Mitchel Forman hailed as “formidable” performer; free master class part of May 1 schedule
Kirkwood Community College will host its annual spring jazz festival May 1, welcoming a renowned pianist of international stature. Mitchel Forman will join the Kirkwood Jazz Ensemble and the CR Jazz Big Band in Ballantyne Auditorium at 7:30 p.m.
Forman will perform with both groups as featured artist, led by Kirkwood Instrumental Music Director Dr. Timothy Feldkamp. Mitchel Forman will also conduct a master class as part of his May 1 appearance. The public is invited to the free clinic in 375 Cedar Hall, 1:00 to 2:30 p.m.
Mitchel Forman was born in Brooklyn, New York and began studying classical piano at the age of 7. At 17 he entered the Manhattan School of Music and started working with New York bands. His first big opportunity came when he was 20, when he began touring and recording with famed saxophonist Gerry Mulligan. Later he worked with Stan Getz. Forman started his solo career with an acclaimed piano performance at the 1980 Newport Jazz Festival. The Live at Newport recording became his first solo album.
The next decade would find Forman working with a diverse group of jazz greats, including Carla Bley, Phil Woods, Mel Torme and Astrud Gilberto. The 80s decade was his time to be one of the most sought-after studio musicians in New York, including seminal work with guitarist John McLaughlin. Forman later joined forces with other fusion and modern jazz artists including Wayne Shorter, John Scofield, Pat Metheny and Ricki Lee Jones.
Today Mitchel Forman continues to record and play under his own name and recently launched his own record label, Marsis Jazz. A review in Musician magazine called Forman “…a pianist and composer of formidable technical facilities . . . able to integrate poignantly introspective, impressionistic feelings into sophisticated structures that cohere so naturally it’s easy to overlook their inherent complexity and formal logic.”
Tickets for the May 1 performance by Mitchel Forman at Kirkwood are $8 for adults and $5 for seniors and students with current ID. Kirkwood faculty, staff and students are admitted free. Tickets are available from Kirkwood Student Life, Iowa Hall in Cedar Rapids, (319) 398-5578.