M.M. DePaul University
B.M. Chicago College of Performing Arts at Roosevelt University
Chicago-based bassist/composer and bandleader Matt Ulery has developed an instantly recognizable sound. Known for his sweeping lyricism, unconventional phrase structures and expressionistic emotionalism, Ulery鈥檚 music, from small, diverse chamber ensembles to full orchestras, is informed by the entire spectrum of jazz, classical, rock, pop, and folk鈥搒pecifically American, South American, Balkan and other European folk styles. He has been performing for 25 years on upright, electric and brass basses.
For over two decades, Ulery has been the leader of his own groups and frequent collaborator. Ulery has produced and released 12 albums of all-original music under his name. Ulery holds music degrees from DePaul University and Roosevelt University and is in high demand as a bassist in Chicago. As a composer, Ulery has collaborated with diverse ensembles such as Eighth Blackbird, Miami String Quartet, New Millennium Orchestra of Chicago, Brazos Valley Symphony Orchestra, Chamber Music Festival of Lexington, Axiom Brass, Wild Belle, Guimaraes (Portugal) Jazz Festival, Projeto Arcomusical, and the Carmine Caruso International Jazz Trumpet Solo Competition.
When not touring parts of the U.S. and Europe, Matt is extremely active in the Chicago area music scenes and has performed with his own groups at prestigious venues such as Carnegie Hall, NYC Winter Jazz Festival, Chicago Orchestra Hall, Millennium Park Pritzker Pavillion, Chicago Cultural Center, The Krannert Center, Jazz Showcase, The Metro, Chicago Jazz Festival, Hyde Park Jazz Festival, Chicago World Music Festival, Vancouver Jazz Festival, Guimaraes Jazz Festival, and countless other fine music listening rooms.
Matt Ulery leads and composes all the music for several of his own ensembles, including Sifting Stars Orchestra (orchestral art songs), Loom Large (jazz big band), Loom (jazz quintet), Delicate Charms (jazz quintet), Pollinator (jazz brass band), By a Little Light Ensemble (chamber jazz nonet), string quintet, and various other pet projects.
Composer/Bandleader/Recording Artist albums composed, produced and released as a leader 2008-present
"Music Box Ballerina鈥 鈥 Matt Ulery鈥檚 鈥淟oom鈥 (chamber jazz septet)鈥 Woolgathering Records 2008
鈥淭hemes and Scenes鈥 鈥 Matt Ulery (cinema and orchestra) - Woolgathering Records 2009
鈥淭he Queen鈥 10 inch vinyl single 鈥 Whistler Records 2010
鈥淔lora.Fauna.Fervor.鈥 鈥 Matt Ulery鈥檚 鈥淟oom鈥 (chamber jazz septet) - 482 Music January 2011
鈥淏y a Little Light鈥 (double CD) - Matt Ulery (14 piece chamber jazz ensemble) - Greenleaf Music 2012
鈥淲ake an Echo鈥 - Matt Ulery鈥檚 Loom (jazz quintet) Greenleaf Music July 2013
鈥淚n the Ivory鈥 (double CD) - Matt Ulery (14 piece chamber jazz ensemble) - Greenleaf Music 2014
鈥淔estival鈥 (double vinyl) - Matt Ulery鈥檚 Loom/Large (jazz big band and quintet) Woolgathering Records October 2016
鈥淪ifting Stars鈥 (vinyl/CD) - Matt Ulery鈥檚 Sifting Stars Orchestra and Axiom Brass (quintet) - Woolgathering Records October 2018
鈥淲onderment鈥 (CD) - Matt Ulery | Zach Brock | Jon Deitemyer (violin, bass, drums trio) - Woolgathering Records July 2019
鈥淒elicate Charms鈥 (vinyl/CD) - Matt Ulery鈥檚 Delicate Charms (chamber jazz quintet) - Woolgathering Records October 2019
Pollinator鈥 (vinyl/CD) - Matt Ulery鈥檚 Pollinator (jazz brass sextet) - Woolgathering Records May 2020
鈥淒elicate Charms Live at the Green Mill鈥 (CD) - Matt Ulery鈥檚 Delicate Charms (chamber jazz quintet) - Woolgathering Records October 2021
鈥淏ecome Giant鈥 (vinyl/CD) - Matt Ulery鈥檚 Become Giant (string sextet+drums) - Woolgathering Records forthcoming August 2022
鈥淢annerist鈥 (vinyl/CD) - Matt Ulery鈥檚 Mannerist 11 (11 piece chamber jazz orchestra) - Woolgathering Records forthcoming May 2022
Artist awards received
Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events Esteemed Artist Award/Grant - 2021
Illinois Arts Council - Artist Fellowship in Music Improvisation - 2021
Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs Individual Artist Grant - 2018
Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs Individual Artist Grant - 2015
Edes Foundation Prize for Emerging Artists 2013
New Music USA Composers Assistance Program 鈥 Recording Award 2011
