Matthew Golombisky

“Montana Fix, from the Gunnelpumpers [is] instrumental music of the highest order...the record is intense, moody, introspective, groovy, transcendent, atmospheric, mind-expanding... a great collection of grooves that roam across the sonic horizon...the collective vibe of this group is stunning...inspired!”, says JimmyDumps.com review.

“...each and every second is interesting and provocative,” says babysue.com review on Montana Fix.

Bill Meyer (Chicago Reader) on The Spirit at Bell’s: “Golombisky and Daniel Thatcher, are equally essential to the album's novel sound. The two double bassists fill the space between Robinson's adroit, graceful maneuvers and Bennington's loose grooves and colorful fills with a rich assortment of tightly woven walking lines, darting solo forays, and out-of-tempo strums.” (full review)

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“Montana Fix, from the Gunnelpumpers [is] instrumental music of the highest order...the record is intense, moody, introspective, groovy, transcendent, atmospheric, mind-expanding... a great collection of grooves that roam across the sonic horizon...the collective vibe of this group is stunning...inspired!”, says JimmyDumps.com review.

“...each and every second is interesting and provocative,” says babysue.com review on Montana Fix.

Bill Meyer (Chicago Reader) on The Spirit at Bell’s: “Golombisky and Daniel Thatcher, are equally essential to the album's novel sound. The two double bassists fill the space between Robinson's adroit, graceful maneuvers and Bennington's loose grooves and colorful fills with a rich assortment of tightly woven walking lines, darting solo forays, and out-of-tempo strums.” (full review)

“...as the brainchild of bassist, composer and conductor Matthew Golombisky, TMO (as they’re known)... the result is quite the aural and visual amusement, simultaneously artistic and intriguing. One minute they’re pumping out a big-band sound before a completely natural-sounding Afrobeat seamlessly shakes its way into the ensemble. A playful yet serious blending of genres makes TMO an un-intimidating way to expose oneself to classical and traditional jazz blended with elements of rock. A word of caution: just sit back and enjoy it — because if you spend too much time trying to identify all the sounds, you’ll just end up lost in the richness of it all.” (Appearing as part of the Around the Coyote Fall Festival) – Jen Fischer (ChicagoInnerview)

Brad Walseth (jazzchicago.net) on Zing!’s Magnetic Flux: “...bassist Golombisky and drummer Kirchner form a formidable tandem, anchoring these quickly mutating pieces while aggressively propelling them forward...it's as though a lunar explorer from Earth landed on a beach on some alien world with its enclosed package of musical samples melted together during the descent, warped it's true, but still clearly recognizable as music. (full review)

Lucky 7s Farragut is #10 on the 2006 WNUR Top 50 Records

Avant Music News, Best of 2013, Honorable Mention for Montana Fix by Gunnelpumpers.

“...alles echt, erdig und rhythmisch...wer spaB an instrumenten und ungewohnten kombis hat, kommt hier auf seine kosten...”, says NONPOP review on Montana Fix.

Hilary Matheson (Daily Inter Lake) reports on IfCM with Golombisky teaching improvisation: here.

Chris Peterson (Hungry Horse News) reports on IfCM with Golombisky “igniting a new creative vibe...”: here.

Neil Tesser (Chicago Reader) on Tomorrow Music Orchestra: “In his thoughtfully crafted written passages, Golombisky employs this large palette with unusual care, mixing the colors sparingly and with a painterly attention to shadow and light, but individual voices carry through even during full-group improvisations.” (full review)

Jay Collins (Signal To Noise magazine #45) on Farragut: "Special mention must be given to Golombisky for his riveting ‘It’s Something to Try. For now, at least’ [tune]...with its beautiful, yet raucous energy...”

Peter Margasak (Chicago Reader) on Darts & Arrows record “...they work hard to create a detailed ensemble setting, shaping unobtrusive grooves and harmonic shapes with the same restraint the guitarist applies to his melodic extrapolations.”

