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George Golla AM (born 10 May 1935) is an Australian jazz guitarist. In 1959 he commenced a long-term working musical partnership with clarinetist/flautist/saxophonist Don Burrows that continued for almost 40 years.

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 the clarinetist, flautist and saxophonist Don Burrows that continued for almost forty years. They recorded frequently together and in quartets and other combinations. Together they nurtured and featured many young talents, including brassman and multi-instrumentalist James Morrison, guitarist Guy Strazzullo, drummer David Jones and others they taught at the New South Wales Conservatorium.

Golla was a teacher at the Academy of Guitar in Bondi alongside Don Andrews, specialising in jazz and classical guitar. He has written several books on theory, scales and the modes.

Golla 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-influenced jazz, including the Bonfa Burrows Brazil (The Orchard).

Golla 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.

From 2005 to 2015, Golla performed regularly in a duo with Australian jazz flugelhorn player and singer songwriter Elizabeth Geyer.

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

Discography

Charting albums

Awards and honours

On 10 June 1985, Golla was made a Member of the Order of Australia with the citation "For service to music".

ARIA Music Awards

The ARIA Music Awards is an annual awards ceremony that recognises excellence, innovation, and achievement across all genres of Australian music. They commenced in 1987.

References

1. ^ "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. Archived from the original on 14 October 2009. Retrieved 20 February 2010.
4. Moyle, David (17 May 2015). "Jacki Cooper talks George Golla and Tea for Two". JOY 94.9 FM. Retrieved 12 September 2015.
5. Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 127. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
6. ARIA Award previous winners. "ARIA Awards Best Jazz Album". Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA). Retrieved 25 June 2022.

• Australian jazz guitarists
• 1935 births
• Living people
• ARIA Award winners
• Members of the Order of Australia
• Australian lead guitarists
• Musicians from Sydney
• Polish emigrants to Australia