Michael Formanek Drome Trio - Were We Where We Were (March 18, 2022 Circular File Records)

Were We Where We Were is a recording of set of compositions by Michael Formanek, and performed here by him, saxophonist and clarinetist Chet Doxas, and drummer Vinnie Sperrazza, collectively as the Michael Formanek Drome Trio. These pieces were loosely grouped together as Palindrome Series 1 and Palindrome Series 2, from 2020. They started out as a series graphic scores that were then reinterpreted as conventionally notated music for this trio. The Drome trio learned the music and rehearsed outside during the pandemic of 2020, and then recorded in the studio in early December of 2020. Since then the trio continues to work and develop the music whenever possible.

The incredible artwork on the physical packages are by Stewart III, and design is by Stephen Byram and Warren Linn.

Were We Where We Were will be released by Circular File Records on Vinyl, CD and digital formats on March 18th, 2022.

PROGRAM NOTES

Like most of the musicians I know, the initial pandemic lockdowns of March 2020 were a huge wakeup call on many levels. Levels on which I’m still trying to sort out. As I write this in mid-September of 2021, things still largely unresolved, the return to any kind of normalcy seems unlikely. By that I mean, the already abnormal version of the freelance musician is a lifestyle in which a regular income has always been a difficult thing to count on, only to be further compromised by the pandemic. Musicians learn to thrive when things are good, but also learn to remain creative and productive when they are not. In fact, during the good times, the musicians on my end of the musical spectrum tend to reinvest their earnings back into their own creative work, even if this work lacks the chance at being profitable. Outside of music, to even consider this as a possibility, could be viewed as a folly. But such is the life of an artist; passion over reason.

One thing the pandemic did afford creative musicians though was time….lots and lots of time! Time to learn how to teach private students on Zoom. Time to work on remote projects with other like-minded collaborators. Time to practice your instrument, or to learn one that you hadn’t even played before. Time to compose and experiment with ideas that, outside of a global shutdown, would otherwise seem impractical due to the usual lack of rehearsal and time for players to embrace them. Thanks to the availability of unemployment payments and several other funding sources, many musicians were able to weather the storm and continue to increase their levels of proficiency.

In mid-Summer 2020, I noticed that my perception of the passage of time had changed and was affecting the way I heard and thought about music. I was hearing music that included voices that moved at differing velocities, sometimes in sync by specific metric ratios, others freely moving with more fluid temporal relationships, and at other times completely random. I was also starting to hear fragments of music that moved forwards and backwards through time. While contemplating these musical fragments, the initial effect that struck me reminded me of the sound of playing a recording of a short music phrase forwards then immediately backwards. Upon further study, I started to become interested in the reversal of all of the musical information afforded to me: pitches, rhythms, dynamics, notation and group interaction. This eventually turned into a fascination and mild obsession with musical palindromes.

The early versions of the Palindrome Series compositions were conceived by using the technique of graphic notation. This is a method of composition that uses pictorial representations to convey musical information rather than the typical five-lined staff. I began composing the suite by drawing two musical staffs onto an iPad with an Apple Pencil. The first staff was in black and white, and was roughly the shape of a horseshoe lying on its side but with the bottom of one side extending vertically upwards towards the beginning, but without touching it. I had seen many beautiful examples of contemporary graphic scores that were very carefully drawn and with the utmost of precision. These were clearly not that, and were never intended to be. My intention was to write down my musical ideas and consciously bend them back around to where they started. This psychological trick that I played on myself was to try and keep me from thinking only in a strictly linear way. As I completed the first staff I wrote the words “repeat backwards or forwards” into the score because I wasn’t yet sure how the material would be interpreted by the performers, only that it would somehow involve bi-directionality. In writing the second staff I incorporated two different colors, red and blue. I drew a treble clef symbol in red at the beginning (upper left corner) of the staff, and a reversed bass clef in blue at the end of the staff so it would not only be interpreted as the beginning of a part. With this second staff my original idea was to have the treble part moving forward and the bass part moving backwards. These visual works are what ultimately led to creating the written palindromic material for the suite, please see Ex.1 of graphic scores.

I then printed out copies of both staves, #1 and #2, and began to compose directly onto them, constantly hearing the music going in both directions. Once I had several versions of these études, I chose ones that I thought worthy of further exploration and translated them using conventional music notation. These newly notated scores allowed the performers to read the music in a format that they were more accustomed to, without having to decipher the hieroglyphic nature of the graphic scores. Furthermore, since the graphic versions included almost no bar lines, I could take more liberties in the process of writing these notated parts. The result was one of a more abstracted flow which included just enough organization to frame and contain the form of the statements. Finally, staying true to the original concept of the graphic scores, the written material (and for that matter, the work in its entirety) can be performed exactly the same way left to right as right to left.

I was now ready to get to work on developing these ideas into something playable by humans. To my surprise and delight, in mid-August of 2020, I was notified by the Jazz Coalition that I was among fifty composers to be awarded their recently established commission grant. It just so happened that during this same period two of my favorite humans (who also happened to be great musicians) had begun to make weekly treks from Brooklyn to my home in Northern New Jersey. Chet Doxas, a fantastic tenor and soprano saxophonist, clarinetist, and composer and I had been playing together occasionally before the lockdowns, and we had already started to develop a musical rapport. Drummer and composer, Vinnie Sperrazza, and I have been playing together for several years. During 2017-18 my wife, Sandi, and I were planning our move back to the New York area after many years away, first in rural Pennsylvania and then in Baltimore. I was actually Vinnie’s tenant at his apartment in Kensington, Brooklyn, and having Vinnie’s place during that period was amazingly beneficial for my return to the freelance creative musician life that I had been away from for many years. Playing duo with Vinnie in his music studio before heading out to do our daily rehearsals, sessions and gigs was one of my favorite things to do during that time. This period greatly served to help build the foundation that supports this recording and many of the other projects in which we continue to be involved with together.

To stay on the safe side, during the height of the pandemic Chet, Vinnie and I began playing weekly sessions outside in my backyard. Our repertoire ranged from jazz tunes, to standards, and free improvisations. It would be months before we began playing the palindromic pieces that would eventually become the music on the album Were We Where We Were. Special thanks to my gracious neighbors in West Orange, New Jersey for their generosity and enthusiasm while we rehearsed, especially since I know that this music did not sound so great in the beginning. I really appreciate that no one complained about it! After all, it was a very unusual time for all and we seemed to be working it, one day at a time.

