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Matt Smiley

Matt Smiley is a bassist, composer and educator who has performed in a variety of musical settings over the last fifteen years. He has a bachelor’s degree in music industry with a jazz studies minor from James Madison University, and a master’s of music in jazz studies from the University of Northern Colorado. An avid and enthusiastic musician, Smiley has performed both nationally and internationally at universities throughout the country, and the Montreux, North Sea, and Montreal Jazz Festivals. Currently Matt resides in Fort Collins, Colorado, where he plays jazz weekly with the Subterraneans at Ace Gillett’s. He has recently performed with legendary jazz musicians Terrell Stafford and Greg Osby, and worked with composer Alvin Lucier. For the last five years, Matt has assisted Dr. Paul Elwood with the University of Northern Colorado’s Open Space Music Festival and worked with festival artists Stephen Drury, Christian Wolff and Jean-Claude Risset. Matt released Quartet Art on the Dazzle label in 2011 featuring David Pope on saxophone. Peaceful Contact Proved Elusive, with guitarist Alex Nauman, followed in 2014 as a limited edition vinyl. Matt is featured on several Dazzle releases including those by artists Josh Quinlan, Annie Booth and Ryan Fourt. www.mattsmiley.bandcamp.com

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36
Album Review

Wil Swindler: Space Bugs

Read "Space Bugs" reviewed by Jack Bowers


Space Bugs is essentially multi-layered yet readily accessible chamber jazz admirably performed by saxophonist/composer Wil Swindler's Colorado-based Eleventet—a finely woven banquet for the ears that was handsomely recorded in May 2022 before an appreciative audience at Denver's Mighty Fine Productions. Gil Evans springs to mind when listening, as do Pete Rugolo and late- career Bob Brookmeyer. As a composer, Swindler writes that he has “always been between worlds," loving “the pristine intervals and warm timbres of orchestral ...

3
Album Review

SN Trio: Free Wyoming

Read "Free Wyoming" reviewed by Mike Jurkovic


There is a lot of movie going on: The night boatman at the moors, fifty foot ants, a crisis in chaos, gulls, babies, dark climes, eccentric mimes . . . Whatever you can fancy while listening to the unruly codes of saxophonist Sam Newsome and his equally idiosyncratic, first-time rhythm section of bassist Matt Smiley and drummer/percussionist Ron Coulter is happening, whether you can follow it or not, within the challenging realm of Free Wyoming. Recorded live in ...

69
Album Review

Matt Smiley: Quartet Art

Read "Quartet Art" reviewed by Florence Wetzel


Colorado-based bassist Matt Smiley is an excellent example of the virtues of musical versatility. His résumé includes performing internationally at the Montreux, North Sea, and Montreal Jazz festivals; premiering John Hilliard's 2nd Piano Concerto at the Kennedy Center; presenting his own arrangements of bassist Dave Holland's seminal “Conference of the Birds"; playing with a funk band; experimenting with electronics; and providing music for silent films. Clearly Smiley is a musician with wide-open ears, and his expressive, inventive bass work is ...

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Recordings: As Leader | As Sideperson

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Kreating SounD
2023

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flourish

Kreating SounD
2023

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Big City

Kreating SounD
2023

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Lost While Found

Kreating SounD
2023

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Business

Kreating SounD
2023

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delicacies

Kreating SounD
2023

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Passage

From: Space Bugs
By Matt Smiley

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