Mitchel Forman (born January 24, 1956) is a

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a majo ...

and fusion keyboard player.

Biography and music career

Mitchel Forman began studying classical piano at the age of seven. At 17 he entered the

Manhattan School of Music The Manhattan School of Music (MSM) is a private music conservatory in New York City. The school offers bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degrees in the areas of classical and jazz performance and composition, as well as a bachelor's in mu ...

(MSM) for three years of study and began working with bands in New York. Shortly after graduating from MSM he began touring and recording with

Gerry Mulligan Gerald Joseph Mulligan (April 6, 1927 – January 20, 1996), also known as Jeru, was an American jazz saxophonist, clarinetist, composer and arranger. Though primarily known as one of the leading jazz baritone saxophonists—playing the instrum ...

, playing in both Mulligan's big band and quartet, and work with

Stan Getz Stanley Getz (February 2, 1927 – June 6, 1991) was an American jazz saxophonist. Playing primarily the tenor saxophone, Getz was known as "The Sound" because of his warm, lyrical tone, with his prime influence being the wispy, mellow timbre o ...

followed. In 1980 Forman's solo career began with a piano performance at the

Newport Jazz Festival The Newport Jazz Festival is an annual American multi-day jazz music festival held every summer in Newport, Rhode Island. Elaine Lorillard established the festival in 1954, and she and husband Louis Lorillard financed it for many years. They hi ...

. This recording became his first album, ''Live at Newport''. In subsequent years he worked on the road with

Phil Woods Philip Wells Woods (November 2, 1931 – September 29, 2015) was an American jazz alto saxophonist, clarinetist, bandleader, and composer. Biography Woods was born in Springfield, Massachusetts. After inheriting a saxophone at age 12, he began ...

Carla Bley Carla Bley (born Lovella May Borg; May 11, 1936) is an American jazz composer, pianist, organist and bandleader. An important figure in the free jazz movement of the 1960s, she is perhaps best known for her jazz opera '' Escalator over the Hill'' ...

Mel Tormé Melvin Howard Tormé (September 13, 1925 – June 5, 1999), nicknamed "The Velvet Fog", was an American musician, singer, composer, arranger, drummer, actor, and author. He composed the music for " The Christmas Song" ("Chestnuts Roasting on an ...

, and Astrud Gilberto. Forman also recorded two solo piano albums for

Soul Note Black Saint and Soul Note are two affiliated Italian independent record labels. Since their conception in the 1970s, they have released albums from a variety of influential jazz musicians, particularly in the genre of free jazz. History Black S ...

and toured in Europe regularly. He joined guitarist John McLaughlin for a year and a half on the road, recording and contributing to two of the band's recordings - the seminal '' Mahavishnu'' and '' Adventures in Radioland''. Forman then joined ex-

Weather Report Weather Report was an American jazz fusion band active from 1970 to 1986. The band was founded in 1970 by Austrian virtuoso keyboardist Joe Zawinul, American saxophonist Wayne Shorter, Czech bassist Miroslav Vitouš, American drummer and voca ...

saxophonist

Wayne Shorter Wayne Shorter (born August 25, 1933) is an American jazz saxophonist and composer. Shorter came to prominence in the late 1950s as a member of, and eventually primary composer for, Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers. In the 1960s, he joined Miles Dav ...

, touring, recording and contributing to Shorter's '' Phantom Navigator''. In 1985, Forman began leading his own band and recorded his group debut for Magenta Records (a division of Windham Hill), ''Train of Thought''. At the same time he continued to work with other well-known jazz and music figures, including guitarist

John Scofield John Scofield (born December 26, 1951), sometimes referred to as "Sco", is an American guitarist and composer whose music over a long career has blended jazz, jazz fusion, funk, blues, soul and rock. He first came to mainstream attention in ...

