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Event
Michael Formanek Quartet
CREATIVE DIFFERENCES presents
MICHAEL FORMANEK QUARTET
Michael Formanek: double-bass
Tim Berne: alto saxophone
Craig Taborn: piano
Gerald Cleaver: drums, shruti box
Small Places is double-bassist/composer Michael Formanek's follow-up to The Rub and Spare Change, his widely lauded ECM debut as a leader. That 2010 release garnered a rare five-star review in DownBeat magazine, while The New York Times described the disc as being "graceful in its subversions, often even sumptuous." The review in Progression perhaps put it best: "This type of listening experience, dense yet luminiferous, treads the tightrope between cerebral and streetwise in a damn cool way."
The new album features the same powerhouse band of longtime confreres, with Formanek in seemingly telepathic league with saxophonist Tim Berne, pianist Craig Taborn and drummer Gerald Cleaver. Small Places is a step beyond this quartet's first release, with the compositions and improvisation blending so that a listener is scarcely able to tell where one leaves off and the other begins. Earthy yet atmospheric, this is jazz alive with dark-hued melody and bone-deep rhythms, rich in dynamic possibility and the sound of surprise.
Born in San Francisco, California, in 1958, Michael Formanek has performed in myriad contexts since he played a precocious gig with Tony Williams Lifetime when only 18. The bassist has worked with old masters from Lee Konitz to Joe Maneri via Joe Henderson, Freddie Hubbard and Stan Getz, as well as with a who's who of contemporary New York progressive players (including as a member of Tim Berne's longstanding Bloodcount band). As a leader, Formanek released a string of albums on the Enja label in the 1990s, as well as a solo bass disc for Berne's Screwgun label. Formanek teaches jazz bass at the prestigious Peabody Conservatory of Music in Baltimore, where he also directs the Peabody Jazz Orchestra. In 2007, his composition for symphony orchestra with jazz soloists, The Open Book, was premiered at Peabody.
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LocationThe Windup Space (View)
12 West North Avenue
Baltimore, MD 21201
United States
Categories
| Kid Friendly: No |
| Dog Friendly: No |
| Non-Smoking: Yes! |
| Wheelchair Accessible: Yes! |
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