Michael Formanek

Tracks for Digital and CD Release:

1. Tattarrattat - (Formanek) 27:00

2. Never Odd or Even (Formanek) 12:10

3. Is It What It Is (Formanek) 6:28

4. Tattarrattat (Vinyl Version) (Formanek) 19:22

Michael Formanek - Double Bass

Chet Doxas - Tenor and Soprano Saxophones, Clarinet

Vinnie Sperrazza - Drums

Recorded on December 02, 2020 at Sound On Sound Studio, Montclair, New Jersey by David Amlen

Mixed by Chet Doxas in January-February 2021

Mastered by Alex DeTurk

Produced by Michael Formanek

Art: Stewart III - Design: Stephen Byram & Warren Linn

Tattarrattat was composed with support of the Jazz Coalition Commission Grant in August 2020

PRE-ORDER

Tony Malaby 'The Cave of Winds' – Jan. 7 via Pyroclastic Records

Saxophonist/composer Tony Malaby reconvenes his stunning quartet Sabino with guitarist Ben Monder, bassist Michael Formanek and drummer Tom Rainey

 

The Cave of Winds, due out January 7, 2022 via Pyroclastic Records, draws inspiration from Malaby’s Covid-era sessions under a NJ turnpike bridge

" [The] tenor and soprano saxophonist Tony Malaby has earned a reputation as one of New York’s stalwart improvisers, through an array of sideman appointments and some rigorously rewarding albums."

– Nate Chinen, New York Times

 

" Malaby will play inside, outside and all around his saxophone, but never once will it sound out of place with whatever else is happening."

– Paul Acquaro, The Free Jazz Collective 

The 2020 pandemic forced most of us indoors, musicians included, resulting in a surfeit of new solo projects and home recordings. Saxophonist Tony Malaby took the opposite approach. Having hosted regular sessions at his home for years, resulting in countless new collaborations and inspired breakthroughs, he decided to take these creative get-togethers out into the streets (both as an antidote for cabin fever and out of consideration for his suddenly homebound neighbors).

 

Beginning in July of 2020, Malaby began hosting regular sessions underneath a turnpike overpass near his home in New Jersey. Leading a trio featuring bassist John Hébert and drummer Billy Mintz, Malaby invited such improvising luminaries as Tim Berne, Mark Helias, Ches Smith, William Parker and others to join him in the graffiti-covered, reverberant enclave that buzzed with the sound of nearby pedestrians, overhead traffic and the usual collision of nature and humanity that fuels the city.

 

“My artistic discipline comes from playing sessions,” Malaby says. “I just couldn't let that go. It was something I needed just to keep my head above water with everything that was happening with the pandemic and the [presidential] election. Everything was nuts, so I just had to go down there and throw sound with my guys. It got me through and kept me positive.”

 

The turnpike sessions proved to be not only a respite from Covid-related stir craziness but also a source of considerable inspiration for Malaby. The saxophonist felt rejuvenated by the freedom and unique sonic qualities of the space, elements that he wanted to carry into the studio. Feeling that a guitar quartet would make the ideal setting, he reconvened Sabino, the group with which Malaby recorded his debut album in 2000. With bassist Michael Formanek, drummer Tom Rainey and guitarist Ben Monder (stepping in for the original album’s Marc Ducret), he recorded the adventurous new album The Cave of Winds, due out January 7, 2022 via Pyroclastic Records.

 

While there are natural rock formations that share the name in both Niagara Falls and Colorado, The Cave of Winds is Malaby’s affectionate nickname for the turnpike bridge that he made his musical home for the better part of a year. “It was like a tunnel down there,” Malaby recalls. “Wild, crazy things would happen while we were playing in that cavern. Trucks were rolling by, sirens going off, birds singing. We would be down there in 30-degree February weather and the wind would be howling. It was incredible.”

 

The compositions that make up The Cave of Winds were directly inspired by Malaby’s tenure under the bridge. With the literal and figurative space offered by that environment, he was prompted to pen minimal pieces ripe for expansion by the trio and their guests; at the same time, they also are colored by a return to more traditional jazz contexts by this inveterate free improviser.

“Billy Mintz and John Hébert got me into playing standards and jazz repertoire again,” Malaby explains. That comes into play here. We still play freely, and so, you know, but doing that led me to think about harmonic color, the richness of my roots and the joy of playing changes with someone like Ben Monder.”

 

One of the most striking examples of this collision of the tradition and Malaby’s intrepid spirit is the album’s closing track, “Just Me, Just Me.” A contrafact based on the chord changes of the classic “Just You, Just Me” (memorably recorded by the likes of Nat King Cole and Thelonious Monk, among countless others), the tune is far more agitated experience than its jaunty predecessor, and while the title is a tongue-in-cheek play on the original it also captures the fervent individuality of these four musicians.

 

Similarly, the burnished bop melody of “Corinthian Leather” is a loose reinterpretation of Dizzy Gillespie’s “Woody ‘n You,” leading to unspooling invention from both Malaby and Monder as they stretch the flexible theme beyond recognition. Monder’s roaring heavy metal distortion introduces “Scratch the Horse,” which draws inspiration from the Native American ceremonies depicted in the Richard Harris western A Man Called Horse. “Recrudescence” is a hypnotic group improvisation reflecting on the cyclical nature of the musical life, interrupted though it may have been by recent events, while “insect Ward” suggests a sanctuary for Malaby’s restless, flitting soprano (parried by Formanek’s buzzing bowed bass). “Life Coach” is a duo improvisation by Malaby and Rainey dedicated to their former bandleader, bassist Mark Helias, whose presence the saxophonist insists he can hear in the rhythm and language they share.

 

The Cave of Winds marks the closing of a few chapters for Malaby. For one, it spells the end of the turnpike sessions and the period of research and exploration they represented. Coinciding with the lifting of pandemic-era restrictions, Malaby also left the New York area after more than 25 years for Boston, where he’s taken a position on the faculty of Berklee College of Music.

 

The album also brings Malaby’s career full circle as he embarks on this new venture. 20 years after the release of Sabino he revisits that quartet with three of his most longstanding collaborators. Malaby met Formanek while the saxophonist was still a student at William Paterson University, when both played with the Mingus Big Band. They were both enlisted by saxophonist Marty Ehrlich for a band that also included Tom Rainey on drums, forging a connection that would remain strong for the next three decades.

