Michael Formanek Quartet

Thu., Oct. 28, 8 p.m., $12, Philadelphia Art Alliance, 251 S. 18th St., arsnovaworkshop.com.

by Shaun Brady

	print	email	reply	rss feed

Published: Oct 27, 2010

[ jazz ]

Though his new CD, The Rub and Spare Change (EMC), is Michael Formanek's first leader date in more than a decade, there's hardly any threat of rust on his bass strings. The quartet-mates he's assembled — saxophonist Tim Berne, pianist Craig Taborn and drummer Gerald Cleaver — have played together extensively in a variety of configurations. While most of those have been under Berne's leadership, Formanek's compositions are more structured, less knotty and aggressive than the altoist's famously dense, sprawling work. Hence the quartet is the best of both worlds — a fresh approach taken by musicians utterly at ease with one another.

Thu., Oct. 28, 8 p.m., $12, Philadelphia Art Alliance, 251 S. 18th St., arsnovaworkshop.com.

Collision Corpse
Corin Tucker
The Chapin Sisters
L-Vis 1990
Sharon Van Etten
Take a Bow
Scottish Chamber Orchestra
The Legendary Pink Dots
Omar Souleyman