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ECM Records Releases Michael Formanek's "The Distance"

Source: Universal Music Enterprises
February 7, 2016
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Michael Formanek Ensemble Kolossus is:

Loren Stillman

saxophone, alto
b.1980

" data-original-title="" title="">Loren Stillman (alto saxophone);

Oscar Noriega

clarinet

" data-original-title="" title="">Oscar Noriega (alto sax, clarinet, bass clarinet);

Chris Speed

saxophone

" data-original-title="" title="">Chris Speed (tenor sax, clarinet); Brian Settles (tenor sax, flute);

Tim Berne

saxophone, alto
b.1954

" data-original-title="" title="">Tim Berne (baritone sax); Dave Ballou,

Ralph Alessi

trumpet
b.1963

" data-original-title="" title="">Ralph Alessi,

Shane Endsley

trumpet

" data-original-title="" title="">Shane Endsley (trumpets);

Kirk Knuffke

trumpet

" data-original-title="" title="">Kirk Knuffke (cornet);

Alan Ferber

trombone

" data-original-title="" title="">Alan Ferber, Jacob Garchik, Ben Gerstein (trombones); Jeff Nelson (bass trombone, contrabass trombone); Patricia Brennan (Marimba),

Mary Halvorson

guitar

" data-original-title="" title="">Mary Halvorson (guitar);

Kris Davis

piano
b.1980

" data-original-title="" title="">Kris Davis (piano); Michael Formanek (double-bass);

Tomas Fujiwara

drums

" data-original-title="" title="">Tomas Fujiwara (drums);

" data-original-title="" title="">Mark Helias (conductor).

The Distance represents a grand creative leap for bassist-composer Michael Formanek, following two widely lauded ECM releases featuring his quartet with Tim Berne,

Craig Taborn

piano
b.1970

" data-original-title="" title="">Craig Taborn and

Gerald Cleaver

drums
b.1963

" data-original-title="" title="">Gerald Cleaver. The new album showcases his texturally rich compositions for the dynamic 18-piece big band he has playfully dubbed Ensemble Kolossus. The project saw some of the most distinctive musicians on the New York scene bonding to realize Formanek��s epic design, as he re-imagined what a big-band can be. Channeling sounds from the classic to the modern, he also composed for individual soloists in the Ellingtonian tradition. Along with the dusky romanticism of the title track, The Distance features the ��Exoskeleton�� suite��a kaleidoscopic musical experience in which Formanek��s bold, beautiful vision for 21st-century large-ensemble jazz comes vibrantly to life.

IN CONCERT: March 22-23 New York, NY (Jazz Standard)

Purchase

For more information contact Universal Music Enterprises.

Track Listing

The Distance; Exoskeleton Prelude; Exoskeleton Parts I-III; Exoskeleton Parts IV-V; Exoskeleton Parts VI-VII; Exoskeleton Part VIII.

Personnel

Michael Formanek

bass, acoustic

Additional Instrumentation

Saxophones/Woodwinds: Loren Stillman (alto saxophone); Oscar Noriega (alto sax/ clarinet, bass clarinet); Chris Speed (tenor sax, clarinet); Brian Settles (tenor sax, flute); Tim Berne (baritone sax); Trumpets: Dave Ballou, Ralph Alessi, Shane Endsley, Kirk Knuffke (cornet); Trombones: Alan Ferber, Jacob Garchik, Ben Gerstein, Jeff Nelson (bass trombone, contrabass trombone); Marimba: Patricia Franceschy; Guitar: Mary Halvorson; Piano: Kris Davis; Double-bass: Michael Formanek; Drums: Tomas Fujiwara; Conductor: Mark Helias.