Matthew Golombisky
Encyclopedia
Matthew L. Golombisky was born and raised in Durham
and Hillsborough, North Carolina
. He started playing bugle
and cornet
at an early age. In middle school, he met an influential friend who sparked his interest in bass guitar
, and in high school, played in the Honors Jazz Ensemble. There he formed the Orange High Jazz Combo, which is still going strong today.
After high school, Matthew attended the University of North Carolina at Asheville
where he studied acoustic/electric bass performance, jazz
, and classical music
. At UNC-A, he became the music department’s hired music theory tutor. He graduated with the award of Distinction in Music in May 2001. He was also hired as an instructor and event organizer at The Asheville Music School where he taught private and group trumpet
, bass, music theory and improvisation courses.
After graduation, he moved to New Orleans and quickly became a full-time working musician, eventually finding himself in twelve different groups at a time, several of which recorded full-length CDs and have played all over the US and Europe. At any given point, he had 30 private students, several of which were accepted to the prestigious New Orleans Center of Creative Arts (NOCCA), aged anywhere from 4 to 75 years old, studying piano, bass, guitar, theory, composition, and improvisation. He organized public concerts and recording sessions for many of his students.
In the spring of 2004, he started a Master’s program at the University of New Orleans
(UNO) in Music Composition with Dr. Jerry Sieg. In August 2005, he was forced out of New Orleans because of Hurricane Katrina
, and currently resides in Chicago
where he is a steadily performing bassist, working composer and educator, continuing to play with several groups from New Orleans as well as newly formed groups based in Chicago. In Chicago, he has put together a large ensemble consisting of over twenty performers, playing all-original and freshly composed music called the Tomorrow Music Orchestra. Since its conception, they have released two CDs, Live @ Ice Factory and neon jesus garage. He attended Northwestern
in the fall of 2005 and completed his Master's of Music in Composition from UNO in May 2006.
Golombisky's “Determining What’s Next”, a slow movement for chamber orchestra, was premiered in Innsbruck, Austria in November 2005, performed at the Chicago Jazz Festival
in 2006 with the Lucky 7s, curated the now annual music/film/arts festival, ears&eyes, and is the director of the collective music community, ears&eyes Records.
Durham, North Carolina
Durham is a city in the U.S. state of North Carolina. It is the county seat of Durham County and also extends into Wake County. It is the fifth-largest city in the state, and the 85th-largest in the United States by population, with 228,330 residents as of the 2010 United States census...
and Hillsborough, North Carolina
Hillsborough, North Carolina
Hillsborough is a town in Orange County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 5,653 at the 2008 census. It is the county seat of Orange County....
. He started playing bugle
Bugle (instrument)
The bugle is one of the simplest brass instruments, having no valves or other pitch-altering devices. All pitch control is done by varying the player's embouchure, since the bugle has no other mechanism for controlling pitch. Consequently, the bugle is limited to notes within the harmonic series...
and cornet
Cornet
The cornet is a brass instrument very similar to the trumpet, distinguished by its conical bore, compact shape, and mellower tone quality. The most common cornet is a transposing instrument in B. It is not related to the renaissance and early baroque cornett or cornetto.-History:The cornet was...
at an early age. In middle school, he met an influential friend who sparked his interest in bass guitar
Bass guitar
The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
, and in high school, played in the Honors Jazz Ensemble. There he formed the Orange High Jazz Combo, which is still going strong today.
After high school, Matthew attended the University of North Carolina at Asheville
University of North Carolina at Asheville
The University of North Carolina at Asheville is a co-educational, four year, public liberal arts university. The university is also known as UNC Asheville. Located in Asheville, Buncombe County, North Carolina, UNCA is the only designated liberal arts institution in the University of North...
where he studied acoustic/electric bass performance, jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
, and classical music
Classical music
Classical music is the art music produced in, or rooted in, the traditions of Western liturgical and secular music, encompassing a broad period from roughly the 11th century to present times...
. At UNC-A, he became the music department’s hired music theory tutor. He graduated with the award of Distinction in Music in May 2001. He was also hired as an instructor and event organizer at The Asheville Music School where he taught private and group trumpet
Trumpet
The trumpet is the musical instrument with the highest register in the brass family. Trumpets are among the oldest musical instruments, dating back to at least 1500 BCE. They are played by blowing air through closed lips, producing a "buzzing" sound which starts a standing wave vibration in the air...
, bass, music theory and improvisation courses.
After graduation, he moved to New Orleans and quickly became a full-time working musician, eventually finding himself in twelve different groups at a time, several of which recorded full-length CDs and have played all over the US and Europe. At any given point, he had 30 private students, several of which were accepted to the prestigious New Orleans Center of Creative Arts (NOCCA), aged anywhere from 4 to 75 years old, studying piano, bass, guitar, theory, composition, and improvisation. He organized public concerts and recording sessions for many of his students.
