Post Tagged with: "Michael Formanek"

Thumbscrew - 'Wingbeats' (2024)

Thumbscrew – ‘Wingbeats’ (2024)

Thumbscrew’s elusive sound radically mixes studied with spontaneity and incorporating fresh novel ideas each time around, with ‘Wingbeats’ representing yet another step forward.

Location Location Location [Michael Formanek, Anthony Pirog + Mike Pride] - 'Damaged Goods' (2023)

Location Location Location [Michael Formanek, Anthony Pirog + Mike Pride] – ‘Damaged Goods’ (2023)

Michael Formanek, Anthony Pirog and Mike Pride produce the kind of inspired music that comes from jamming – even if the record wasn’t made that way.

Micheal Formanek Elusion Quartet - 'As Things Do' (2023)

Micheal Formanek Elusion Quartet – ‘As Things Do’ (2023)

Michael Formanek is once again leading a high-powered quartet, and ‘As Things Do’ is as fresh, thoughtful and vigorous as anything he’s ever done.

Thumbscrew - 'Multicolored Midnight' (2022)

Thumbscrew – ‘Multicolored Midnight’ (2022)

Thumbscrew continues to perform greater than the sum of its considerable parts, as ‘Multicolored Midnight’ retains all the freshness of their first time together.

Michael Formanek Quartet, w/ Tim Berne, Craig Taborn + Gerald Cleaver - 'Other Zones' (2022)

Michael Formanek Quartet, w/ Tim Berne, Craig Taborn + Gerald Cleaver – ‘Other Zones’ (2022)

Michael Formanek’s composing prowess had set a high standard for this ensemble. Sometimes, though, you just gotta let guys run off the leash. And, as we now know with ‘Other Zones,’ he did.

Tony Malaby's Sabino - 'The Cave of Winds' (2022)

Tony Malaby’s Sabino – ‘The Cave of Winds’ (2022)

Whether under a freeway or in the studio, Tony Malaby can make good art out of his surroundings and does so again with ‘The Cave of Winds.’

Tim Berne, with Ryan Ferreira, Ches Smith + Michael Formanek - 'Decay' (2015; issued 2022)

Tim Berne, with Ryan Ferreira, Ches Smith + Michael Formanek – ‘Decay’ (2015; issued 2022)

Tim Berne’s Decay quartet was good enough to beg the question of why hadn’t they made a record from their time together. Now, that question needn’t be asked anymore.

Michael Formanek Drome Trio w/ Chet Doxas + Vinnie Sperrazza - 'Were We Where We Were' (2021)

Michael Formanek Drome Trio w/ Chet Doxas + Vinnie Sperrazza – ‘Were We Where We Were’ (2021)

Michael Formanek Drome Trio’s ‘Were We Where We Were’ is a gratifying listen, whether the person beholding it realizes that these songs are musical palindromes or not.

Tim Berne's Bloodcount - '5' (1997; 2021 issue)

Tim Berne’s Bloodcount – ‘5’ (1997; 2021 issue)

‘5’ is a “new” set of old recordings by Tim Berne’s Bloodcount featuring the special sauce that guitarist Marc Ducret added to this supergroup quartet from the ’90s.

Tim Berne's Bloodcount - 'Attention Spam' (1997; 2021 issue)

Tim Berne’s Bloodcount – ‘Attention Spam’ (1997; 2021 issue)

‘Attention Spam’ is a reminder that the special makeup of Tim Berne’s Bloodcount made the music itself special and this latest output is a precious capture from those short few years the ensemble was active.