Michael Formanek

Bassist and composer Michael Formanek has been a major presence on the New York City creative jazz scene since the 1990 release of his debut album as a leader, Wide Open Spaces, on the Enja label. Formanek had already proven himself a skillful sideman in ensembles led by the likes of Freddie Hubbard, Joe Henderson, Dave Liebman, Fred Hersch, and Attila Zollar, but Wide Open Spaces was the first recording that revealed the bassist's ability to write widely varied compositions emphasizing the strong talents of his own ensemble members (in this case saxophonist Greg Osby, violinist Mark Feldman, guitarist Wayne Krantz, and drummer Jeff Hirshfield). In 1992, Enja released Formanek's second recording, Extended Animation, which featured the same bandmembers as Wide Open Spaces except for one important difference: a switch in saxophonist from Osby to Tim Berne. From the unison bass-sax line in the opening measures of the first tune "Liar's Web," the compatibility of Formanek and Berne is apparent; they would continue a fruitful musical partnership for the remainder of the decade. Extended Animation also reveals Formanek's skill in writing compositions of greater length and complexity than the generally shorter vignettes on Wide Open Spaces. The same year that Extended Animation was released, Formanek, Berne, and Hirshfield entered the studio to record Loose Cannon for Italian producer Giovanni Bonandrini's Soul Note label. This trio session, with bass and sax squarely in the spotlight, further cemented the nascent Formanek-Berne relationship. Loose Cannon was released in 1993, as Formanek returned to the studio for another Enja session, this time with his largest group yet. The septet on Low Profile included Formanek and Berne along with trumpeter Dave Douglas, multi-reedist...