In the spring of 2004, he started a Master’s program at the University of New Orleans
University of New Orleans
The University of New Orleans, often referred to locally as UNO, is a medium-sized public urban university located on the New Orleans Lakefront within New Orleans, Louisiana, United States. It is a member of the LSU System and the Urban 13 association. Currently UNO is without a proper chancellor...
(UNO) in Music Composition with Dr. Jerry Sieg. In August 2005, he was forced out of New Orleans because of Hurricane Katrina
Hurricane Katrina
Hurricane Katrina of the 2005 Atlantic hurricane season was a powerful Atlantic hurricane. It is the costliest natural disaster, as well as one of the five deadliest hurricanes, in the history of the United States. Among recorded Atlantic hurricanes, it was the sixth strongest overall...
, and currently resides in Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
where he is a steadily performing bassist, working composer and educator, continuing to play with several groups from New Orleans as well as newly formed groups based in Chicago. In Chicago, he has put together a large ensemble consisting of over twenty performers, playing all-original and freshly composed music called the Tomorrow Music Orchestra. Since its conception, they have released two CDs, Live @ Ice Factory and neon jesus garage. He attended Northwestern
Northwestern University
Northwestern University is a private research university in Evanston and Chicago, Illinois, USA. Northwestern has eleven undergraduate, graduate, and professional schools offering 124 undergraduate degrees and 145 graduate and professional degrees....
in the fall of 2005 and completed his Master's of Music in Composition from UNO in May 2006.
Golombisky's “Determining What’s Next”, a slow movement for chamber orchestra, was premiered in Innsbruck, Austria in November 2005, performed at the Chicago Jazz Festival
Chicago Jazz Festival
The Chicago Jazz Festival is a popular and well-known four day free celebration of jazz at Petrillo Music Shell in Grant Park in downtown Chicago. It is run by the Jazz Institute of Chicago during Labor Day weekend, integrating both world-famous and local artists...
in 2006 with the Lucky 7s, curated the now annual music/film/arts festival, ears&eyes, and is the director of the collective music community, ears&eyes Records.
Discography
(album, group/band, label, year)- Holiday for Vacationers, The Other Planets, ears&eyes/Attention Spaniel, '08
- Return is Selective, Silences Sumire, Ropeadope Digital, '08
- Lost to the Living, Daylight Dies, Candlelight, '08
- For Jeremy, Robin Boudreaux's New Symphonics, Tipping Point, '08
- Jar Cell Dirge EP, Pedway, ears&eyes Records, '08
- Magnetic Flux, Zing!, ears&eyes Records, '07
- Volume One, ears&eyes Records (compilation), '07
- Uhzoid, QMRplus, ears&eyes, '07
- ITS TIME, Chicago Junglebop Syndicate, IZM Records, '07
- Farragut, Lucky 7s, Lakefront Digital, '06
- Baghdad Music Journal, WATIV, High Mayhem, '05
- Introducing ::, GKduo, ears&eyes, '06
- Live @ Ice Factory, Tomorrow Music Orchestra, ears&eyes, '06
- neon jesus garage, Tomorrow Music Orchestra, ears&eyes, '06
- New Orleans / Katrina = Chicago + Santa Fe, Grilly Biggs, High Mayhem, '06
- High Mayhem Festival 2005, High Mayhem, '06
- Eightballs in Angola, The Other Planets, Attention Spaniel, '06
- Live @ Elastic, The Hall Monitors, ears&eyes, '06
- Redshift, Redshift, Independent, '05
- backGammon, backGammon, Independent, '06
- Dismantling Devotion, Daylight Dies, Candlelight, '05
- no bitch ass hurricane can stop us, Grilly Biggs, Independent, '05
- LIVE!, QMRplus, ears&eyes, '05
- High Mayhem Festival 2004, High Mayhem, '05
- To Tide You Over, Grilly Biggs, Independent, '04
- Live at Left Bank, Macy-Golombisky Duo, Independent, '01
Press
- Nov. 2007 issue of Bass Player (Larry Grenadier interview)
- Spring 2006 issue of Signal to Noise (WATIV article)
