Michael Formanek (born May 7, 1958) was an American jazz bassist and composer from San Francisco, California. Formanek performed with Art Pepper on the album San Francisco Samba in 1977 before becoming associated with the New York jazz scene. In the 1980s, he worked as a sideman with musicians such as Freddie Hubbard, Joe Henderson, and Attila Zoller.Formanek released the debut album as a leader, Wide Open Spaces, in 1990. During the 1990s, he performed with Tim Berne's ensemble Bloodcount on the albums Lowlife (1995) and Saturation Point (1997). He served as the director of the Peabody Jazz Orchestra and jazz bass instructor at the Peabody Conservatory of Music until 2018. His discography included the albums The Rub and Spare Change (2010), The Distance (2016), and As Things Do (2023). Formanek was also a member of the trio Thumbscrew with Mary Halvorson and Tomas Fujiwara.