 

While Ducret was featured on the 2000 album, Ben Monder actually precedes him as Sabino’s guitarist, in an early version of the quartet that featured Jeff Williams and Ben Street. Malaby had initially heard the brilliant guitarist in Marc Johnson’s short-lived band Right Brain Patrol, then approached him at the bar of the Knitting Factory. They met again a week later on a session led by Guillermo Klein and have been working together regularly and fruitfully ever since.

 

Like the primal space its name implies, The Cave of Winds is vast and tempestuous, opening into a reservoir of mystery and inviting the curious to venture deep within. Encouraged by Malaby’s dauntless curiosity, these four stellar musicians delve into the furthest reaches and emerge with inspired riches.

1. Corinthian Leather

2. Recrudescence

3. Scratch the Horse

4. Insect Ward

5. The Cave of Winds

6. Life Coach (for Helias)

7. Just Me, Just Me

Tony Malaby - Tenor and Soprano Saxophones

Ben Monder - Guitar

Michael Formanek - Double Bass

Tom Rainey - Drums

All compositions by Tony Malaby (Chubasco Music/ Sesac) except 'Recrudescence' by Monder/ Formanek/ Rainey/ Malaby

Recorded at Samurai Hotel Studios on June 24, 2021

Mixed and Mastered by Mike Marciano at Systems Two Long Island

Graphic Design by Hidde Dijkstra

Cover Art: 'Lost in Thoughts' by Marieken Cochius

Photo by Peter Gannushkin

Produced by Tony Malaby

Executive Producer: Kris Davis

Tony Malaby’s Sabino – The Cave of Winds

Pyroclastic Records – PR 18 – Recorded June 24, 2021

Release date January 7, 2022

PRE ORDER

Out Fri. Nov. 12: "Just Me, Just Me" – Single from Tony Malaby's upcoming album "The Cave of Winds"

Saxophonist/composer Tony Malaby reconvenes his stunning quartet Sabino with guitarist Ben Monder, bassist Michael Formanek and drummer Tom Rainey 

The Cave of Winds, due out January 7, 2022 via Pyroclastic Records, draws inspiration from Malaby’s Covid-era sessions under a NJ turnpike bridge 

" [The] tenor and soprano saxophonist Tony Malaby has earned a reputation as one of New York’s stalwart improvisers, through an array of sideman appointments and some rigorously rewarding albums."

– Nate Chinen, New York Times 

" Malaby will play inside, outside and all around his saxophone, but never once will it sound out of place with whatever else is happening." 

– Paul Acquaro, The Free Jazz Collective

The 2020 pandemic forced most of us indoors, musicians included, resulting in a surfeit of new solo projects and home recordings. Saxophonist Tony Malaby took the opposite approach. Having hosted regular sessions at his home for years, resulting in countless new collaborations and inspired breakthroughs, he decided to take these creative get-togethers out into the streets (both as an antidote for cabin fever and out of consideration for his suddenly homebound neighbors). 

Beginning in July of 2020, Malaby began hosting regular sessions underneath a turnpike overpass near his home in New Jersey. Leading a trio featuring bassist John Hébert and drummer Billy Mintz, Malaby invited such improvising luminaries as Tim Berne, Mark Helias, Ches Smith, William Parker and others to join him in the graffiti-covered, reverberant enclave that buzzed with the sound of nearby pedestrians, overhead traffic and the usual collision of nature and humanity that fuels the city. 

“My artistic discipline comes from playing sessions,” Malaby says. “I just couldn't let that go. It was something I needed just to keep my head above water with everything that was happening with the pandemic and the [presidential] election. Everything was nuts, so I just had to go down there and throw sound with my guys. It got me through and kept me positive.” 

The turnpike sessions proved to be not only a respite from Covid-related stir craziness but also a source of considerable inspiration for Malaby. The saxophonist felt rejuvenated by the freedom and unique sonic qualities of the space, elements that he wanted to carry into the studio. Feeling that a guitar quartet would make the ideal setting, he reconvened Sabino, the group with which Malaby recorded his debut album in 2000. With bassist Michael Formanek, drummer Tom Rainey and guitarist Ben Monder (stepping in for the original album’s Marc Ducret), he recorded the adventurous new album The Cave of Winds, due out January 7, 2022 via Pyroclastic Records.

While there are natural rock formations that share the name in both Niagara Falls and Colorado, The Cave of Winds is Malaby’s affectionate nickname for the turnpike bridge that he made his musical home for the better part of a year. “It was like a tunnel down there,” Malaby recalls. “Wild, crazy things would happen while we were playing in that cavern. Trucks were rolling by, sirens going off, birds singing. We would be down there in 30-degree February weather and the wind would be howling. It was incredible.” 

The compositions that make up The Cave of Winds were directly inspired by Malaby’s tenure under the bridge. With the literal and figurative space offered by that environment, he was prompted to pen minimal pieces ripe for expansion by the trio and their guests; at the same time, they also are colored by a return to more traditional jazz contexts by this inveterate free improviser. 

“Billy Mintz and John Hébert got me into playing standards and jazz repertoire again,” Malaby explains. That comes into play here. We still play freely, and so, you know, but doing that led me to think about harmonic color, the richness of my roots and the joy of playing changes with someone like Ben Monder.” 

One of the most striking examples of this collision of the tradition and Malaby’s intrepid spirit is the album’s closing track, “Just Me, Just Me.” A contrafact based on the chord changes of the classic “Just You, Just Me” (memorably recorded by the likes of Nat King Cole and Thelonious Monk, among countless others), the tune is far more agitated experience than its jaunty predecessor, and while the title is a tongue-in-cheek play on the original it also captures the fervent individuality of these four musicians. 

Similarly, the burnished bop melody of “Corinthian Leather” is a loose reinterpretation of Dizzy Gillespie’s “Woody ‘n You,” leading to unspooling invention from both Malaby and Monder as they stretch the flexible theme beyond recognition. Monder’s roaring heavy metal distortion introduces “Scratch the Horse,” which draws inspiration from the Native American ceremonies depicted in the Richard Harris western A Man Called Horse. “Recrudescence” is a hypnotic group improvisation reflecting on the cyclical nature of the musical life, interrupted though it may have been by recent events, while “insect Ward” suggests a sanctuary for Malaby’s restless, flitting soprano (parried by Formanek’s buzzing bowed bass). “Life Coach” is a duo improvisation by Malaby and Rainey dedicated to their former bandleader, bassist Mark Helias, whose presence the saxophonist insists he can hear in the rhythm and language they share. 

