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THE ONUS/THE ONUS (OM0001) 
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Personnel: Darryl Harper, clarinet (1-4); Jeff Ray, guitar (1-5); Jason Shattil, piano (1-4, 6); Matthew Parrish, bass (1-6); Butch Reed, drums (1-6). Tracks: 1. DePriest (Darryl Harper) 5:01; 2. Too High (Stevie Wonder) 4:31; 3. Nina (Darryl Harper) 6:57; 4. How Now (Darryl Harper) 6:03; 5. Bliss (Tony Haywood & Darryl Harper) 7:07; 6. Inner Urge (Joe Henderson) 7:05. Produced by Darryl Harper for Onus Music. Recorded October 26, 1996, at Acoustical Concepts in Chester, PA. Recording Engineer: John Venore. Graphic Design by Ziddi Msangi. Recorded in the fall of 1996, three years prior to The Onus's recent sophomore release, "Reoccurring Dream", "The Onus" is the debut CD that captured in its infancy what is undoubtedly one of the most distinctive and infectious group sounds on today's modern jazz scene. The CD's program, which consists of four original compositions and Darryl Harper's novel arrangement of Stevie Wonder's "Too High" and Joe Henderson's "Inner Urge", establishes Harper's commitment, as a composer and arranger, to bringing fresh, thoughtful and diverse material to the fore. From the languid, mesmerizing mid-tempo groove of "Nina", to the irresistable swing of the blues "DePriest", to the bebop-funk reincarnation of "Too High", to the dancing "How Now" (based on John Coltrane's groundbreaking "Giant Steps"), to the burning piano-bass-drums rendering of the post-bop anthem "Inner Urge", and the soulful guitar-bass-drums treatment of the lilting ballad "Bliss", The Onus gives the listener an array of "looks", all the while maintaining a sound that, even with individual members sitting out, is distinctly its collective own. Reviews:
"The Onus represents a mastery of what I like to call "democratic" group improvisation, or in other words, a situation where the music at times takes on a life of its own, and becomes more important than any one of the players. [T]hese times occur inside the framework of some very cleverly written pieces of fairly straightup acoustic jazz, each of which has a very clear sense of directionality. They all play together quite well . . ., giving you the feeling that they are old pro's instead of the relative youngsters that they are. This is a fine first album, leaving me intrigued to see what the next effort will be like."
-- Nat Birch, JazzCountry.com "Musicianship, depth, and sincerity of purpose, both intellectually and emotionally, are in evidence throughout this wonderful disc. The maturity of the playing, the carefully crafted interaction between the players, and the thoughtful selection of material combine to yield such a listenable result that one hardly notices the total absence of ego or exaggeration in these sophisticated performances. In that aspect itself, it is a rare and wonderful recording . . . "
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