Michael Formanek (born May 7, 1958)[1] is an American jazz bassist born in San Francisco, California, United States, and associated with the jazz scene in New York.[1]
In 1993, Formanek, Berne and Hirshfield recorded as a trio on the album Loose Cannon.[1] Following this, Formanek led the septet of himself, Berne, trumpeter Dave Douglas, reed player Marty Ehrlich, trombonist Kuumba Frank Lacy, drummer Marvin Smith and pianist Salvatore Bonafede.[1] That same year, Formanek began playing with Berne's ensemble, Bloodcount, through the end of the decade, on the albums Lowlife, Poisoned Minds, Memory Select, Discretion, and Saturation Point.[1] His fourth album for Enja Records followed in 1996, with Douglas, trombonist Steve Swell, and drummer Jim Black.[1]
In 1998, Berne and Formanek released Ornery People as a duo, and Formanek issued a solo album, Am I Bothering You?.[1] He toured with Gerry Hemingway that same year.[1] In 1999, Formanek worked in a trio with Ehrlich and Peter Erskine on drums.[1] In 2000, he played in the quartet, Northern Exposure, with Black, Dave Ballou on trumpet, and Henrik Frisk on sax.[1]