The Cave of Winds marks the closing of a few chapters for Malaby. For one, it spells the end of the turnpike sessions and the period of research and exploration they represented. Coinciding with the lifting of pandemic- era restrictions, Malaby also left the New York area after more than 25 years for Boston, where he’s taken a position on the faculty of Berklee College of Music. 

The album also brings Malaby’s career full circle as he embarks on this new venture. 20 years after the release of Sabino he revisits that quartet with three of his most longstanding collaborators. Malaby met Formanek while the saxophonist was still a student at William Paterson University, when both played with the Mingus Big Band. They were both enlisted by saxophonist Marty Ehrlich for a band that also included Tom Rainey on drums, forging a connection that would remain strong for the next three decades. 

While Ducret was featured on the 2000 album, Ben Monder actually precedes him as Sabino’s guitarist, in an early version of the quartet that featured Jeff Williams and Ben Street. Malaby had initially heard the brilliant guitarist in Marc Johnson’s short-lived band Right Brain Patrol, then approached him at the bar of the Knitting Factory. They met again a week later on a session led by Guillermo Klein and have been working together regularly and fruitfully ever since. 

Like the primal space its name implies, The Cave of Winds is vast and tempestuous, opening into a reservoir of mystery and inviting the curious to venture deep within. Encouraged by Malaby’s dauntless curiosity, these four stellar musicians delve into the furthest reaches and emerge with inspired riches.

1. Corinthian Leather

2. Recrudescence

3. Scratch the Horse

4. Insect Ward

5. The Cave of Winds

6. Life Coach (for Helias)

7. Just Me, Just Me

Tony Malaby - Tenor and Soprano Saxophones

Ben Monder - Guitar

Michael Formanek - Double Bass

Tom Rainey - Drums

All compositions by Tony Malaby (Chubasco Music/ Sesac) except 'Recrudescence' by Monder/ Formanek/ Rainey/ Malaby

Recorded at Samurai Hotel Studios on June 24, 2021

Mixed and Mastered by Mike Marciano at Systems Two Long Island

Graphic Design by Hidde Dijkstra

Cover Art: 'Lost in Thoughts' by Marieken Cochius

Photo by Peter Gannushkin

Produced by Tony Malaby

Executive Producer: Kris Davis

(c)(p) 2021 Tony Malaby & Pyroclastic Records

Tony Malaby’s Sabino – The Cave of Winds 

Pyroclastic Records – PR 18 – Recorded June 24, 2021

Release date January 7, 2022 

PREORDER

Bloodcount - 5 (September 2021 Screwgun Records)

1. Yes, Dear 17:47

2. I.R.U.S. 18:26

3. Byram’s World 16:25

4. Bass Voodoo 17:02

5. Screwgun 13:39

6. PRELUDE: The Brown Dog Meets The Spaceman 31:25

Jim Black, drums

Michael Formanek, bass

Chris Speed, tenor sax and clarinet

Tim Berne, alto & baritone sax, composer

Marc Ducret, electric guitar

Recorded live in ‘97 Somewhere by Someone

Mastered by Joe Branciforte

All music Tim Berne party music bmi

PREORDER

Bloodcount - Attention Spam (September 2021 Screwgun Records)

1. Bro Ball 16:54

2. Snow White 11:58

3. Mr. Johnson’s Blues 23:35

4. The Opener 12:52

5. Talk Dirty to Me 13:26

6. IRU.S 21:04

Jim Black, drums

Michael Formanek, bass

Chris Speed, tenor sax and clarinet

Tim Berne, alto & baritone sax, composer

Recorded live in ‘97 Somewhere by Someone

Mastered by Joe Branciforte

All music Tim Berne party music bmi

PREORDER

Ben Goldberg - Everything Happens To Be. (BAG Production Records 2021)

 

The echoes of traditional jazz bounce off the walls of Ben Goldberg’s music. The music is warped and strange, as if buckling beneath the strain of being compressed to fit the length of the clarinetist’s latest recording. For this session, Goldberg collaborates with musicians who have a proven track record with that kind of approach. Guitarist Mary Halvorson, tenor saxophonist Ellery Eskelin, bassist Michael Formanek, and drummer Tomas Fujiwara traverse time and distance, recalling the sound of New Orleans one hundred years ago as they offer a vision of what it could become a hundred years from now.

1. What About 05:41

2. 21 06:14

3. Fred Hampton 04:48

4. Everything Happens To Be. 07:04

5. Cold Weather 06:23

6. Chorale Type 09:53

7. Tomas Plays the Drums 05:51

8. Long Last Moment 05:10

9. To-Ron-To 05:32

10. Abide With Me 01:10

Mary Halvorson - electric guitar

Ellery Eskelin - tenor saxophone

Michael Formanek - bass

Tomas Fujiwara - drums

Ben Goldberg - clarinets

All compositions by Ben Goldberg, except "Abide With Me," by William Monk (by way of Thelonious Monk).

Recorded June 2018 at Firehouse 12 Studio, New Haven

Nick Lloyd, engineer

Mixed January 2021 by Michael Coleman

Pre-order

Tony Malaby - Turnpike Diaries Volume 2 (2021)

There’s a type of Kung Fu one needs to drive in New Jersey. Hidden signs, many types of drivers with constantly changing velocities that are ahead, behind, and alongside one at all times. It’s very similar to this first track that I am calling Jersey Merge Redux (I have used this title before). I hope you can feel the Kung Fu as I did - unbelievable flow and intelligence from Michael and Mark. Enjoy. T

1. Jersey Merge Redux 48:47

2. Bonus Track - Elbow Up ! 34:59

Tony Malaby - Tenor and Soprano Saxophones

Michael Formanek - Bass

Mark Ferber - Drums

Recorded and Mixed by Randy Thaler

Mastered by Eivind Opsvik

Cover by Tim Berne

Recorded on November 10, 2020

Pre-order

Tony Malaby - Turnpike Diaries Volume 1 (2021)

I started playing sessions on July 6, 2020 with Billy Mintz and John Hebert under a turnpike bridge not far from my home. We would play 3 to 4 times a week, slowly more friends began to come to play with me in addition to the trio with Mintz and Hebert. I want to share some of these field recordings with you and want to begin with this session that took place on October 19. My walk to the spot with both horns on my back was so full of joy and anticipation because I was going to throw sound with some of my favorite improvisors and mentors - my “ Jefes”.

