OSMOSIS was formed in 1969 at Berklee College of Music by Charlie Mariano (saxophone), Charlie Bechler (piano), Danny Comfort (bass), and drummer Dick Banda. Singer and Lyricist Bob Knox, and guitarist Andy Steinborn joined the band later that same year. Osmosis, with the addition of Knox and Steinborn, shifted towards a heavier, rock direction, and Banda wanted to play on jazz gigs. , and shortly afterward, Lou Peterson replaced Banda. When drummer Bobby Clarke joined the band, the energy reached new heights, characterized by extensive guitar and bass coordination between Comfort and Steinborn, as well as a complex wall of sound generated by blending the two exceptional drummers. Although "fusion" was not yet an official category in record stores, the band precisely created this genre by combining elements from both jazz and rock.
The band's inaugural performance was held at New England Life Hall in October 1969. Subsequently, they performed at colleges throughout the region and appeared at the Cambridge Common Concert Series alongside The Allman Brothers, Chicago Transit Authority ( Chicago ), and Alice Cooper. They regularly performed on double bills with The J. Geils Blues Band at various venues in New England and opened for Ike and Tina Turner at New England Arena and the Hyannis Coliseum.
On November 20, 1969, Osmosis became the first jazz-fusion band to perform at the Village Vanguard in New York City. Producer Bob Thiele attempted to record the show, but the venue was too small. The band subsequently played the opening act at the Playboy Towers in Chicago, which was originally the Knickerbocker Hotel, and opened for Miles Davis at The Boston Tea Party in Boston, September 13th 1970. The largest local venue they graced was the 4th of July concert at the Hatch Memorial Shell in 1970, which featured Swallow, Daddy Warbux, and other local bands, attracting over 100,000 attendees.
"100,000 people at the Hatch Memorial Shell and the drummer for Steely Dan was in tears saying "we suck, we'll never be as good as you guys" .... the things you remember!" Andy Steinborn
In 1970, Osmosis recorded what was initially intended to be a double album in Studio B at RCA in New York City in less than nine hours. The rough mix was a powerful ensemble of rock and jazz, a genre now known as "fusion." Regrettably, band members stated that the final mix diminished the power and impact of the tracks. The group felt that they had been victimized by a producer attempting to create a "pop" album. The vocals were heavily accented, echo was scattered throughout the tracks, solos were embellished, and liner notes written by the producer attempted to portray the band in a different light than they desired. In essence, most of the band members were profoundly disappointed with the 11-track collection of originals titled simply "Osmosis."
"I wish you had been able to hear the rough mix in the studio. It was amazing and blew the album away. It was depressing to hear what the producers did trying to make it a pop album. Spliced guitar solos, reverb all over and it sounded like listening to a set of speakers with a blanket laid over the front of the cabinet. Bobby and I were ready to hitch hike to NY to be there when they started to mix. That is a massive regret that we never got over." Andy Steinborn
A cross-country US tour was in the planning stages with The Guess Who, but RCA had insufficient funding in the band's budget to support the group. After the label offered to purchase all new equipment for the road, there was minimal remaining money to pay the band, resulting in the cancellation of the US tour. A brief tour of Japan had also been discussed, but that also fell through, and discussions of backing Jimi Hendrix as the rhythm section on his next album collapsed in September 1970 when Hendrix passed away. Osmosis' final performance was late 1970 at The Jazz Workshop in Boston, opening for George Benson. Shortly thereafter, Charlie Mariano relocated to Europe, and the group disbanded.
