"An audiophile triumph...A composer’s record, played by three of the most attentive listeners in modern jazz, captured with the kind of care that was once the rule rather than the exception. Essential. A modern reference pressing."

- UKVibe

"Some jazz drummers are tough, all elbowing muscle; others, such as Matt Slocum, are seducers, entrancing through the power of finesse. The players who essay Slocum’s refined compositions on his new album, “With Love and Sadness”—the saxophonist Walter Smith III, the pianist Taylor Eigsti, and the bassist Larry Grenadier—similarly employ concentrated understatement to make their most persuasive points."

- The New Yorker

"He (Slocum) is a complete musician who plays drums...It feels real. The sound is so plain and exact that you imagine you could reach out and touch them."

- Stereophile

"The true value of this recording is the way its three protagonists balance each other out. There is, in other words, no dominant voice, simply a desire to make it a harmonious whole... No grandstanding, no excesses of any kind, simply timeless musical quality."

- Jazzwise

"The solid interaction of the trio and the versatility of each musician fill the tracks with life. Layered richness is at the heart of the music."
- Downbeat Magazine

"Richly textured, hard swinging modern jazz."
- Time Out London

"Slocum’s writing and playing emphasize a breathing, expressive, virtually speech-like flow of shifting meters... The young drummer constantly surprises, embracing the kit as a reactive and explorative multi-percussion whole. A fresh voice."
- Modern Drummer Magazine

"A meticulous, deeply realized work, remarkable not only for its coherence as a single arc but also for its evolving, authentic poignancy… This dreamlike, lyrical, fervent, floating music is capable of erupting in joy or pain."
- JazzTimes

"The real thing... Slocum has an expressive, light touch, reminiscent of Paul Motian’s percussive poetry, but Slocum’s lyrical writing has also gained major notice... a serious young talent on the rise."
- Sacramento Bee

"Slocum sets the tone for the album from behind the set, playing with a sensitive, nuanced touch. The architecture of each piece is spacious and free-floating, yet imbued with a determined momentum, however relaxed."
- Jazziz

"Present day jazz is clearly not stagnant in the very good hands (and sticks) of Matt Slocum- a young drummer who plays with empathy and verve."
- All About Jazz

"Matt Slocum has emerged as one of the great young drummers in New York City, and therefore all of jazz… Slocum clearly places empathy and ensemble eloquence over solo fireworks, with sublime results."
- Minneapolis Star Tribune

"A promising young drummer."
- Los Angeles Times

"A mature, impassioned postbop set inspired by the legendary Sioux medicine man of the title."
-Time Out New York

"There are those rare records that cast a spell as soon as the music begins. Black Elk’s Dream is a beautiful dream state of a recording… a band as telepathic as it is gifted… A thoughtful, thematic record that retains its emotional intimacy."
- New York City Jazz Record

"One of his generation's most highly regarded drummers ... Matt Slocum is more than a rising star drummer--he is a composer of startling melodic sophistication."
- JazzPolice

"An amazing new album… Slocum has emerged as a star of his generation, a double-threat performer and award-winning composer whose compositions build on the past and expand into the future…"
- New Times SLO

“Matt Slocum is an intelligent and intense drummer, he's more interested in telling a story than displaying his "chops." His familiarity with the styles of his fellow musicians breeds freedom instead of predictability as he gives them space and structure to work with… powerful yet subtle music."
- StepTempest