Born in San Francisco in 1958, Michael Formanek has proven that he can do it all: bassist, composer, improviser, bandleader, collaborator, educator, and first-call sideman to many of the most highly regarded artists in creative jazz. He has been a major presence on the New York and East Coast creative jazz scene since the 1990 release of his debut album as a leader, Wide Open Spaces, on the Enja label. Formanek had already proven himself a skillful sideman in ensembles led by the likes of Freddie Hubbard, Joe Henderson, Dave Liebman, Fred Hersch, and Attila Zoller, but Wide Op...