George Golla

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).

Gollae 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.[4]

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.