I hope you enjoy this as much as I did . I can’t begin to thank Randy Thaler and Kevin Reilly for their commitment to documenting these sessions - it still keeps me looking forward and positive during these trying times . Thank you for listening. Tony Malaby

1. Los Jefes 39:32

2. Slap Happy 27:31

Tony Malaby - Tenor and Soprano saxophones

Tim Berne - Alto Saxophone

Mark Helias - Acoustic Bass

Michael Formanek - Acoustic Bass

Ches Smith - Drums

Recorded by Randy Thaler

Cover art - Tim Berne

Mastered by Eivind Opsvik

Recorded on October 19 2020

Pre-order

Tim Berne - inSOMNIA (2021)

1. The Proposal 35:57

2. oPEN, cOMA 29:55

Baikida Carroll: trumpet

Michael Formanek: contrabass

Marc Ducret: 12 string guitar

Dominique Pifarély: violin

Erik Friedlander: cello

Chris Speed: clarinet

Jim Black: drums

Pre-order

Michael Formanek - Imperfect Measures (March 19, 2021 Intakt Records)

With his extensive artistic biography, Michael Formanek is one of the most outstanding figures in American jazz – As a composer, as a bassist in ensembles, and as a soloist. Although the bass often plays in the background, bassists write jazz history. So does Michael Formanek, who makes an impressive solo statement with Imperfect Measures (24 years after his first solo album).

About the creative process, Formanek writes: "I came to realize that for me, playing solo bass is much closer to a compositional process than a performance practice … Any structure inherent in a piece evolves in the moment, the product of the improvisation itself – as if one were building and traveling along a road simultaneously. The road only extends as far as we are in the moment, so there must be a total commitment to what is being created and constructed in real time, lest things quickly fall apart.“

The inspiring music is embedded in works by artist and illustrator Warren Linn, who created sketches during the recording process, developed them into collages/paintings, some of which are now featured in the CD package designed by Stephen Byram. A complete work of art!

1. Quickdraw

2. On the Skin

3. A Maze

4. Full Frontal

5. Airborne

6. Loop Back

7. Notice Moments

8. Wisp

9. The Stand

Michael Formanek: Bass

All compositions by Michael Formanek (Formtone Music BMI)

Recorded on September 10, 2017 at Heartwood Sound Studio, Baltimore, MD by Ben Frock

Mixed in August 2020 by Jake K. Leckie, Los Angeles, CA. Mastered in November 2020 by Nick Lloyd at Firehouse 12 New Haven, CT. Liner notes: Michael Formanek.

Pre-order

Simon Nabatov Quintet - Last Minute Theory (February 2021)

Simon Nabatov spent the better part of the 1980s in New York City, finishing his studies while simultaneously working as a freelance musician primarily in jazz as well as wherever else his versatility would take him. It was certainly quite an adventure for a recent émigré from the Soviet Union. Following this fertile period in New York, he began a new chapter in his musical path with a move to Cologne, Germany in 1989 where he remains to this day. Many well-documented projects and collaborations unfolded since that move, often (but not only) with musicians based in Europe.

In September of 2018 Nabatov, after many years of exploring predominantly free improvised music, went to New York City with a desire to explore a more traditional jazz setting with a hand-picked group of master musicians; colleagues with whom he shares musical sensibilities and tastes. Some of them he has known for a long time, but never played a note together before, like saxophonist Tony Malaby, with some of them he already shared the stage on a number of occasions, like the drummer Gerald Cleaver. Completing this formidable band is guitarist Brandon Seabrook, and bassist Michael Formanek. It can be easily said of all four musicians that they participate for many years now in writing the history of jazz from the New York perspective.

The album opens with the nostalgic stroll „Old Fashioned“. The band gets right away into a leisurely stride, with a few odd bars in the tune to assure a slight stumbling effect along the way. The overall modus operandi is hinted at, with Malaby’s robust melodic voice propelling the story, Seabrook’s unique method of blending seemingly incongruous elements into one marvel, and the rhythm section providing a solid and supple feel.

„Slow Move“ appears to suspend the time, with an austere atmosphere driven by spiky chords. The piece travels through a series of mysterious episodes, Malaby’s soaring soprano sax is well-matched with Seabrook’s breath-of-dragon effects – before returning briefly to the initial material.

„Rickety“ starts as a relatively sparse and light premise, but promptly develops into a rambunctious all-in collective dance, groovy and ecstatic, with twirling lines atop charged by Montuno-like piano figures.

Nabatov admits that the political moods in his former residence made their way into his mind, hence the „Marching Right Along“, a piece reflecting the resolve of people who raise their voices for the common good. Gerald Cleaver invites us into this feeling with his succinct introduction.

„Translated“ evokes the dreamy feel of the musical worlds of the great late drummer Paul Motian, with whom Nabatov recorded the „Circle The Line“ album back in 1985. Tony Malaby, a veteran of Motian’s band, brings that authentic experience to this flowing ballad.

Piano is featured in the first part of „Good Pedigree“, initially as a duo with bass, later joined by drums. The rest of the band eventually joins for a stretch of joyous interjections, before a calming glide towards a full stop.

The closing piece, „Afterwards“, starts with an intense collective improvisation, full of energy and exuberance, followed by Michael Formanek’s melodic and pensive solo.

The tune and the whole album come to a conclusion with Brandon Seabrook’s quirky solo over the repeated peaceful song-like phrases.

„Last Minute Theory“ offers a collection of original works celebrating the city that remains Simon Nabatov’s other musical home. Combining a straight-forward approach with intricate details, both joyful and melancholic, this album brings Nabatov’s diverse musical abilities into a new light offering a new perspective to this remarkable and prolific musician.

1. Old Fashioned 08:33

2. Slow Move 07:46

3. Rickety 05:38

4. Marching Right Along 05:59

5. Translated 07:12

6. Good Pedigree 08:03

7. Afterwards 07:44

Tony Malaby - tenor and soprano saxophones

Brandon Seabrook - guitar

Simon Nabatov - piano

Michael Formanek - bass

Gerald Cleaver - drums

all music by Simon Nabatov (GEMA)

recorded September 29 2019 by Nolan Thies

at the Bunker Studio, Brooklyn NY

mixed and mastered by Srefan Deistler

Pre-order

Michael and Peter Formanek – Dyads (2021 Out Of Your Head Records)

Michael and Peter Formanek started making music and improvising together before Peter started school. Regular visits to their home from friends and colleagues like Tim Berne, Jim Black, Marty Ehrlich and many others only served to normalize this as being an essential part of human interaction. During much of their time living in Baltimore and as Peter began to study music formally (first on guitar then on saxophones and woodwinds), it was just part of daily life to have musicians come by to play, rehearse, or just hang out. This eventually turned into regular groups and collaborations that performed in local venues in and around Baltimore. For Peter’s eighteenth birthday they played a night of Michael’s music at the Cornelia Street Cafe with a lineup of Tim Berne and Peter Formanek on saxophones, Jacob Sacks on piano, Jim Black on drums, and Michael Formanek on bass. Peter went to University of Michigan in Ann Arbor in 2013 to study with the great Andrew Bishop, and sometime after Peter’s graduation in 2017 he and Michael decided to perform as a duo. They embarked on their first tour together in November 2019 spanning the upper midwest, mid-Atlantic, and northeastern US, and soon after booked a studio date to record the music presented here as Dyads.

