Matt Smiley
Denver, CO
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.
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, Greg Osby, Vinny Golia, Tony Malaby, and Sam Newsome. Matt leads frequent workshops and lessons on 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 recent album Binnen Buiten features his mentor David Pope on tenor saxophone, and drummers Dru Heller and Ron Coulter, playing open form improvisation, gestures, and jazz standard forms.
Matt 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 completed a doctorate at the University of Colorado at Boulder, and currently teaches adjunct in the jazz studies department at Boulder. Matt was recently awarded with a MacDowell 2024 Fellowship and Aaron Copland 2024 Fellowship.
Alex Nauman
Billings, MT
Depending on when and where you catch him, you may see one of the many sides of Alex Nauman.
Whether in tie and jacket at a jazz club, or getting avant-weird at a house show, or shredding onstage with a touring funk band, he is consistent on two fronts: he brings both a joyful spirit to music-making, and a strong acuity as performer and bandleader.
Alex is a performer, composer, and educator based out of Billings, Montana. He has been a fixture on the Mountain West music circuit since before he could drive himself to gigs. Now at the ripe old age of 40 and playing everything from dizzying straight-ahead Jazz to Funk, R&B, Reggae, Soul, Rock, Hip-Hop, Electronic, Big-Band Swing, Bluegrass, Avant Garde, Experimental Improvisations, and Classical music, it's easy to see why Alex is considered one of the most talented, versatile, and sought-after musicians in the western U.S.
Much of Nauman’s creative inspiration comes from visual art, particularly the comics, games, and films implanted in childhood. Unlike the (mostly solo) experience of visual art, though, he is driven to make music in communion. Nauman has risen to regional prominence as an ensemble performer, festival leader, and local promoter.
Raised in Wyoming's Big Horn Basin, Alex began studying guitar with legendary guitarist Jeff Troxel at a very early age. After graduating from Riverside High School in Basin, he attended Northwest College in Powell, WY where he continued studying guitar. A three-year stint in the University of Northern Colorado Jazz Studies program yielded Alex a Bachelor's degree in jazz guitar performance. During his stay in Colorado, he won numerous soloist awards at the UNC/Greeley Jazz Festival and was awarded the Walt Francis Jazz Award for outstanding graduating senior. Since 2008 Alex has taught guitar, bass, and banjo at Northwest College, Rocky Mountain College, Montana State University Billings, and Allied Music in Billings, MT as well as maintaining an active performance schedule throughout the West.
“My hopes and dreams”, he’s said, “are to inspire other people to play, and to encourage them on their musical journeys.”
Ron Coulter
Casper, WY
Ron Coulter is a percussionist, composer, and improviser. He has presented at 100+ universities and toured internationally appearing in all 50 U.S. states, the European Union, Australia, Norway, Croatia, Japan, and Canada.
Ron is a co-founder of the Percussion Art Ensemble, duende entendre, Marble Hammer, Drm&Gtr, and SeFa LoCo. He founded and directed the Southern Illinois Improvisation Series, Creative Music Series, Wyoming Experimental Sound Series, and Casper College New Music Days.
Interests in noise, intermedia, interdisciplinary collaboration, and non-idiomatic improvisation have led to organizing Fluxconcerts and collaborative projects with artists specializing in performance art, video, and spoken word, including: Mary Beth Edelson, Terry Adkins, Kerry Laitala, Craig Gingrich-Philbrook, Charles Stein, and Sam West.
A Master Educator, Ron was Senior Lecturer of Percussion, Improvisation, and Jazz Studies at Southern Illinois University Carbondale from 2005 to 2014 and Associate Professor of Percussion, Jazz, and World Music at Casper College from 2014 to 2021. He has held adjunct appointments at Youngstown State University, Clarion University, John A. Logan College, and Laramie County Community College.
Originally from Hermitage, Pennsylvania, Ron Coulter (b. 1978) earned M.M. and B.M. degrees in Percussion Performance from Youngstown State University. His principle teachers include Glenn Schaft, Tony Leonardi, Feza Zweifel, Fred Morris, Erica Azim, Caution Shonhai, Bolokada Condé, and Nina DeCiancio.
Dru Heller
Denver, CO
Dru Heller is an expressive, authentic, and joyful drummer, composer, and bandleader. His passionate playing and love for music has opened opportunities for him to perform and teach all over the country.
Known for his dynamic and interactive playing, his career spans over two decades. He has toured and recorded with some of the greatest musicians in jazz, including Don Byron, John Ellis, Ron Miles, Art Lande and Greg Osby. He was a featured performer on Don Byron’s original score for the American Masters (PBS) documentary of Lorraine Hansberry: Sighted Eyes Feeling Heart. His own quartets havereceived accolades and garnered attention from jazz enthusiasts worldwide, and he is a first-call drummer for the bandstands in the greater Denver area.
Dru is an engaged and empathetic teacher. He made his home in Denver, Colorado after he received a Master of Music degree from the University of Colorado. He has served as an artist-in-residence at multiple schools and festivals, and he is a music faculty member at Metropolitan State University of Denver and the University of Colorado- Denver. He is able to reach students of all ages and ability levels and maintains his own private studio.
On and off the bandstand, Dru is an active listener. His vibrant spirit can be felt and heard through the flick of his sticks or the wit and charm of his conversations
Heath Walton
Denver, CO
Heath Walton started playing the saxophone in the 4th grade. His passion to excel in music took him from his home on the west coast all the way to the east coast.
He received a Bachelor of Music in music performance from the University of Colorado in 2003 where he studied classical saxophone under the tutelage of Tom Myer. Continuing his education, Heath received a Master of the Arts degree in jazz studies from New York University in 2007. While in NYC, Heath Walton studied with some of the greatest saxophonists and musicians alive, such as George Garzone, Lenny Pickett, John Scofield, Jean-Michel Pilc, Brian Lynch, Tony Moreno, and Ralph Alessi to name a few.
Heath Walton relocated back to Colorado to pursue a Doctor of Musical Arts degree in jazz studies. He graduated with his D.M.A. in 2016. Heath Walton has played with “Portugal. The Man” at Red Rocks Amphitheatre, Ari Honig, Remy Le Boeuf, Collin Stranahan, Shane Endsley, Adam Benjamin, Brian Lynch, Wycliffe Gordon, Greg Gisbert, Art Lande, Tia Fuller, and many others.
He recently recorded on an album with Dave King from “The Bad Plus,” cofound, records, and helps produce for his electric dance music project “The Hornbeaters,” was the Saxophone Professor at the University of Wyoming, Jazz Faculty at CU Boulder, is currently the head of the Music Department at Front Range Community College Westminster Campus, gigs nationally and locally, and with his wife helps raise two wonderful children.
Rimrock Hot Club
Billings, MT
Billings’ only hot swing ensemble, the Rimrock Hot Club, performs music rooted firmly in the Sinti tradition of Django Reinhardt and Stephane Grappelli as well as myriad modern influences. The band features Trevor Krieger on violin, Alex Nauman on guitar, David Banuelos on guitar, Mike Leslie on bass, and the fabulous Jessica Fiveland on vocals. Bringing a deep, infectious swing beat and fiery improvisations, this band is sure to keep you moving in your seat!