Bruce Lee Gallanter (Downtown Music Gallery) on The Spirit at Bell’s: "For this fine disc, Bennington hooks up with clarinet legend Perry Robinson plus strong two acoustic bassists...starts with both bassists strumming and plucking together cerebrally, slowly building as the clarinet quietly enters...both bassists do a fine job of providing the flow of events as they unfold and move in waves together...there is something natural and unforced about the way this disc evolves...it just feels right and feels good..." (full review)

Neil Tesser (Chicago Reader) on Zing!’s Magnetic Flux: “On its debut disc, Magnetic Flux (released this summer), Golombisky hits the ground dancing: the opening track, “Boo Boo Bah Bah,” jumps to his electric-bass countermelody, doubled by guitarist Dave Miller.” (full review)

Filmmaker Amy Peters: “I needed music. Only a few things would work for the specific feel I was going for. It just so happened that I got some discs to review for my feature documentary and one musician had already stood out as being a possibility. Matthew Golombisky. Bingo. He not only had the PERFECT score on his sound resume, but he is super cool enough to let me use it!” (watch the video)

Vern (JazzWrap) on Zing!’s Magnetic Flux: “‘Afterwords’ displays this richly through the what could almost be journey walking down a New Orleans street in the aftermath. The basslines from Golombisky are haunting and easily detached you from session to fill you emotions of sorrow and the hope that follows.” (full review)

Michael Nastos (All Music Guide) on Zing!’s Magnetic Flux: “A group that seemingly is capable of anything, it's remarkable what they have accomplished here, considering it's their debut recording... Zing! sounds poised to make big waves on the contemporary music landscape.” (full review)

Forrest Dylan Bryant (JazzTimes magazine) on Pluto Junkyard Jan/Feb 2007 issue: "...live and raw. Neatly balancing abstraction with fat, chewy grooves, the band gleefully stomps through compositions pulling back occasionally for stark atmospherics or somber ensemble sections.”

Grego Edwards (Cadence Magazine) on Farragut Feb ‘07: "The ensemble plays a raucous, yet controlled form of Jazz that has some of the joy of old New Orleans style yet is thoroughly Post-Bop in its inflections...this is modern ensemble Jazz of the highest caliber. Grab this one!" (full review)

Bill Meyer (DownBeat magazine) on Farragut March 2007: "...one moment their attractive melodies coast on vigorously swinging rhythms, the next they tumble in a free improv freefall.” 3 1/2 stars

Debi Winston Bruzil (Yoga Chicago) on Darts & Arrows: “...‘Whispers’ is a lovely haunting song with a slow and steady pace. Listening to it makes my heart open and soar.”

Jay Collins (Signal To Noise) on Pluto Junkyard Spring 2007: "It's a simply excellent album...beautiful, yet raucous energy.”

Artist profile on Gapers Block by Laura Mayer, Oct. 24, 2008

Ken Waxman’s (Jazz Word) review on Farragut: here

Lucky 7s Pluto Junkyard review on All About Jazz Neil Tesser (Chicago Reader) on the 2nd Annual ears&eyes Festival, read: Dec. 6 2007

Nov. 2007 issue of Bass Player magazine Larry Grenadier interview

Sept. 26 2007, Santa Fe Reporter High Mayhem Festival review

Aug/Sept. ’06 Matthew Lurie (TimeOut Chicago) on Lucky 7s

Steve Griffith (Paris Transatlantic Magazine) reviews Lucky 7s, February 2010 (Ctrl+F “Golo”)

March 2007 issue of DownBeat Lucky 7s review by Bill Meyer

Fall 2006 issue of Zero Tolerance Gunnelpumpers article

Summer 2006 issue of Double Bassist magazine Surviving Katrina article

Chicago Jazz Festival 2006 issue of TimeOut, Lucky 7s article

Spring 2006 issue of Signal to Noise, WATIV article

Antigravity (New Orleans magazine) article on QMRplus’ Robin Boudreaux about his New Symphonics for Jeremy, with Golombisky on bass, June 2008

Jason (Live New Orleans) on a Grilly Biggs show, Feb ‘05: “I'm not a fan of the five or six stringed bass. Just like I'm not fond of the hydrogen bomb. I think the human race can do enough damage with the atomic bomb...bassists should be able to anchor the music and create melodies with just four strings. But, I've seen the five or six string fall into the hands of musicians who used its wider range of tones for no good reason. They produced superfluous notes that cluttered the music. After Grilly Biggs bassist Golombisky's six string performance, my phobia is waning. ...luckily, [he] kept his lines simple. He copied the sparse melodies of vibraphonist Matthew McClimon, or he created a quick succession of notes that drummers...built on... while his supersonic strumming created the hint for a freakout. A wonderful caucophony. Grilly Biggs were masters of space.”

Jason (Live New Orleans) on a Red Shift show, June ‘05: “...of course, the challenge of the music and the amount of focus that's sometimes needed while listening to Jazz is the fun of it when you get it, when you can let go and roll with it. That apprehension disappeared when the Golombisky and McClimon started moving in exactly the same directions.”

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