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Matt Smiley
Bassist, Improviser and Composer in Colorado
About Me
Bassist, composer, and educator Matt Smiley navigates his broad sonic
world with imagination, openness, and artistic vision. Matt merges his deep
roots in the jazz bass tradition with modern explorations of sound, texture,
and improvisation from the world of contemporary composition, making him
a favorite and frequent collaborator of creative musicians across a variety of
musical genres.
As a performer, Matt has toured nationally and internationally, appearing on
stages, festival performances, and university residencies in the United
States, Costa Rica, and the Netherlands. He has performed with
bandleaders and composers including David Murray, Terrell Stafford,
Christian Wolff, Greg Osby, and Sam Newsome. Matt leads frequent
workshops and lessons on free improvisation, jazz bass, and composition,
working with educational partners including Denver School of the Arts, the
Gift of Jazz, and Casper College.
Improvisation and collaboration are the common threads across Matt’s
recorded albums as a bandleader. His discography includes Endgame Trio’s
Apocalypse Scorpion, an explosive improvisatory duo with guitarist Alex
Nauman; Seafoam Blue, a collection of original folk songs with violinist and
vocalist Aimee Niemann; and Free Range with Art Deco, a jazz quintet
blending free and straight ahead approaches. His upcoming release
Crankbait includes a collection of original chamber pieces and features
musicians Josh Reed, Briana Harris, Ben Parrish, and Michael D’Angelo.
Matt was born in Staunton, Virginia, where his earliest experiences with
creative music were inspired by the area’s vibrant jam band scene. He
received a bachelor’s degree in music industry with a jazz studies minor
from James Madison University. Matt moved to Colorado to attend graduate
school at the University of Northern Colorado, where he graduated with a
master’s degree in jazz studies. He is currently completing a doctorate at the
University of Colorado at Boulder, where he studies with Brad Goode and
Bijoux Barbosa.