Dyads (OOYH 008) is the debut recording by Michael and Peter Formanek as a duo. That being said, there are likely very few (if any) debut recordings that were a lifetime in the making, and that showcase such a deep musical connection as this one. Both musicians contribute compositions, and listeners will recognize the rhythmic deceit and compelling melodic twists that are distinguishing features of the elder Formanek’s style. While the compositions are strong and engaging, the true marvel of the recording, and what Michael and Peter have spent decades developing, is in the improvising. They follow one another through an incredible range of sonic territory, often turning on a dime in nearly telepathic displays of musical intuition (one might say it is in the DNA). One Formanek may also stubbornly hold their ground as the other bounces, scrapes, and squeals around it, but in a way that only serves the music, and creates an array of textures in what could be a limiting instrumental combination in less inventive hands.

To anyone even casually aware of the modern jazz scene, Michael Formanek is an instantly recognizable name, not only as one of the most formidable bassists active today, but as a singular and prolific compositional voice. Immediately upon hearing him (either live or on recording) listeners are drawn to the deep, dark tone he produces on the bass, as well as a virtuosic technique and nimbleness that truly no other performer on the instrument can replicate. What is remarkable, and obvious just a few minutes into Dyads, is that at the young age of 25 Peter Formanek has already started to develop a similarly unique voice on reeds. There are the obvious influences of those prominent saxophonists (Berne, Ehrlich, etc) that were in his orbit at a very young age, and it is easy to make a comparison to Michael’s Bloodcount bandmate Chris Speed, as Peter has chosen to focus on the tenor saxophone and clarinet as Speed does. But what is clear from this recording is that Peter is forging his own path, and is already makng valuable contributions to the substantial output of the modern creative saxophonists that came before him. Without question we will be hearing much more from Michael and Peter Formanek for years to come, both as leaders and collaborators. The hope is that after such an exceptional debut as a duo on Dyads they won’t make us wait too long for a follow-up recording together.

BIOS:

Michael Formanek’s music is always “graceful in its subversions, often even sumptuous,” as The New York Times has aptly noted. Whether it’s for a small band or a large ensemble, the American bassist-composer creates modern jazz that is earthy yet atmospheric, always alive with dark-hued melody and bone-deep rhythms, rich in dynamic possibility and the sound of surprise. Even with decades of experience to his credit – he got his start as a Bay Area teenager playing with the likes of Joe Henderson and Tony Williams – Formanek has made some of his keenest creative leaps in recent years, documented on a sequence of justly lauded recordings. He managed an amazing hat trick with three consecutive ECM albums scoring rare five-star reviews in DownBeat. These included two discs—Small Places (2012) and The Rub and Spare Change—featuring a powerhouse quartet with saxophonist Tim Berne, pianist Craig Taborn and drummer Gerald Cleaver. The third was a magnificent record–-The Distance (2016)—that showcased his compositions for an all-star big band, playfully dubbed Ensemble Kolossus. Formanek’s first album for the Intakt label—Time Like This (2018)—saw him leading his new Elusion Quartet with saxophonist Tony Malaby, pianist Kris Davis and drummer/vibraphonist Ches Smith to “soul-stirring” effect, according to All About Jazz. He recorded and released another album on Intakt in October 2019 for his Very Practical Trio entitled Even Better, featuring the altoist Berne and guitar luminary Mary Halvorson. Thumbscrew, a collaborative trio also with Halvorson and drummer Tomas Fujiwara, is one of Michael’s most active projects, having recently released The Anthony Braxton Project in June of 2020, and a new album of their originals, Never Is Enough, is due out in February 2021 on Cuneiform. In August of 2020 he exhumed a phenomenal 2014 live set of his ECM quartet that was released on Out Of Your Head Records’ digital-only Untamed series under the title Pre-Apocalyptic. His newest solo bass recording Imperfect Measures will be released in the April of 2021 on Intakt.

Along with his activities as a leader, Formanek has always been an in-demand collaborator by a wide range of musicians across multiple generations. Born in San Francisco in 1958, Formanek has performed in myriad contexts since he was a precocious member of the Tony Williams Lifetime at just 18 years old. In addition to working early on with such figures as Joe Henderson, Eddie Henderson and Dave Liebman, the bassist went on to perform with masters from Gerry Mulligan and Stan Getz to Freddie Hubbard and Fred Hersch, his activities only broadening once he moved to New York City in 1978. Among his peers, Formanek has worked with Tim Berne as a kindred spirit over several decades, including making a duo album with the saxophonist—Ornery People—and performing extensively in Berne’s iconic Bloodcount band in the ’90s. The bassist also released a solo LP—Am I Bothering You?-–via Berne’s Screwgun label in 1998. Thumbscrew has released four lauded albums via Cuneiform, including companion discs of originals (Ours) and covers (Theirs), issued in 2018. Formanek’s early albums as a leader included a string of releases for Enja from 1990 to 1996: the quintet LPs Wide Open Spaces and Extended Animation, as well as the septet discs Low Profile and Nature of the Beast. As a sideman, Formanek has recorded with a who’s who in jazz and beyond: Fred Hersch, Uri Caine, Dave Burrell, Jane Ira Bloom, Gary Thomas, Jack Walrath, Joe Maneri, Harold Danko, Lee Konitz, Freddie Redd, Art Pepper, Chet Baker and even Elvis Costello, along with appearing on albums led by such frequent partners as Berne, Marty Ehrlich, Mary Halvorson, Tomas Fujiwara, Tony Malaby, trumpeter Dave Ballou, saxophonist Ellery Eskelin, drummer Devin Gray and pianist Angelica Sanchez. michaelformanek.com

Peter Formanek is an improvising multi-woodwind performer, composer, educator, and a lifelong student of music. Hailing from Baltimore, he recently graduated from the University of Michigan with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree. Still, he's been studying music with a Ph.D.-level teacher his whole life: his father, Michael Formanek. His recent senior recital at Kerrytown Concert House drew a wide audience, but also proved he's a "musician's musician" with a number of projects featuring established Detroit area heroes Tim Flood, Andrew Bishop, and Piotr Michalowski, as well as up-and-coming musical collaborators Cory Tripathy, Tristan Cappel, Christopher Tabaczynski, Ben Willis, Jon Taylor, Kenji Lee, and more. Peter’s other projects include Galen Bundy’s Project 206 which released an EP, Volatile, in April 2020.