("Blue Matter"),

Mike Stern Mike Stern (born January 10, 1953) is an American jazz guitarist. After playing with Blood, Sweat & Tears, he worked with drummer Billy Cobham, then with trumpeter Miles Davis from 1981 to 1983 and again in 1985. He then began a solo career, ...

("Upside Downside"), Janis Siegel of The Manhattan Transfer,

Dave Samuels David Alan Samuels (October 9, 1948 – April 22, 2019) was an American vibraphone and marimba player who spent many years with the contemporary jazz group Spyro Gyra. His recordings and live performances during that period also reflect his pr ...

Diane Schuur Diane Joan Schuur (born December 10, 1953), nicknamed "Deedles", is an American jazz singer and pianist. As of 2015, Schuur had released 23 albums, and had extended her jazz repertoire to include essences of Latin, gospel, pop and country music ...

Gary Burton Gary Burton (born January 23, 1943) is an American jazz vibraphonist, composer, and educator. Burton developed a pianistic style of four-mallet technique as an alternative to the prevailing two-mallet technique. This approach caused him to be h ...

("Reunion"),

Pat Metheny Patrick Bruce Metheny ( ; born August 12, 1954) is an American jazz guitarist and composer. He is the leader of the Pat Metheny Group and is also involved in duets, solo works, and other side projects. His style incorporates elements of progr ...

, Simon Phillips, Jimmy Earl,

Freddie Hubbard Frederick Dewayne Hubbard (April 7, 1938 – December 29, 2008) was an American jazz trumpeter. He played bebop, hard bop, and post-bop styles from the early 1960s onwards. His unmistakable and influential tone contributed to new perspectives f ...

, saxophonist

Bill Evans William John Evans (August 16, 1929 – September 15, 1980) was an American jazz pianist and composer who worked primarily as the leader of his trio. His use of impressionist harmony, interpretation of traditional jazz repertoire, block ch ...

and Rickie Lee Jones. Forman's 1992 tribute to the late pianist

, ''Now & Then'', was particularly well regarded. Most of Forman's recordings are of the fusion or jazz genre, however, 1998's ''Harvest Song'' features 15 solo piano tracks. Forman started the record label Marsis Jazz. He has led the band Metro with guitarist Chuck Loeb, has toured in a quartet with Wolfgang Haffner, been a member of the

Rick Braun Rick Braun (born July 6, 1955) is a smooth jazz trumpet, flugelhorn, trombone and keyboards player, vocalist, composer, and record producer. Career Braun was born in Allentown, Pennsylvania and attended Dieruff High School. His mother was a s ...

band, a member of BWB band, and has been featured on albums by Jeff Golub. Forman has cited as influences

Oscar Peterson Oscar Emmanuel Peterson (August 15, 1925 – December 23, 2007) was a Canadian virtuoso jazz pianist and composer. Considered one of the greatest jazz pianists of all time, Peterson released more than 200 recordings, won seven Grammy Awards, ...

McCoy Tyner Alfred McCoy Tyner (December 11, 1938March 6, 2020) was an American jazz pianist and composer known for his work with the John Coltrane Quartet (from 1960 to 1965) and his long solo career afterwards. He was an NEA Jazz Master and five-time Gr ...

Herbie Hancock Herbert Jeffrey Hancock (born April 12, 1940) is an American jazz pianist, keyboardist, bandleader, and composer. Hancock started his career with trumpeter Donald Byrd's group. He shortly thereafter joined the Miles Davis Quintet, where he hel ...

, Keith Jarrett and

Chick Corea Armando Anthony "Chick" Corea (June 12, 1941 – February 9, 2021) was an American jazz composer, pianist, keyboardist, bandleader, and occasional percussionist. His compositions "Spain", "500 Miles High", "La Fiesta", "Armando's Rhumba", and " ...

