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Manzanita Quintet: Osmosis

By Dan McClenaghan
February 9, 2023
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The tried and true quintet formation, set in stone by alto saxophonist

Charlie Parker

saxophone, alto
1920 - 1955

" data-original-title="" title="">Charlie Parker and trumpeter

" data-original-title="" title="">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, four by the group's bassist,

Hans Halt

bass

" data-original-title="" title="">Hans Halt, two more from their saxophonist,

Peter Epstein

saxophone, sopranino
b.1967

" data-original-title="" title="">Peter Epstein, one from trumpeter

Josh D. Reed

trumpet

" data-original-title="" title="">Josh D. Reed and another from keyboardist

Adam Benjamin

keyboards

" data-original-title="" title="">Adam Benjamin. That done, the group wraps things up with the familiar:

Thelonious Monk

piano
1917 - 1982

" data-original-title="" title="">Thelonious Monk's "Bemsha Swing " and

Charlie Haden

bass, acoustic
1937 - 2014

" data-original-title="" title="">Charlie Haden's "Silence."

Opening with "Hansepts," the group slips into stealth mode, prowling around the studio with a chip on its shoulder, then burning the place down on saxophonist Peter Espsteins's turn in the spotlight. It then becomes a collective onslaught that dissipates into an introspective section—back to the prowl.

"Pajaro Dunes," penned by Epstien, celebrates the two-horn statement before slipping into a stinging sax solo, with the rhythm section pushing things forward, relentlessly, until

Adam Benjamin

keyboards

" data-original-title="" title="">Adam Benjamin, on the Rhodes keyboard, takes an extended technique jaunt that modernizes the sound beautifully. The group has a distinctive collective personality, with drummer

Andrew Heglund

drums

" data-original-title="" title="">Andrew Heglund and bassist

Hans Halt

bass

" data-original-title="" title="">Hans Halt rocking it—a fearless pair when it comes to letting their voices be heard.

The quintet's take on Monk's "Bemsha Swing" dances like a dizzy child spinning on the lawn, staggering, stumbling while never missing a step; Haden's set closer, "Silence," sounds prayerful, wrapping things up on an introspective and reverent note.

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Track Listing

Hansepts; Pajaro Dunes; Osmosis; Push; Leaping Forward; Apex; To Quincy; Devotion; Bemsha Swing; Silence.

Personnel

Manzanita Quintet

band / ensemble / orchestra

Josh D. Reed

trumpet

Peter Epstein

saxophone, sopranino

Adam Benjamin

keyboards

Hans Halt

bass

Andrew Heglund

drums

Album information

Title: Osmosis | Year Released: 2023 | Record Label: Origin Records

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