1. Two, Not One (7:18)

2. Wandering, Searching, Digging, Uncovering (3:44)

3. After You (4:27)

4. The Woods (4:40)

5. Push Comes To Shove (7:32)

6. How Was The Drive? (4:39)

7. There's No There There (4:14)

8. Hoarse Syrinx (4:39)

9. Wavy Lines (5:04)

10. Hurricane (5:16)

11. Ballad of the Weak (6:49)

12. DNA (7:58)

13. That Was Then (5:54)

Composer Credits:

Tracks 1 and 3 - Peter Formanek

Tracks 5, 7, 11 and 13 - Michael Formanek (Formtone Music - BMI)

Tracks 2, 4, 6, 8, 9, 10, and 12 - Michael and Peter Formanek

Peter Formanek - tenor saxophone, clarinet

Michael Formanek - double bass

Recorded by David Amlen at Sound on Sound Studio, Montclair NJ on December 30, 2019

Mixed by Nathaniel Morgan at The Forest, Brooklyn NY in May 2020

Mastered by Nick Lloyd at Firehouse 12, New Haven CT in October 2020

Pre-order

Michael Formanek Elusion Quartet - Time Like This (INTAKT RECORDS 15 Oct 2018)

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, Fred Hersch and Freddie Hubbard.

Formanek is also a composer and leader of various bands. One of his principal recording and international touring vehicles has been his acclaimed quartet with Tim Berne, Craig Taborn and Gerald Cleaver. His occasional groups include the 18-piece all-star Ensemble Kolossus, roping in many New York improvisers he works with. Currently his primary focus is the Michael Formanek Elusion Quartet with Tony Malaby, Kris Davis, and Ches Smith. 

In putting together the Elusion Quartet, interpreting his music with these specific musicians, Michael Formanek says he sought "a more direct connection to emotions: mine, theirs and the listener's." Hank Shteamer writes in the liner notes: "As one zeroes in on the details of Time Like This, it's clear that this sort of emotional immediacy permeates the album. You hear it in Kris Davis' flowing, balletic solo on "A Fine Mess"; in Tony Malaby's ululating tenor cries on "The Soul Goodbye"; in Ches Smith's raucous grooves on "That Was Then"; or the leader's poised, sinewy lines on "Culture of None." Elusive? Certainly. But as this album proves, under the right conditions, with the right personnel, it's still out there."

Der New Yorker Bassist und Komponist Michael Formanek präsentiert mit seinem Elusion Quartett ein neues, wegweisendes Projekt. Sein erstes Album auf Intakt Records versammelt vier höchst profilierte Musiker/innen verschiedener Generationen aus der New Yorker Jazzszene: den Saxophonisten Tony Malaby, die Pianistin Kris Davis und den Schlagzeuger Ches Smith.

Er suche mit dieser Besetzung einen direktere Verbindung zu den Emotionen, sagt Formanek. Der Jazzkritiker Hank Shteamer schreibt in den Liner Notes: "Wenn man sich auf die Musik von "Time Like This" einlässt, wird evident, wie eine emotinale Unmittelbarkeit das Album durchdringt. Man hört es in Kris Davis' fliessendem, tänzerischem Solo auf "A Fine Mess", in Tony Malaby's heulenden Tenorklängen auf "The Soul Goodbye", in Ches Smith's rauen Grooves auf "That Was Then" oder in den balancierten, sehnigen Linien des Leaders auf "Culture of None". 

"Time Like This" ist die Musik unserer Zeit: erdig, atmosphärisch und bewegend. Musik, die Grenzen überspringt, swingt und anregt, reich an Klangfarben, voller Kanten und Schönheit und überraschend.

Michael Formanek Double Bass

Tony Malaby Tenor and Soprano Saxophones

Kris Davis Piano

Ches Smith Drums, Vibraphone, Haitian Tanbou

1 Down 8 Up 5

2 Culture of None

3 A Fine Mess

4 This May Get Ugly

5 The Soul Goodbye

6 That Was Then

7 The New Normal

All music by Michael Formanek.

Recorded February 14th, 2018, at Oktaven Audio, Mount Vernon, New York, USA, by Ryan Streber.

Mixed in April 2018 and mastered in July 2018 at Oktaven Audio by Ryan Streber.

Cover art: Heike Liss. Graphic design: Jonas Schoder. Photos: John Rogers. Liner notes: Hank Shteamer.

Produced by Michael Formanek and Intakt Records, Patrik Landolt and Anja Illmaier.

Published by Intakt Records, P. O. Box 468, 8024 Zürich.

Jacob Sacks - Fishes (CLEAN FEED RECORDS 2018)

It makes so much sense for a Portuguese record label to release a new opus of the New York pianist and composer Jacob Sacks, considering his many connections with the jazz scene of this country and musicians like João Lencastre, Sara Serpa, André Matos, Gonçalo Marques and Demian Cabaud. Sacks is widely recognized as one of the most creative musicians in his hometown, and “Fishes” presents him in the company of other notable protagonists of the New York jazz scene, all of them members of the Clean Feed family: Ellery Eskelin, Tony Malaby, Michael Formanek and Dan Weiss. Here is a meeting of giants led by someone who has already covered the entire range of that music we call jazz, by the side of the greatest: Clark Terry, Joe Maneri, Charles Gayle, Paul Motian, Lee Konitz and too many more to mention, going from mainstream to the most audacious exploratory music. Inside this recording you’ll find all the identifying characteristics of Sacks’ personal style and more: harmonic subtleties, structural simplicity, deep and mysterious meanings, a refined sense of form, poetic beauty, rhythmic drive and lots of soul. You start to be overwhelmed by the way the little pieces of the clock function, until you let yourself go with the balance produced by the sculptures of time coming track by track.