Discography

As leader

* ''Childhood Dreams'' (Soul Note, 1982) * ''Only a Memory'' (Soul Note, 1983) * ''Train of Thought'' (Magenta, 1985) * ''What Else?'' (RCA, 1992) * ''Hand Made'' (Lipstick, 1993) * ''Now and Then'' (BMG/Novus 1993) * ''Harvest Song'' (Jazzline, 1997) * ''New Standards'' (UnReel, 1999) * ''Patience'' (Skip, 2001) * ''Mr. Clean: Live at the Baked Potato'' (Skip, 2002) * ''Perspectives'' (Marsis, 2006) * ''Lost and Found'' (Marsis, 2010) With Metro * ''Metro'' (Lipstick, 1994) * ''Tree People'' (Lipstick, 1995) * ''Metrocafe'' (Hip Bop, 2000) * ''Grapevine'' (Silva Screen/Hip Bop, 2002) * ''Live at the A-Trane'' (Marsis, 2004) * ''Express'' (Marsis, 2007) * ''Big Band Boom'' (Jazzline, 2015)

As sideman

With

* ''Living in the Crest of a Wave'' (Elektra Musician, 1984) * ''The Alternative Man'' (Blue Note, 1985) * ''The Gambler'' (Jazz City 1990) With Brian Bromberg * ''It's About Time'' (Nova, 1991) * ''Brian Bromberg'' (Nova, 1993) * ''You Know That Feeling'' (Zebra, 1998) * ''Compared to That'' (Artistry Music, 2012) With

* ''Full Stride'' (Atlantic, 1998) * ''Kisses in the Rain'' (Warner Bros., 2001) * ''Esperanto'' (Warner Bros., 2003) * ''Yours Truly'' (Artizen, 2005) * ''Sessions Vol. 1'' (Artizen, 2006) With

Mark Egan Mark Egan (born January 14, 1951 in Brockton, Massachusetts, United States) is an American jazz bassist and trumpeter known for his membership in the Pat Metheny Group and the Gil Evans Orchestra. He is co-founder of the jazz fusion band, Elem ...

* ''Mosaic'' (Hip Pocket, 1985) * ''Truth Be Told'' (Wavetone, 2010) * ''About Now'' (Wavetone, 2014) * ''Direction Home'' (Wavetone, 2015) With Jeff Golub * ''Nightlife'' (Bluemoon, 1997) * ''Dangerous Curves'' (GRP, 2000) * ''Grand Central'' (Narada, 2007) With Chuck Loeb * ''Mediterranean'' (DMP, 1993) * ''The Music Inside'' (Shanachie, 1996) * ''The Moon, the Stars, and the Setting Sun'' (Shanachie, 1998) * ''Presence'' (Heads Up, 2007) * ''Silhouette'' (Shanachie, 2013) * ''Unspoken'' (Shanachie, 2016) With others * Jeff Beal, ''Perpetual Motion'' (Island, 1989) * Joe Beck, ''Back to Beck'' (DMP, 1988) *

Randy Bernsen Randy Bernsen (born July 15, 1954) is an American jazz guitarist. Career Bernsen was born in Needham, Massachusetts and grew up in Florida. He attended high school in Plantation and was active in the clubs of South Florida, starting at age 17 ...

, ''Paradise Citizens'' (Zebra, 1988) * Bill Berry, ''Awkward Stage'' (Songwriter's Square, 2016) *

Bob Boykin Bob Boykin (September 24, 1942 – February 22, 2020) was an American musician, session musician, composer, and producer, best known as a guitarist. Career Bob grew up on a farm outside of Savannah, on a dirt road in south Georgia. He began ...

, ''Hazardous Material'' (Legato, 1996) * Till Bronner, ''The Movie Album'' (Verve, 2014) *

, ''Reunion'' (GRP, 1990) * Terri Lyne Carrington, ''More to Say'' (E1, 2009) * Sandeep Chowta, ''Matters of the Heart'' (Sony, 2013) * Doky Brothers, ''2'' (Blue Note, 1997) *

Thomas Dolby Thomas Morgan Robertson (born 14 October 1958), known by the stage name Thomas Dolby, is an English musician, producer, composer, entrepreneur and teacher. Dolby came to prominence in the 1980s, releasing hit singles including " She Blinded M ...

