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About Michael Formanek

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Musician

One marker of bassist Michael Formanek's creativity and versatility is the range of distinguished musicians of several generations he's worked with. While still a teenager in the 1970s he toured with drummer Tony Williams and saxophonist Joe Henderson; starting in the '80s he played long stints with Stan Getz, Gerry Mulligan, Fred Hersch and Freddie Hubbard. (As a callback to those days, Formanek recorded with hardbop pianist Freddie Redd in 2013). The bassist has played a pivotal role on New York's creative jazz scene going back to the '90s when he notably led his own quintet and played in Tim Berne's barnstorming quartet Bloodcount

Album

New Digs

By Michael Formanek

Label: Intakt Records
Released: 2026
Track listing: New Old World; Prequel; It Was; For My Consideration; aka the Stinger; Gone Home / Interlude for Susan Alcorn; Braxes; Quinze; Nigh Total.

Article: Radio & Podcasts

2026 New Releases, Part 2

by Jon Greenbaum
August 9, 2026

This is part 2. And in case you missed it, here's Part 1. Like I said last week, I came across hundreds and hundreds of releases. These are the other 2026 highlights that reconfigured the chemicals in my bloodstream. Playlist Dandy Dandie “23 septembre" from Helios y Selene (Yolk Records) 00:04 Diego Pinera 4x4 ...

Article: Radio & Podcasts

A Few of My Favorite 2026 Jazz Things (so far) - Part 4

by Ludovico Granvassu
July 7, 2026

We have pressed pause on our usual pursuit of the latest arrivals and instead revisited some of the sounds that made the first half of 2026 such a rewarding stretch for curious ears.Happy listening!Playlist Ben Allison “Mondo Jazz Theme (feat. Ted Nash & Pyeng Threadgill)" 0:00 Seu Jorge “Caboclo" The Other Side ...

Article: Radio & Podcasts

Mal Waldron, Bria Skonberg, and James Blood Ulmer (RIP)

by Jerome Wilson
June 24, 2026

This episode features a tribute to the late guitarist James Blood Ulmer. It also contains music from Mal Waldron, Bria Skonberg, Leigh Pilzer and others. Due to technical difficulties, the recording begins in the middle of the first selection.Playlist Andrew Hill “Cantarnos" from Black Fire (Blue Note) 00:00 Paul Hecht “Wayne" from Pyrography II ...

Article: Radio & Podcasts

Bill Dixon, Fay Victor, Szilárd Mezei Octet, Horace Tapscott and More

by Jon Greenbaum
June 7, 2026

In this archived radio transmission we get down with a variety of tasty post bop, free improvisation, experimental sound and through composed beauties. You're right! Here it is corrected:Playlist Luis Gasca “Street Dude" from For Those Who Chant (Blue Thumb Records) 00:00:00 Marty Ehrlich “The Folksinger" from Cartographies of Flight (Corbett vs. Dempsey) 00:11:44 ...

Article: Album Review

Michael Formanek: New Digs

Read "New Digs" reviewed by Glenn Astarita

by Glenn Astarita
May 6, 2026

Michael Formanek has never been content to anchor a bandstand and call it a career. Over decades of work--from sideman stints with Stan Getz and Joe Henderson to the long-running Thumbscrew trio with Mary Halvorson and Tomas Fujiwara--he has operated as a composer and architect, building rooms rather than merely inhabiting them. New Digs recorded over ...

Article: Radio & Podcasts

New Music From Joe Lovano, Peter Erskine, George J. Gilliam And More

by Bob Osborne
April 30, 2026

This collection offers a sophisticated journey through the expansive landscape of contemporary jazz, balancing reverent interpretations of the tradition with bold, experimental frontiers. From intimate trio dialogues and reimagined standards to the sweeping textures of modern orchestral arrangements, these selections highlight the genre's remarkable ability to evolve while staying rooted in its core values of improvisation ...

Article: Play This!

Michael Formanek: aka the Stinger

by Ludovico Granvassu
April 16, 2026

An invitation to perform at the 2023 Guimarães Jazz Festival in Portugal gave bassist and composer Michael Formanek the perfect opportunity to explore the sonic possibilities of the organ--an instrument he first loved in the rock bands of his Bay Area youth, and later rediscovered in the visionary works of Olivier Messiaen.Alexander Hawkins proves ...

Article: Radio & Podcasts

New Music from Smith, Wendel, Fraser, Sweenie & More

by Bob Osborne
April 9, 2026

This selection offers a sophisticated journey through the expansive landscape of contemporary and classic jazz, seamlessly blending intricate post-bop textures with avant-garde exploration and orchestral grandeur. From the evocative, cinematic atmospheres to the raw, legendary improvisations, the tracks traverse a broad spectrum of emotional and technical brilliance. Modern leaders provide a fresh dialogue between tradition and ...