When Michael Formanek concocted a trans-Atlantic ensemble New Digs a few years ago, he laid down a gauntlet for making music that matched or even exceeded the artistic reach of his Quartet of the 2010s and the ongoing, celebrated Thumbscrew trio. New Digs (March 20 2026, Intakt Records) is the manifestation of an-already daring bassist, composer and bandleader being his most audacious.
New Digs, ironically, starts with very familiar cohorts. Guitarist Mary Halvorson and percussionist Tomas Fujiwara are on board, meaning the entirety of Thumbscrew is part of this band. Add to that a 3-man horn section comprising of Chet Doxas (tenor sax), John O’Gallagher (alto sax) and João Almeida (trumpet). Noted Anthony Braxton pianist Alexander Hawkins completes the septet, except in a clever twist, he isn’t playing piano here; Formanek put him in front of a Hammond B3 organ instead.
This is the special sauce, a centerpiece of what Formanek sought to achieve with this band; he intended to deploy this instrument in ways not common in the realm of even the most creative jazz. It’s one thing to write great songs, another to bring in the best talent to carry them out, but Formanek also minded the arrangements that get the most of his melodies and capitalizes on each player’s abilities even as he’s carving out odd roles for Hawkins and the organ.
As I discovered while taking in New Digs, Formanek didn’t have a plan for Hawkins’ Hammond B3, he had many plans and it always included how the rest of the band would thrive with this presence. “aka the Stinger” has that soul-jazz grease to propel it, placing Halvorson in a setting not normally associated with her but her cozy tone and Kenny Burrell coolness more than proves she can adapt. Formanek takes the spot where you’d normally find the organ’s bass pedals, but he’s way more pliant. “Quinze” takes on a classic, 60s Blue Note jazz stance with Hawkins’ Hammond assuming a Larry Young role. Halvorson isn’t quite playing along with that feel, however, plunging head first into overdriven fury for a stimulating solo turn. Hawkins approaches the B3 like a vintage synthesizer for organ-bass only “Nigh Total”, picking out notes that square up against Formanek’s own ruminations in an encounter that’s more psychedelic than jazz.
Hawkins serves a vital function to be sure, but other players are invariably put in the front seat for these tunes. The ambitious “New Old World” goes in a lot of different directions, vacillating between stability and disorder, with Fujiwara playing a key role in navigating the proceedings through its various movements. O’Gallagher’s fluid alto leads the way at the start for the slowly churning “It Was” before the theme is introduced midway through and it turns into a interwoven group effort the rest of the way through.
“Braxes” is a piece Formanek undoubtedly conceived with the horn trio in mind, as no one else aside from the composer participates in it. Starting with a avant-modern pattern stated by the three, the rest of the performance is a tangle of them each stating their own variations and abstractions of it at the same time until they come back together at the conclusion. “For My Consideration” follows a similar tactic as “Braxes,” except that the larger ensemble is involved and Formanek takes a short solo that remindful of how funky this guy can be. “Prequel” starts with a chunky, convulsive prog-rock intro, opening up to exquisitely conceived horn interactions and in another twist, a reduction to Formanek alone, zigging where you’d expect him to zag.
“Gone Home/Interlude for Susan Alcorn” is a paean to the late pedal steel great, for whom Formanek contributed bass for her brilliant work Pedernal. Accordingly, this track carries more emotional weight (the stately horns and Hawkins’ churchy chords help with that), and Doxas’ aching aside is where it makes the most emotional impact.
An artist with a reputation for consistently coming up with novel creative approaches to jazz just put his imagination into overdrive for his latest project. New Digs may very well be the new high water mark for Michael Formanek.
Pre-order/order New Digs from Bandcamp.
| Album Cover | Artist | Title | Format | Buy |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Michael Formanek | New Digs | CD | Purchase Here |
 | Michael Formanek | Small Places | CD | Purchase Here |
 | Michael Formanek Elusion Quartet | As Things Do | CD | Purchase Here |
 | Michael Formanek Ensemble Kolossus | The Distance | CD | Click Here |
- Michael Formanek – ‘New Digs’ (2026) - March 19, 2026
- Alabaster DePlume, “Bringing Up the Nakba” from ‘Dear Children of Our Children, I Knew: Epilogue’ (2026): Something Else! sneak peek - March 17, 2026
- Adam O’Farrill – ‘ELEPHANT’ (2026) - March 16, 2026
