...Epstein is making some pretty amazing statements rooted in world music and the avant-garde, but stretching even those parameters to create a contemporary modern sound all his own.
Individually, the members of the Manzanita Quintet have created astounding music in their associations with artists such as Kneebody, Dave Douglas, Ralph Alessi, Jerry Granelli, Art Lande, Beck, and so many more. These experiences inform their role as the inspired jazz faculty at the University of Nevada, Reno and in the music they create collectively. Along with Monk's "Bemsha" and Charlie Haden's "Silence," trumpeter Josh D. Reed, saxophonist Peter Epstein, pianist Adam Benjamin, bassist Hans Halt and drummer Andrew Heglund have crafted a set of modern, original compositions that alternately stretch and groove, roar and whisper, revealing the inventive, creative vitality they've brought to this stretch of the Sierra foothills.
Track Listing:
1. Hansepts 7:11 Halt
2. Pajaro Dunes 6:16 Epstein
3. Osmosis 8:05 Halt
4. Push 6:52 Epstein
5. Leaping Forward 5:24 Reed
6. Apex 6:20 Halt
7. To Quincy 4:42 Benjamin
8. Devotion 5:24 Halt
9. Bemsha Swing 5:28 Thelonious Monk
10. Silence 6:14 Charlie Haden
Performers:
Josh D. Reed - trumpet
Peter Epstein - saxophone
Adam Benjamin - piano
Hans Halt - bass
Andrew Heglund - drums
Production Info:
Produced by the Manzanita Quintet
Recorded by Colin Bricker at Mighty Fine Studios, Denver, CO
on November 15-16, 2021
Mixed by Sam Minaie at Birdfood Sound, New York City
Mastered by Nate Wood at Kerseboom Mastering, Queens, NY
Cover photo by Ali Hassan
Cover design & layout by John Bishop
Reviews of Osmosis
All About Jazz (Dan McClenaghan)
The tried and true quintet formation, set in stone by alto saxophonist Charlie Parker and trumpeter Dizzy Gillespie in the late 1940s, is back in 2022 with the Reno, Nevada-based Manzanita Quintet.
So how do they give a fresh shine to a sound that could be considered "done to death?" On Osmosis the guys go at it with some fresh compositions, fou ...
Cirdec Songs (Cedric Hendrix)
A real beauty! A nice bit of modern jazz that manages to adhere to the form without ever really trying to reach it in conventional fashion. It flirts with the avant-garde while still maintaining a solid sense of groove and melody. Trumpeter Josh D. Reed had a gorgeous tone with the flow of Freddie Hubbard. Peter Epstein's sax is the ideal foil as i ...
Take Effect (Tom Haugen)
The assembly of Josh D. Reed, Peter Epstein, Adam Benjamin, Hans Halt and Andrew Heglund, as Manzanita Quintet the members bring much skill and experience to these creative, unpredictable and modern 10 tracks.
"Hansepts" opens the listen with Heglund's precise drums meshing with Epstein's lively sax prowess in the animated jazz climate, and "Paj ...
