Search - Michael Formanek :: Low Profile

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Douglas T Martin | Alpharetta, GA USA | 01/11/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"On his two previous recordings Michael Formanek worked with a quintet; here he employs a seven-piece group to perform his multifaceted compositions. Ku-Umba Frank Lacy, a participant in Julius Hemphill's big band, gets some good solo spots. Tim Berne is in excellent form and seems to take most of the woodwind solos; Marty Ehrlich's bass clarinet provides a perfect accompaniment. Dave Douglas, who provided a strong voice to Formanek's "Nature of the Beast" recording is a solid contributer here. All band members play well, deftly executing the twists and turns of Formanek's compositions. At times the ensemble sounds like the Dave Douglas Sextet ("In Our Lifetime") although Douglas' and Formanek's compositional styles are somewhat different.The songs are accessible; I'd call them 'modern' rather than 'avant-garde'. The song "Paradise Revisited" is a reworking of Formanek's "Fool's Paradise" on the Formanek/Berne/Hirshfield "Loose Cannon" CD.Recommended to fans of Tim Berne, Dave Douglas, Chris Speed, and related musicians.Michael Formanek: bass; Tim Berne: alto & baritone sax; Marty Ehrlich: clarinet & bass clarinet, alto & soprano sax; Dave Douglas: trumpet; Ku-Umba Frank Lacy: trombone; Salvatore Bonafede: piano; Marvin "Smitty" Smith: drums."

This album really blew me off my feet. Amazing music!

Nash | 01/19/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"It's such a shame that a jazz album with this kind of group interaction and composition has all but completely disappeared from stores everywhere. I was fortunate enough to come across a used copy for $20 at the Downtown Music Gallery in New York City. This album features Formanek leading a 7-piece band, and he utilizes every member to create some very lush and dense compositions. There are way too many great parts of this album to be specific, but pieces like 'Rivers' and the bass solo section in 'Great Plains' (with the horns laying down chords underneath) are incredible. Every other solo on the album pretty much reinforces the fact that players like Tim Berne, Marty Ehrlich, Dave Douglas, and Frank Lacy are constantly raising the bar in jazz music. Plus, the recording in immaculate. This album comes across to me a wilder, looser, more dissonant version of Dave Holland's big band. Holland's album blew me away also, but an album like 'Low Profile' stands out as an album that truly shatters the boundaries of the jazz tradition."