Jacob Sacks  piano

Ellery Eskelin  tenor saxophone

Tony Malaby  tenor & soprano saxophones

Michael Formanek  bass

Dan Weiss  drums

All compositions by Jacob Sacks; Jacob Sacks Compositions BMI

Recorded April 13th, 2017 at Systems Two Studios, Brooklyn, NY, by Mike Marciano | Mixing and mastered by Mike Marciano | Mixing and mastering produced by Chet Doxas

Produced by Jacob Sacks | Executive Producer by Pedro Costa for Trem Azul | Design by Travassos

Devin Gray, Ellery Eskelin, Michael Formanek, Dave Ballou in Dirigo Rataplan II (RATAPLAN RECORDS September 21, 2018)

Drummer-Composer Devin Gray reconvenes his Dirigo Rataplan band of master musicians - with Ellery Eskelin, Michael Formanek & Dave Ballou - for second album, Dirigo Rataplan II, due from Rataplan Records on Sept. 21

"A musician-drummer rather than a drummer-drummer, Gray is interested in making music that is deeply evocativeŠ shaped by a fizzing, often restless push-pull energy." - Jazzwise

Oct. 1 - Bowdoin College, Brunswick, ME

Oct. 2 - University of New Hampshire, Durham, NH

Oct. 3 - University of Maine, Augusta, ME

Oct. 4 - SPACE, Portland, ME

Oct. 5 - Firehouse 12, New Haven, CT

Oct. 6 - An die Musik, Baltimore, MD

Oct. 7 - The October Revolution Festival, Philadelphia, PA

Dec. 1 - Greenwich Music House, NYC

Dec. 4 - Korzo, Brooklyn, NY

Dec. 6 - SMAK, Ghent, BE

Dec. 7 - Vortex, London, UK

Dec. 8 - AMR, Geneva, Switzerland

Dec. 9 - Geneva Conservatory of Music, Geneva
Dec. 10 -Villa Irniger, Zurich, Switzerland

There are times when music lovers can just feel a talent coming into his or her own, when that artist is someone to catch onstage or on record at every opportunity. Drummer-composer Devin Gray has arrived at such a moment. The Brooklyn-based artist made his leader debut in 2012 with the Skirl Records release Dirigo Rataplan, which featured him fronting the eponymous band with tenor saxophonist Ellery Eskelin, bassist Michael Formanek and trumpeter Dave Ballou, each a master improviser renowned far and wide among fans of creative music. Cadence magazine declared that initial disc to be "fantastic," while JazzTimes said that Gray's debut represented "the work of a young artist who knows who he is."

Now, after six years of intensive experience as a leader and sideman on both sides of the Atlantic, Gray has reconvened this all-star group for Dirigo Rataplan II, which will be released on CD, vinyl, digitally and for streaming via Rataplan Records on Sept. 21, 2018. Time Out New York has praised Gray's compositions for balancing "formal elasticity with a meticulous sense of pacing." The new album brims with more earworm melody, richly implied harmony and a loose-limbed sense of rhythm as something physical and flowing - as blood, as breath. Fans of jazz from Ornette Coleman and Henry Threadgill to Dave Holland and Craig Taborn will dig this organic mix of composition and improvisation, structure and freedom, atmosphere and dynamism.

About the evolution of Dirigo Rataplan and his writing for the band, Gray says: "I've become more at ease with following my natural artistic impulses. The experiences I've had over the past six years have been so inspiring - in the intense, ultra-energized New York jazz scene, of course, but also in Europe, where players in improvised music are so open to different genres and have this holistic approach to art and creativity. With Dirigo Rataplan II, there is more free improvisation in the music, but I also think the melodic fluidity between the composition and the improvisation is more seamless, with one flowing into the other in a way that I really like. This music is personal for me, but I want Mike, Ellery and Dave to do what it is they do, to maximize the pieces in the way that I know they can."

About working with Gray, Formanek says: "Devin has grown as a composer since that first quartet recording session in 2011, but most important, he has a much more evolved sense of who he is_ as a musician, and also of who we are in the band as improvisers. These instincts take time to develop, and it has been great to see that process unfold in both his playing and his composing. This music is free and open with a lot of room for improvisation, but the tunes also have an intrinsic rhythmic and melodic character to them, a color and energy. With the quartet having played together more now, the sessions for the new album felt even better."

For Gray, what is most vital about Formanek "is not just that his tone and sense of time are so incredible. It's also that he cares so much about doing whatever he can to ensure the quality of the music in front of him. He's a composer's improviser, in that way. I feel this total, unspoken trust with him." About Eskelin, Gray says: "Ellery sets the bar so high for improvisation. The fluidity of his solos, the intense forward motion - that's what New York musicians have more than anyone else." Regarding Ballou, the drummer adds: "I've known Dave's playing intimately since I was a kid. I don't think he has ever sounded better, with that beautiful tone and wide palette of expression. He brings a strong interpretive sense to my music in that he anticipates what I'm looking for, yet via his own sensibility. Working with cats like this, you don't have to worry about individualism - it's in everything they do. They bring what are just notes on a page to real life."

Reflecting further on Dirigo Rataplan II, Gray concludes: "I don't set out to make jazz records, per se. I set out to make music, period - to capture the moment, the contemporary feel of the music, hoping that it can reflect in some small way how we live now and what we all have to deal with as human beings in the world."

In addition to Dirigo Rataplan, Devin Gray leads the quartet Relative Resonance, featuring Chris Speed, Kris Davis and Chris Tordini. Reviewing that band's eponymous Skirl Records album, All About Jazz said: "The vitality of Relative Resonance can't be deniedŠ the music here literally sparkles with wit and resourcefulness." On record, Gray has also led his Cloudsounds trio (with Ingrid Laubrock and Corey Smythe) and his quartet Fashionable Pop Music (with Tordini, Jonathan Goldberger and Ryan Ferreira). He recently released a hard-grooving digital single fronting his quartet Meta Cache with Jeremy Viner, Elias Stemeseder and Kim Cass.

As a sideman, Gray has recorded recent albums as part of Nate Wooley's Argonautica sextet, trumpeter Daniel Levine's trio Knuckleball (with Marc Hannaford) and a trio led by pianist Santiago Leibson (with Drew Gress). Of late, the drummer has played with Dave Liebman and Tony Malaby, along with touring Europe at the head of a trio with Speed and Gress. Gray's recent collaborators also include Gerald Cleaver, Uri Caine, Andrea Parkins, Satoko Fuji, Richard Bonnet, Daniel Guggenheim, Marc Ducret, Frank Gratkowski, Jacob Anderskov, Eve Risser and Susana Santos Silva.

devingraymusic.com