Michael Formanek-Biography
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 first three recordings for the Enja label, Wide Open Spaces, Extended
Animation, and Low Profile, were received with wide critical approval. If early
responses to his 1997 release, Nature of the Beast are any indication, it will
be no exception. 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
collectors 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,
as well as many clubs and concert halls in the United States and Europe. Ongoing
projects include Tim Berne's bloodcount, "Relativity", a new cooperative
trio with Peter Erskine and Marty Ehrlich, and the Tim Berne/Michael Formanek
duo. Upcoming projects of special interest include a solo bass recording for
Berne's label, Screwgun.
"...a true virtuoso bassist" Pulse! July 1995
"Mr. Formanek's bass solo...dug into the music, and raised the stakes for the rest of the tune." New York Times February 1997
"...deep propusion, big beefy tone, a strong sense of line, individuality expressed through avoiding the expected." Village Voice October 1994
"Mr. Formanek, on bass,
had solid intonation, riffing hard and engaging horns and drums in genuinely
melodic counterpoint." New York Times July 1992