Chicago Community Arts Assistance Program (CAAP) Grant 2010
Chicago Community Arts Assistance Program (CAAP) Grant 2009
Chicago Community Arts Assistance Program (CAAP) Grant 2008
Recent artistic critical acclaim
Top 50 Favorite Albums of 2012 (all genres) by NPR Music
Top 10 Jazz Albums of 2012 by NPR鈥檚 A Blog Supreme
Top 10 Albums of 2012 by Chicago Tribune
4 1/2 Stars - Downbeat
4 1/2 Stars from All About Jazz August 2019
Rising Star Bassist according to Downbeat July 2019, 2022
Rising Star Composer according to Downbeat July 2017
鈥滳oming on the heels of 2019's outstanding trio outing Wonderment (Woolgathering Records) with violinist Zach Brock and drummer Jon Deitemyer, 'Delicate Charms' is a four and a half star recording if ever one was.鈥 - All About Jazz
鈥淭his is music of brisk intelligence with an almost off-putting abundance of composure...with frictionless access to great chunks of classical minimalism, atmospheric indie-rock, and harmonically astute post bob.鈥 - New York Times
鈥'Delicate Charms' is gorgeous. Ulery鈥檚 unique vision of subtle grandiosity is let fly. It is texturally layered and emotionally swollen yet maintains a refined elegance; dense yet crystal-clear." - UK Vibe
"By the end of the album you'll realize this is Matt Ulery's harmonic world, and we just live in it." - 33Third (Best of 2019)
"However complex an Ulery composition is, its mellifluous melodicism ensures it communicates with immediacy.鈥 - Textura (Best of 2019)
鈥淲ith each release, Ulery鈥檚 vision grows and matures鈥攎aking him one of the most intrepid and innovative contemporary musicians. The mellifluous and intricate 'Delicate Charms' is thought-provoking and charmingly sophisticated. It is novel, complex yet accessible, which, together with its singular style, are the makings of an instant classic.鈥 - Chicago Jazz Magazine
鈥淥ne of the most hauntingly beautiful recordings of this year 鈥 or any other. This magical, profoundly musical release embraces more aesthetic influences than one might have thought a cohesive recording could.鈥 - Chicago Tribune
鈥淎 masterpiece of grand vision and soaring compositions.鈥 - E-Music
鈥淚t鈥檚 an unselfconsciously beautiful, poignant, lavish double-cd suite and one of the best albums of the year.鈥 - New York Music Daily
鈥'In the Ivory' is one of the glorious faces of musical diversity in the current scene.鈥 - Pop Matters
鈥淟isten to orchestrated jazz-pop music from a double album, 'In the Ivory' by Chicago-based bassist/composer Matt Ulery, featuring the chamber group Eighth Blackbird.鈥 - WNYC New Sounds
鈥'In The Ivory' is an outstanding chamber jazz album, and it wants the whole world to know it鈥 - Downbeat Magazine (Four-star star review)
鈥淥nce again, Ulery has produced a double album spotlighting more than a dozen jazz and classical players, his compositions at once radiantly lyrical and impeccably detailed, carefully crafted and subtly orchestrated. In the Ivory fulfills the promise of 鈥淏y a Little Light,鈥 establishing that Ulery was no one-hit wonder and that he still has a great deal to say in a chamber-jazz idiom of his own making.鈥 - Chicago Tribune
鈥淚n the last few years Chicago bassist and composer Matt Ulery has emerged as one of the most sophisticated, prolific, and versatile figures in town, leading the postbop quintet Loom and composing elegant chamber music for a circle of musicians including members of Eighth Blackbird鈥 - Chicago Reader (preview)
鈥淎mbitious in scope and meticulously composed, In The Ivory showcases Ulery鈥檚 ability to seamlessly weave together one memorable melody after another...鈥 -Utne Reader
鈥淢att Ulery has begun to develop in a far different way than fellow bassists. Rather than being the time-keeping creator of contrapuntal lines, Ulery is emerging as a composer.鈥 -Pittsburgh Tribune Review
鈥淢att Ulery continues to mature as a composer, arranger and musician 鈥 he鈥檚 a major talent and a singular voice.鈥 - Step Tempest
鈥...flows with extravagant elegance, from the intimate chamberlike pieces to the beautiful vocal work to the heart-racing pulse of his minimalist compositions whose concentric phrases spin with giddy centrifugal force. - Chicago Reader
鈥淚n the Ivory is perhaps the fullest expression of Ulery鈥檚 aesthetic to date.鈥 鈥 Detroit Free Press
