Mannerist May 5, 2023 Woolgathering Records Bassist, composer, bandleader, and Woolgathering Records label founder Matt Ulery presents his new undecet album Mannerist. As Chicago Reader put it in a glowing review of his previous album, Become Giant, “[He’s] in so many projects that he sometimes seems omnipresent. Unsurprisingly, Ulery’s output as a composer and bandleader is just as multivalent.” Indeed, Mannerist is Ulery’s 14th album as a … Read More
Become Giant August 26, 2022 Woolgathering Records A work of heartbreaking grandeur, Become Giant features master composer/bassist Matt Ulery, world-renowned violinist Zach Brock and the brilliant Chicago-based KAIA String Quartet soaring for 36 minutes over a harmonically lush, rhythmically dense, and melodically enchanted musical forest. For bassist-composer Ulery, the deep dive into a chamber music/jazz vortex is not new. Indeed, it’s … Read More
Delicate Charms Live at the Green MillOctober 6, 2021Woolgathering RecordsDelicate Charms Live at the Green Mill captures an electrifying evening of live music from bassist and composer Matt Ulery’s Delicate Charms ensemble, performing at the legendary Chicago institution The Green Mill. Following the ensemble’s eponymous release in October of 2019, 2021’s Delicate Charms Live at the Green Mill presents … Read More
A Time And A PlaceRelease Date: October 6, 2020Label: Woolgathering Records Celebrated tenor saxophonist Dustin Laurenzi presents his latest release, A Time and A Place, the impassioned follow-up to his 2016 self-titled album with his quartet of esteemed Chicago-based musicians, Natural Language. The release embodies the unbridled invention and cohesiveness that are such large components of … Read More
PollinatorAugust 4, 2020Woolgathering RecordsPollinator is Matt Ulery’s an ebullient program of swing music celebrating the spirit of the roaring 20’s, 100 years later. Ulery brings his stunning compositional prowess to this centennial homage, merging sophisticated composure with ensemble improvisation, making a bold statement about the vitality of this music going into its second century. Harkening back … Read More
Golden DaffodilRelease Date: April 21, 2020Label: Woolgathering Records Woolgathering Records, the independent label and direct-to-artist web store under the direction of bassist/composer Matt Ulery expands its catalogue with its first vocal release: Golden Daffodil by Chicago-based vocalist Leslie Beukelman. To be released on digital and CD on April 21, Golden Daffodil features Beukelman alongside a consummate … Read More
Delicate CharmsRelease date: October 15, 2019Label: Woolgathering RecordsBassist/composer Matt Ulery’s new jazz quintet album, Delicate Charms is fervent and spellbinding – the album perfectly captures the energy, dynamic nuance and sensitivity of the performers who grace each of the Ulery-penned tracks. Delicate Charms features Greg Ward on alto saxophone, Zach Brock on violin, Rob Clearfield … Read More
WondermentRelease Date: July 16, 2019Label: Woolgathering RecordsFor violinist Zach Brock, bassist Matt Ulery, and drummer Jon Deitemyer, their debut trio album Wonderment is very much a realization of separate musical journeys coalescing into one undeniably personal statement. Wonderment features original compositions from all three members for this unique violin/bass/drum trio. The group’s almost fifteen-year musical … Read More
Sifting StarsRelease date: October 16, 2018Label: Woolgathering RecordsSifting Stars, the eighth album from Matt Ulery, finds the prolific bassist in the company of a large ensemble, aptly named the Sifting Stars Studio Orchestra. Anchored by pianist Rob Clearfield, a significant voice in Ulery’s music over the past decade (and labelmate; his “Wherever You’re Starting From” … Read More
HeadlandsRelease date: October 16, 2018Label: Woolgathering RecordsTrumpeter and composer Russ Johnson explores new musical territory on Headlands, his fourth release as a leader. In 2015, Russ Johnson was commissioned to premiere a new band and set of compositions for the Hyde Park Jazz Festival in Chicago. The result is Headlands, a 12-movement suite he composed … Read More
