“Ulery gives us one of his very best here. More lyric than avant, you find yourself drawn to the endless charm of his inventive imagination.” Read more.

“On Festival, Ulery gives us a collection of songs with compositional depth and rich orchestration. One can’t help but assume the music here was intended to evoke the “visualization” of a story. No matter what story the listener sees, the collection of music heard is something most are sure to enjoy.” Full review here.

“Few musicians in Chicago have worked as diligently and rigorously to combine postbop with the voicings and compositional richness of classical music as bassist Matt Ulery, who improves with every new recording …” Full preview here.

“Not surprisingly, Ulery’s newest album — “Festival” – continues his pursuit of the unconventional… When Ulery celebrates the release of “Festival” at the Green Mill Jazz Club this weekend, he’ll be leading the Loom quintet, giving listeners a taste of the array of colors, tones and musical sensibilities he articulates on “Festival.” Full feature here.

“Here, in the visionary spirit of Matt Ulery, we find him in awesome creativity. ” Read full Italian review here. 

“How can you not be inextricably drawn to a performance that is so intriguing and enduring?” Read full review here. 

“Matt Ulery has created his own sound, hearing a confluence of sounds and styles unlike any contemporary composer… “festival” is a treat, three albums on one disc, 74+ minutes, and well worth your time and attention.” Read more.

“With imagination, power and chops merging into one undeniable mass, Ulery is a Chicago jazz treasure that keeps his claim valid here.” Read here.

“This is music of Brisk Intelligence with an almost off-putting abundance of composure…with frictionless access to great chunks of classical minimalism, atmospheric indie-rock, and harmonically astute post bob.”
– New York Times

+ Top 50 Favorite Albums Of 2012 (all genres) by NPR Music
+ Top 10 Jazz Albums of 2012 by NPR’s A Blog Supreme
+ Top 10 Albums of 2012 by Chicago Tribune

“elegantly crafted melody, unexpected harmony and darkly brooding instrumental color, it’s as seductive as it is original.” – Howard Reich, Chicago Tribune

“one of the most hauntingly beautiful recordings of this year — or any other. This magical, profoundly musical release embraces more aesthetic influences than one might have thought a cohesive recording could.” —Chicago Tribune

4 1/2 stars -Downbeat

“a masterpiece of grand vision and soaring compositions.” —eMusic

“It’s an unselfconsciously beautiful, poignant, lavish double-cd suite and one of the best albums of the year.” – New York Music Daily

“In the Ivory is one of the glorious faces of musical diversity in the current scene.” – Will Layman, PopMatters

“Listen to orchestrated jazz-pop music from a double album, “In the Ivory” by Chicago-based bassist/composer Matt Ulery, featuring the chamber group eighth blackbird.”- WNYC New Sounds

“In The Ivory is an outstanding chamber jazz album, and it wants the whole world to know it” – Anthony Dean Harris, Downbeat (4 Star Review)

“Once again, Ulery has produced a double album spotlighting more than a dozen jazz and classical players, his compositions at once radiantly lyrical and impeccably detailed, carefully crafted and subtly orchestrated. In the Ivory fulfills the promise of “By a Little Light,” establishing that Ulery was no one-hit wonder and that he still has a great deal to say in a chamber-jazz idiom of his own making.” – Howard Reich, Chicago Tribune

“In the last few years Chicago bassist and composer Matt Ulery has emerged as one of the most sophisticated, prolific, and versatile figures in town, leading the postbop quintet Loom and composing elegant chamber music for a circle of musicians including members of Eighth Blackbird” – Peter Margasak, The Chicago Reader’s Fall Preview

“Ambitious in scope and meticulously composed, In The Ivory showcases Ulery’s ability to seamlessly weave together one memorable melody after another…”
– Christian Williams, UTNE Reader

“Matt Ulery has begun to develop in a far different way than fellow bassists. Rather than being the time-keeping creator of contrapuntal lines, Ulery is emerging as a composer.” – Bob Karlovits, Pittsburgh Tribune Review

“Matt Ulery continues to mature as a composer, arranger and musician – he’s a major talent and a singular voice.” – Richard Kamins, Step Tempest

“…flows with extravagant elegance, from the intimate chamberlike pieces to the beautiful vocal work to the heart-racing pulse of his minimalist compositions whose concentric phrases spin with giddy centrifugal force.
Peter Margasak, Chicago Reader

“In the Ivory is perhaps the fullest expression of Ulery’s aesthetic to date.”
– Mark Stryker, Detroit Free Press