, ''The Gate to the Mind's Eye'' (Giant, 1994) * Jimmy Earl, ''Jimmy Earl'' (Legato, 1995) * Jimmy Earl, ''Stratosphere'' (Pacific Time 1999) * Richard Elliot, ''Jumpin' Off'' (Metro Blue, 1997) * Richard Elliot, ''Chill Factor'' (Capitol, 1999) *

David Foster David Walter Foster (born November 1, 1949) is a Canadian musician, composer, arranger, record producer and music executive who chaired Verve Records from 2012 to 2016. He has won 16 Grammy Awards from 47 nominations. His music career spans mor ...

, ''River of Love'' (Atlantic, 1990) * Fourplay, ''Silver'' (Heads Up, 2015) *

, ''

Billy Highstreet Samba ''Billy Highstreet Samba'' is an album by saxophonist Stan Getz which was recorded in Paris in 1981 and released on the EmArcy label in 1990.

'' (EmArcy, 1990) * Danny Gottlieb, ''Aquamarine'' (Atlantic, 1987) * Danny Gottlieb, ''Whirlwind'' (Atlantic, 1989) *

Charles Gross Charles Gross (born 13 May 1934) is an American film and TV composer, living in New York City. Gross, born in Boston, Massachusetts, was educated at Harvard University (BA), the New England Conservatory and Mills College (teaching fellowship), ...

, ''Punchline'' (A&M, 1988) * Charles Gross, ''A Family Thing'' (Cinerama, 1996) *

Jonas Hellborg Jonas Hellborg (born 7 June 1958) is a Swedish bass guitarist. He has collaborated with John McLaughlin, Ustad Sultan Khan, Fazal Qureshi, Bill Laswell, Shawn Lane, Jens Johansson, Anders Johansson, Ginger Baker, Michael Shrieve, V. Selvaganes ...

, ''Axis'' (Day Eight Music, 1986) *

Enrique Iglesias Enrique Miguel Iglesias Preysler (; (born 8 May 1975) is a Spanish singer and songwriter. He started his recording career in the mid-1990s on the Mexican indie label Fonovisa and became the bestselling Spanish-language act of the decade. By th ...

, ''Vivir'' (FonoVisa/Strauss 1997) * Anthony Jackson, ''Interspirit'' (Abstract Logix, 2010) *

Alphonso Johnson Alphonso Johnson (born February 2, 1951) is an American jazz bassist active since the early 1970s. Johnson was a member of the jazz fusion group Weather Report from 1973 to 1975, and has performed and recorded with numerous high-profile rock ...

, ''Metaphors'' (Embamba Music, 2017) * Bobby Kimball, ''We're Not in Kansas Anymore'' (Inakustik, 2016) * Kathy Kosins, ''Uncovered Soul'' (Maristar, 2018) *

Kevyn Lettau Kevyn Lettau (born 1959 in West Berlin, West Germany) is a vocalist whose most popular works are in the styles of adult contemporary pop, west coast fusion/smooth jazz, and Brazilian jazz. She scored success in the United States in the early 1990 ...

, ''Universal Language'' (JVC, 1995) * Bob Leatherbarrow, ''Bumpin' in the Basement'' (Cherimoya/Chartmaker 1998) * John McLaughlin, '' Mahavishnu'' (Warner Bros., 1984) * John McLaughlin, '' Adventures in Radioland'' (Relativity, 1986) * Mike Miller, ''Save the Moon'' (Marsis, 2001) *

Wendy Moten Wendy Moten (born November 22, 1964) is an American jazz singer from Tennessee. Born in Memphis and based in Nashville, Moten has had a successful career in music, including several major-label solo records, some international hit songs, and a ...

