Matthew Edward Wilson was born September 27, 1964, in Knoxville, Illinois. He began playing drums in elementary school and studied percussion at Wichita State University before moving to New York City in 1992. A vital presence on the New York scene ever since, Wilson combines buoyant zeal, idiosyncratic style, infectious humor, joyous swing, and an indomitable spirit of surprise, making him one of the most in-demand players and educators in modern jazz. He has worked with Lee Konitz, Cecil McBee, Dewey Redman, Charlie Haden, and Paul Bley, among many others, and topped DownBeat's "Rising Star Drummer" critics' poll category for five consecutive years before being voted Drummer of the Year in 2003.

Wilson's discography numbers more than 410 CDs, including releases by his co-led groups Sifter and Trio M, and sideman recordings alongside Dewey Redman, Paul Bley, Charlie Haden, and Lee Konitz. As a leader he has released an eclectic array of small-group albums including 2001's Arts & Crafts, 2014's Gathering Call, and 2017's Carl Sandburg-inspired Honey & Salt. Following his 2020 piano-less trio date Hug!, he paid homage to the late congressman and civil rights activist John Lewis with 2024's Good Trouble.

Wilson's playing is defined by an unusually buoyant, humor-inflected approach to post-bop drumming, one that has made him equally at home behind Lee Konitz's cool-toned lyricism, Charlie Haden's politically engaged large ensembles, and his own eclectic leader projects.