burrows.

George Golla was a teacher at the Academy of Guitar in Bondi alongside Don Andrews, specializing in Jazz and Classical guitar, he wrote several books on theory, scales and the modes.

Biography

Golla was born on 10 May 1935 in Chorzów, Poland. He emigrated to Australia in the 1950s and began working in Sydney from 1957.

In 1959, he commenced a long-term working musical partnership with clarinetist/flautist/saxophonist Don Burrows that continued for almost forty years. They recorded frequently together and in quartets and other combinations; nurtured and featured many young talents including brassman/multi-instrumentalist James Morrison, drummer David Jones and countless others that they taught at the NSW Conservatorium.

He toured frequently throughout Australia and at times with international guest support artists such as vibraphonist Gary Burton in the early 1970s. He has had a long association with Brazilian musicians including Luis Bonfa and extensive performance of and many recordings of Latin American-/Brazilian- influenced jazz, including the acclaimed Bonfa Burrows Brazil (The Orchard).

He appeared at both the Montreux Jazz Festival and Newport Jazz Festival in 1972, and has performed at many Australian festivals. He is a frequent contributor at the annual Frankston International Guitar Festival.

He has made hundreds of recordings, including The Don Burrows Quartet at the Sydney Opera House (1974, Cherry Pie 1017), and Steph'n'Us (1977, Cherry Pie 1032) with Stephane Grappelli during a tour with Grappelli and Burrows.

Golla continues to perform in and around Sydney where he resides, touring interstate and internationally and recording. He has appeared at many workshops locally, nationally and overseas

To celebrate his 80th birthday, Golla collaborated with Australian jazz singer, Jacki Cooper in 2015, to record a duo album called Tea for Two.[5]

Awards and honours

On 10 June 1985, Golla was made a Member of the Order of Australia with the citation, For service to music.[1] In 1987, The George Golla Orchestra won the inaugural ARIA Fine Arts Award category of 'Best Jazz Album' for Lush Life.[4]

References

  1. 1 2 "GOLLA, George". It's an Honour - Honours - Search Australian Honours. Government of Australia. 10 June 1985. Retrieved 20 February 2010.
  2. ↑ "Search Results for author:"Golla, George"". catalogue. National Library of Australia. Retrieved 20 February 2010.
  3. ↑ "George Golla". Australian Jazz Agency. Retrieved 20 February 2010.
  4. 1 2 "ARIA Awards - History: Winners by Year: 1st Annual ARIA Awards". Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA). Retrieved 20 February 2010.
  5. ↑ Moyle, David (May 17, 2015). "Jacki Cooper talks George Golla and Tea for Two". JOY 94.9 FM. Retrieved September 12, 2015.
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