REVIEW: Musical Memoirs Reviews Ben Wolfe’s ‘Fatherhood’, The Session’s ‘Collusion’, Matt Ulery’s ‘Sifting Stars’ and Jeff Coffin & Dream Shanti’s ‘Music In Our Dreams’

August 23, 2019
REVIEW: Musical Memoirs Reviews Ben Wolfe’s ‘Fatherhood’, The Session’s ‘Collusion’, Matt Ulery’s ‘Sifting Stars’ and Jeff Coffin & Dream Shanti’s ‘Music In Our Dreams’

By: Dee Dee McNeil, Musical Memoirs BEN WOLFE –“FATHERHOOD” Resident Arts Records Ben Wolfe, bass/composer; Donald Edwards, drums; Luis Perdomo & Orrin Evans, piano; Joel Ross, vibes; Immanuel Wilkins, alto saxophone; Ruben Fox & JD Allen, tenor saxophone; Giveton Gelin, trumpet; Steve Davis, trombone; STRINGS: Jesse Mills & Georgy Valtchev, violins; Kenji Bunch, viola; Wolfram Koessel, … Read More

REVIEW: JazzViews UK reviews two Woolgathering Records Releases: Matt Ulery’s “Sifting Stars”, and Russ Johnson’s “Headlands.”

May 4, 2019
REVIEW: JazzViews UK reviews two Woolgathering Records Releases: Matt Ulery’s “Sifting Stars”, and Russ Johnson’s “Headlands.”

By: Chris Baber, JazzViews MATT ULERY – Sifting Stars Woolgathering Records: WR005   Sifting Stars Orchestra – Matt Ulery: double bass, voice; Rob Clearfield: piano; Michael Caskey: percussion; Grazyna Auguseik, Katie Ernst: voice; Yvonne Lam, Jeff Yang: violins; Aurelius Pederzoli: violas; Nick Photinos: cellos; Michael Maccaderri: clarinets; Nathalie Joachim: flutes; Ben Roidl-Ward: bassoons; Andrew Nogal: … Read More

REVIEW: Matt Ulery “Sifting Stars” Reviewed by Jazz Weekly

February 11, 2019
REVIEW: Matt Ulery “Sifting Stars” Reviewed by Jazz Weekly

By George W. Harris, Jazz Weekly Bassist Matt Ulery leads an intriguing 16 member Sifting Stars Orchestra, combined with a five piece Axiom Brass band to mix woodwinds, voice, strings and horns to a rich ten song album. The large ensemble never sounds cluttered, rather you get luminous Old World strings and  horns teamed with … Read More

BEST JAZZ RECORDINGS OF 2018: Chicago Tribune Includes Matt Ulery’s “Sifting Stars” in Yearly Round-Up!

December 9, 2018
BEST JAZZ RECORDINGS OF 2018: Chicago Tribune Includes Matt Ulery’s “Sifting Stars” in Yearly Round-Up!

Howard Reich, Chicago Tribune Matt Ulery: “Sifting Stars” (Woolgathering Records). The mystical quality of Chicago bassist-composer Ulery’s music never fails to cast its spell, regardless of the size or character of the ensemble in question. Here Ulery leads a large group with strings, reeds and horns, plus the other worldly vocals of Grazyna Auguscik and the … Read More

BEST OF TEXTURA 2018: Matt Ulery, Jonathan Barber, Meg Okura & Scott Petito!

December 9, 2018
BEST OF TEXTURA 2018: Matt Ulery, Jonathan Barber, Meg Okura & Scott Petito!

Ron Schepper, Textura Matt Ulery: Sifting Stars (Woolgathering Records) Bassist Matt Ulery’s a proud ambassador for Chicago’s ever-vital jazz scene, yet Sifting Stars, his eighth as a bandleader since his 2008 debut, is hardly a jazz recording in the conventional sense of the word; in fact, a listener coming to his music for the first time might be … Read More

REVIEW: Textura Reviews Matt Ulery’s “Sifting Stars” & Russ Johnson’s “Headlands”

November 29, 2018
REVIEW: Textura Reviews Matt Ulery’s “Sifting Stars” & Russ Johnson’s “Headlands”

Ron Schepper, Textura Russ Johnson: Headlands  Woolgathering Records Matt Ulery: Sifting Stars Woolgathering Records Bassist and composer Matt Ulery’s a proud ambassador for Chicago’s ever-vital jazz scene, yet Sifting Stars, his eighth as a bandleader since his 2008 debut, is hardly a jazz recording in the conventional sense; in fact, a listener coming to his music for the … Read More

REVIEW: UK Vibe Reviews Matt Ulery’s “Sifting Stars”

November 19, 2018
REVIEW: UK Vibe Reviews Matt Ulery’s “Sifting Stars”

Ian Ward, UK Vibe This is Matt Ulery’s eighth album since his debut in 2008. He’s a bassist, composer, band-leader and is very big and very busy in the Chicago jazz scene. He has gained accolades with recent works such as “By a Little Light”, “Wake anEcho” and “In the Ivory” on the Greenleaf Music … Read More

FEATURE: Bird is the Worm Features Woolgathering Records

November 19, 2018
FEATURE: Bird is the Worm Features Woolgathering Records

Dave Sumner, Bird is the Worm Matt Ulery has opened things up on his label Woolgathering Records in 2018.  With many musician-run labels there tends to be a certain homogeneity, a sonic cross-pollination from the same musicians appearing on each of the releases, and the only real difference is whose compositions are utilized and the name in large … Read More