by Illiam Sebitz, 5 Finger Review
— September 5, 2024
In Found in Space: The Music of Gregg Hill, Michael Dease and his ensemble showcase Gregg Hill’s ability to compose music that both challenges and inspires.
Michael Dease’s latest album, Found in Space: The Music of Gregg Hill, is a unique and creative journey through the mind of Michigan-based composer Gregg Hill, whose work deftly balances complexity with accessibility. Released by Origin Records on September 20, 2024, the album honors Hill’s exceptional compositional voice, combining intricate counterpoint, shifting time signatures, and surprising harmonic textures with an ensemble of top-tier jazz musicians. Dease, an award-winning trombonist and baritone saxophonist, leads his ensemble to express Hill’s genre-bending compositions’ many moods and colors.
The ensemble assembled for Found in Space: The Music of Gregg Hill are contemporary jazz talents and educators, each musician bringing a unique voice and exceptional artistry to the project. At the helm, Dease on trombone and baritone saxophone, showcasing his versatility as a performer, arranger, and bandleader. Joining him is Rudresh Mahanthappa on alto saxophone, Sharel Cassity on flute and alto saxophone, Jason Hainsworth on tenor saxophone, and Virginia MacDonald on clarinet, each delivering solos rich in expression and technical brilliance. The brass section shines with trumpeter Matt White and trombonist Nanami Haruta, whose contributions add depth and color to the ensemble’s sound. Bill Cunliffe, a Grammy-winning pianist, anchors the rhythm section alongside bassist Katie Thiroux and drummer Colleen Clark, while Gwendolyn Dease’s marimba and percussion work injects a pulsating energy into the mix. Together, this group forms a cohesive unit capable of creatively navigating Gregg Hill’s compositions, making every track a vivid exploration of Hill’s musical imagination. ... [ read the full article ]
by Nolan DeBuke, The Jazz Word
— August 2024
Michael Dease "Found in Space" The Music of Gregg Hill Represents the Power of Collaboration
In the vast cosmos of jazz, some stars burn with a peculiar brilliance, their light flickering in patterns that challenge conventional rhythms and harmonies. Michael Dease’s Found in Space: The Music of Gregg Hill is an album that explores this astral territory, guided by Gregg Hill’s compositions. Released by Origin Records on September 20, 2024, this project is a tribute to Hill’s intricate, genre-defying work, showcasing Dease’s extraordinary musicianship and the formidable talents of his ensemble.
From the outset, the album title, a clever nod to the ’60s sci-fi show Lost in Space, hints at the otherworldly nature of Hill’s music. It’s a fitting metaphor for a composer whose work traverses galaxies of sound, from the angular, Zappa-esque twists of “The Last Pop Tune” to the lush, cinematic landscapes of “Found in Space.” Hill’s compositions are as complex as they are captivating, demanding technical finesse from the ensemble and a deep understanding of the underlying musical architecture. Here, Dease and his ensemble prove more than up for the task.
Each track on this album presents a new perspective of Hill’s distinctive compositional style—a blend of 20th-century classical, jazz, rock, and avant-garde elements that coalesce into something wholly original. The opener, “The Last Pop Tune,” ... [ read the full article ]
Written by Bill Milkoski, Downbeat Magazine
— May 2024
The Door Is Open (OA2; 53:17 ****) is Randy Napoleon’s second volume dedicated to the music of eccentric Michigan-based composer Gregg Hill. Backed by a core of group of pianist Rick Roe, bassists Rodney Whitaker and Lucas LaFave, drummer Quincy Davis and vocalist Aubrey Johnson, whose facile, discipline doubling elevates the proceedings, the guitarist brings a warm, appealing tone and Wis-inspired sensibility to the varied program. Guitarist and vocalist execute intricate unisons on the vibrant title track, the buoyant “Escape To Cat Island” and the delicate titular jazz waltz while Johnson steals the show with her freewheeling scatting on the temp-shifting “Spa-Taneity.” Napoleon shines on the all-out swingers “Skyline” and “the Last Pop Tune,” the “Cantaloupe Island”-sounding “Motel Blues” and the poignant ballad “April Song.”
