Matt Niedbalski
Musician | Recording Engineer
Matt Niedbalski is a drummer known for bringing musicality and energy to the bandstand. Born and raised in New York’s Capital District, Matt was exposed to music at a very early age. While in high school he took private drum lessons with drummer/author Ted Mackenzie and participated in the Empire State Youth Orchestra as well as the Skidmore Summer Jazz Institute. Before graduating high school Matt played with many local musicians, performing at the Troy Savings Bank Music Hall, the Final Stretch Music Festival and the Lake George Jazz Festival where he opened for Rudresh Manthappa and Bunky Green.
In 2012, Matt was accepted into the jazz studies program at William Paterson University under the direction of Mulgrew Miller. While at William Paterson he studied privately with Bill Goodwin, Kevin Norton and Steve LaSpina. Matt participated in ensembles directed by Mulgrew Miller, Bill Charlap, Christian McBride and others. Matt performed as a member of the university ensembles at the William Paterson Jazz Room Series and Dizzy’s Club Coca Cola.
Since graduating William Paterson in 2016 Matt has performed at numerous festivals including the Albany Riverfront Jazz Festival and Musikfest in Bethlehem PA. Matt has been featured on multiple recordings including “People and Places” by the Sam Javitch Quartet featuring Rich Perry, “What We Learn From the Trees” by the Giroux Brothers and “Tales” by Charles Cornell. “People and Places” release was celebrated with performances in New York City at Joe’s Pub and the Blue Note and received favorable reviews in publications such as the New York City Jazz Record, Textura and UK Vibe. “Tales” by Charles Cornell was released in 2019 and the albums lead single “Rise“ has over 50,000 views on Youtube. In addition to performing Matt also produces recordings. He has production credits on “Your Choice” and “Tales” by Charles Cornell and “What We Learn From the Tree’s” by the Giroux Brothers. Matt self released “Brothers“ a duo recording featuring himself and alto saxophonist Joel Cotton. The album was released on an independent label he founded named “2198 Records”. Matt is a fixture in the Albany jazz scene and can often be seen performing at Speakeasy 518, freelancing with various groups and leading his own ensembles. In 2021 his co-lead trio “GNP” with Tyler Giroux and Dylan Perrillo released their debut album “Codes” on ears&eyes Records. Matt endorses Bosphorus Cymbals and Vater drumsticks.
