Michael Formanek Quartet at Philadelphia Art Alliance

Please join Ars Nova Workshop for a performance by the Michael Formanek Quartet as we celebrate the release of the group's new ECM record, Small Places.

The bassist Michael Formanek got his start working with Freddie Hubbard, Joe Henderson, Dave Liebman, Fred Hersch and Attila Zoller. He has since worked with a wide range of artists, including Elvis Costello, Marty Ehrlich, Stan Getz, Dave Burrell, Jim Black, Chris Speed and Dave Ballou. He has performed on over 100 records, and his first album as a group leader was 1990's Wide Open Spaces. He has toured and recorded on multiple occasions with Tim Berne, in projects like Berne's Bloodcount, and on many as a group leader....

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Please join Ars Nova Workshop for a performance by the Michael Formanek Quartet as we celebrate the release of the group's new ECM record, Small Places.

The bassist Michael Formanek got his start working with Freddie Hubbard, Joe Henderson, Dave Liebman, Fred Hersch and Attila Zoller. He has since worked with a wide range of artists, including Elvis Costello, Marty Ehrlich, Stan Getz, Dave Burrell, Jim Black, Chris Speed and Dave Ballou. He has performed on over 100 records, and his first album as a group leader was 1990's Wide Open Spaces. He has toured and recorded on multiple occasions with Tim Berne, in projects like Berne's Bloodcount, and on many as a group leader.

For this quartet, he assembled some of the best musicians working in jazz today: Frequent Formanek collaborator and saxophonist Tim Berne has had a strong presence in the contemporary jazz community for many years, founding the Screwgun label, working with artists like Bill Frisell, Marilyn Crispell and Nels Cline, and leading ensembles such as Adobe Probe and Big Satan; the pianist Craig Taborn has worked with Susie Ibarra, Roscoe Mitchell and William Parker, and his solo album Avenging Angel (ECM; 2011) was one of the best albums of that year; the drummer Gerald Cleaver has worked with Henry Threadgill, Matthew Shipp and Reggie Workman, and has led the groups Veil of Names, Uncle June, Violet Hour and Farmer By Nature.

The Formanek Quartet's debut album, The Rub & Spare Change (ECM; 2010), deservingly made its way onto several critical year-end lists. Tonight the quartet performs pieces from its new ECM album.

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