- Summer 2006 issue of Double Bassist (Chicago bassists/Surviving Katrina article)
- Fall 2006 issue of Zero Tolerance (Gunnelpumpers article)
- Chicago Jazz Festival 2006 issue of TimeOut (Lucky 7s article)
Current groups/bands
- Tomorrow Music Orchestra – 20+ members (traditional chamber ensemble with addition of vibes, saxophones, guitar, and drum set); Chicago-based; www.earsandeyesrecords.com/tmo and www.myspace.com/tomorrowmusicorchestra
- Golombisky-Kirchner Duo (GKduo) – MG: bass, likable noise, melodica, percussion, Quin Kirchner (QK): drums, tapes, samples, percussion; Chicago-based; www.myspace.com/golombiskykirchnerduo or www.gkduo.com
- Lucky 7s – Jeb Bishop: trombone, Jeff Albert: trombone/tuba, Josh Berman: cornet, Keefe Jackson: tenor sax/bass clarinet, Jason Adasiewicz: vibes, MG: acoustic bass/effects, QK: drums; New Orleans/Chicago-based; www.lucky7s.org
- WATIV – Will Thompson: piano/Rhodes/clarinet/computer, Jeremy Bleich: oud/melodcia/percussion, MG: bass/melodica/effects, Milton Villarrubia – drums/melodica; Jackson, Miss/Santa Fe/Chicago-based; www.wativ.com
- ZING! – James Davis: trumpet, Caroline Davis (CD): alto sax, Dave Miller: guitar/effects, MG: electric bass/effects, QK – drums; Chicago-based; www.zingzingzing.com
- Dirty Snow – James Davis: trumpet, CD: alto sax, Matthew McClimon (MM): vibes, MG: acoustic bass; Chicago-based; www.myspace.com/dirtysnowmusic
- Red Shift – Tom Sandahl: guitar/keyboards, MM: vibes, MG: acoustic/electric bass/effects, QK: drums; Portland/Chicago-based; www.redshiftmusic.net
- Grilly Biggs – MM: vibes, MG: acoustic/electric bass/effects, QK: drums/tapes, Milton Villarrubia: drums/sampler; Santa Fe/Chicago-based; www.grillybiggs.com
- The Other Planets – Anthony Cuccia: percussion/vocals, Dr. Jimbo Walsh: guitar, Dan Oestreicher: bari/bass saxophone, MM: vibes, MG: electric bass/effects, QK: drums, Tim McFatter: tenor sax/keyboards; New Orleans/Chicago-based; www.theotherplanets.com
- Gunnelpumpers – Doug Johnson: acoustic/electric contrabass/effects, Michael Hovnanian: contrabass/effects, MG: contrabass/effects, Doug Brush: tabla/percussion, Randy Farr: congas/percussion; Chicago-based; www.myspace.com/gunnelpumpers
- backGammon – Jonathon Kirk: trombone/euphonium/computer, Casey Farina: made instruments/percussion/computer, Theron Humiston: guitar/computer, James Diomede: voice/effects, Dr. Stephen Syverud: piano, CD: alto sax, MG: acoustic bass/effects/computer; Evanston, IL-based; www.myspace.com/bkgmn
- Ear To The Ground – Dave Rempis: tenor/bari sax, CD: alto sax, MG: acoustic bass, QK: drums; Chicago-based.
- QMRplus – Robin Boudreaux: soprano/alto/tenor sax, MM: vibes, MG: acoustic bass, QK: drums; New Orleans/Chicago/Indiana-based; www.qmrplus.com
- Pele’s Electric Glow – Sam Macy: guitar, MM: vibes, MG: acoustic bass, QK: drums; Chicago-based; www.myspace.com/peleselectricglow
- The Hall Monitors – David Polk: alto sax/computer, Brigham Hall: piano/computer, MG: electric bass/effects, QK: drums (Chicago), Simon Lott: drums (New Orleans); New Orleans/Chicago-based; www.thehallmonitors.com
- Theory Anesthetic – Mandy Matz: keyboard/computer/voice, Walton Richmond: mandolin/guitar, MG: acoustic/electric bass/effects, QK: drums/samples; Chicago-based; www.theoryanesthetic.com
- A Lott Moore Golombisky – Jason Moore: tenor sax, MG: electric bass/effects, Simon Lott: drums; Baton Rouge/Chicago-based.
- Balkano – Bryan Pardo: clarinet/alto and tenor sax, James Davis: trumpet, Dave Miller: guitar, Diana Lawrence: voice, MG: bass, Joe Chellman: drums; Chicago-based.
- Jack&Jezebel – MG: bass/computer/piano/etc.; Chicago-based; www.myspace.com/jackandjezebel
- Steps (74) – Dave Marsalek: drums, Brian Niebuhr: trumpet, Joe Grez: tenor sax, Ray Pandocchi: tenor sax, L. Ziade: voice, Fred Krugel: guitar, Matt Nelson: keyboard, MC Philasoph: voice, Jbeatz: flute/voice, MG: acoustic/electric bass/effects; aka Chicago Junglebop Syndicate; Chicago-based; www.myspace.com/chicagojunglebop