, ''Timeless'' (Woodward Avenue 2014) *

, '' Walk on the Water'' (DRG, 1980) * Najee, ''Just an Illusion'' (EMI, 1992) *

Billy Ocean Leslie Sebastian Charles, (born 21 January 1950), better known by his stage name Billy Ocean, is a British recording artist who had a string of R&B international pop hits in the 1970s and 1980s. He was the most popular British R&B singer-son ...

, ''Tear Down These Walls'' (Jive, 1988) * Petite Blonde, ''Petite Blonde'' (Lipstick, 1992) * Simon Phillips, ''Symbiosis'' (Lipstick, 1995) *

, ''Living Colors'' (MCA, 1988) *

, ''Talkin' 'Bout You'' (GRP, 1988) *

, ''Blue Matter'' (Gramavision, 1987) * Tom Scott, ''Smokin' Section'' (Windham Hill, 1999) *

James Senese Gaetano "James" Senese (born 6 January 1945) is an Italian saxophonist, composer, and singer-songwriter. Life and career Senese was born in Naples, the son of Anna Senese and James Smith, an American soldier from North Carolina in Italy because ...

, ''Passpartu'' (Itwhy, 2003) * Cosy Sheridan, ''Grand Design'' (Bonneville, 1998) *

, ''Phantom Navigator'' (Columbia, 1987) * Janis Siegel, ''At Home'' (Atlantic, 1987) *

Chris Standring Chris Standring (born 1 December 1960) is a British jazz guitarist known for his heavy use of 1970s-style musical nuances. Before launching his solo career with his 1998 album ''Velvet'', he represented a third of the band SolarSystem, a band t ...

, ''Sunlight'' (Ultimate Vibe, 2018) * Steps Ahead, ''Magnetic'' (Elektra 1986) *

, ''Upside Downside'' (Atlantic, 1986) *

Curtis Stigers Curtis Stigers (born October 18, 1965) is an American jazz singer. He achieved a number of hits in the early 1990s, most notably the international hit " I Wonder Why" (1991), which reached No. 5 in the UK and No. 9 in the US. Career S ...

, ''Time Was'' (Arista, 1995) *

Andy Summers Andrew James Summers (born 31 December 1942), is an English guitarist who was a member of the rock band The Police. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a band member in 2003. Summers has recorded solo albums, collaborated w ...

, ''World Gone Strange'' (Private Music, 1991) * Andy Summers, ''Synaesthesia'' (CMP, 1995) *

Mel Torme Mel, Mels or MEL may refer to: Biology * Mouse erythroleukemia cell line (MEL) * National Herbarium of Victoria, a herbarium with the Index Herbariorum code MEL People * Mel (given name), the abbreviated version of several given names (includin ...

, Gerry Mulligan, George Shearing, ''The Classic Concert Live'' (Concord Jazz, 2005) *

Frankie Valli Francesco Stephen Castelluccio (born May 3, 1934), better known by his stage name Frankie Valli, is an American singer, known as the frontman of the Four Seasons beginning in 1960. He is known for his unusually powerful lead falsetto voice. ...

, ''...Is the Word'' (Warner Bros., 1978) * Dave Valentin, ''Light Struck'' (GRP, 1986) * Carl Verheyen, ''Mustang Run'' (Cranktone, 2013) * Georg Wadenius, ''Cleo'' (Four Leaf Clover 1987) * Peter White, ''Glow'' (Columbia, 2001)

References

External links

Official site
*

Allmusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the dat ...

br>All About Jazz interview, February 2001
{{DEFAULTSORT:Forman, Mitchel 1956 births Living people Jazz musicians from New York (state) Musicians from Brooklyn Manhattan School of Music alumni American jazz composers American male jazz composers American jazz pianists American male pianists 20th-century American pianists 21st-century American pianists 20th-century American male musicians 21st-century American male musicians Mahavishnu Orchestra members Windham Hill Records artists