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MICHAEL FORMANEK
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Composer/bassist Michael Formanek may have one of the most diverse biographies in contemporary improvised music. At first glance his list of musical affiliations is both intriguing and confusing. Spanning nearly twenty three years he has played and/or recorded with Tim Berne, Freddie Hubbard, Stan Getz, Marty Ehrlich, Chet Baker, Tony Williams, Gerry Mulligan, Kevin Mahogany, Fred Hersch, Marimolin, Dave Liebman, Uri Caine, Joe Henderson, Mark Isham, James Emery, Bob Mintzer, Mingus Dynasty, Mingus Big Band, Terumasa Hino, Cedar Walton, Attila Zoller, Eddie Daniels, George Coleman, Franco Ambrosetti, Jane Ira Bloom, Ted Rosenthal, Bob Moses, Daniel Schnyder, and Gunther Schuller.
In addition to playing the acoustic bass, composition plays a very large part in Formanek’s total musical picture. His four recordings for the Enja label, Wide Open Spaces, Extended Animation, Low Profile and Nature of the Beast, were received with wide critical approval. All of these recordings feature his compositions exclusively, performed by musicians such as Greg Osby, Tim Berne, Mark Feldman, Dave Douglas, Marvin “Smitty” Smith, Ku-umba Frank Lacy, Marty Ehrlich, Wayne Krantz, and Jim Black. In addition, Formanek’s 1992 collaboration with Tim Berne and Jeff Hirshfield, Loose Cannon (Soul Note), continues to show up in many a serious collector's archives.
In the past ten years Formanek has performed his music many times with a wide range of ensembles. His band Wide Open Spaces played at the Leverkusener Jazztage in Leverkusen, Germany, the Espoo Festival in Finland, Lincoln Center Out-Of-Doors in New York City, and in many clubs and concert halls in the United States and Europe. Current ongoing projects include Tim Berne’s bloodcount and the cooperative trio Relativity with Peter Erskine and Marty Ehrlich, the latter of which has recently recorded a debut album for Enja. In 1998 Formanek released both his first solo CD, Am I Bothering You?, on the Screwgun label, and the debut CD by the Berne / Formanek Duo, Ornery People, on the Little Brother label.
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