Jazz Articles about Metropole Orkest

like 445

The Metropole Orchestra: Tabloid Suite

by Jack Bowers
December 3, 2004

The Netherlands Metropole Orchestra, formed in 1945 by Dolf van der Linden, was inspired by and patterned after bandleader Paul Whiteman's seminal Concert Jazz Orchestra, for which Ferde Grofé served as chief arranger from 1919-33. It was Grofé who orchestrated George Gershwin's groundbreaking “Rhapsody in Blue" in 1924 and his Concerto in F for piano and orchestra the following year, and who wrote a number of picturesque tone poems for Whiteman's ensemble including the Madison Square Garden Suite, Ode to ...

like 254

Metropole Orkest: Conducted by Rob Pronk

by Jack Bowers
November 22, 2004

Although mentioning Rob Pronk's name to jazz fans here in the States would presumably elicit no more than blank stares, musicians--especially those in the Netherlands--know him well, as Pronk has been a renowned jazz luminary in that country for many years, earning the prestigious Nordring Radio Prize in 1981 and Blaupunkt Music Award in 1988 for his composing and arranging prowess.

To help celebrate Pronk's seventy-fifth birthday, the Netherlands Metropole Orchestra (Metropole Orkest), for whom he was named principal guest ...

like 107

The Metropole Orchestra: The Chesterfield Arrangements / Kodachrome

by Jack Bowers
August 2, 2002

Raymond Scott's is a name I'd never associated with Jazz. After hearing these recent recordings by the Netherlands Metropole Orchestra of Scott's music from the mid-'30s through the late '50s, it still isn't. Lovely music, though, light years ahead of much of what is being unloaded on the public these days. Disc 1, The Chesterfield Arrangements, consists of music written by Scott for his Quintette and played while he was appearing regularly in 1937-38 on bandleader Paul Whiteman's weekly radio ...

like 239

Metropole Orchestra / Bart van Lier: Twilight Time

by Jack Bowers
August 1, 1999

The Netherlands Metropole Orchestra, which spends much of its studio time supporting well–known Jazz musicians from other countries, showcases one of its own, the buttery–toned trombonist Bart van Lier, on Twilight. Van Lier, a master of his instrument if ever there was one, has long been a mainstay in the Metropole Orchestra (and many other top–flight big bands in Europe including those led by Peter Herbolzheimer). As for his playing, composer/arranger Bill Holman describes it concisely and flawlessly in the ...

like 147

Netherlands Metropole Orchestra: Metropole Orkest

by Jack Bowers
August 1, 1999

Here’s one for the books. The Netherlands Metropole Orchestra, which has earned worldwide acclaim backing artists from Charles Aznavour, Tony Bennett and Natalie Cole to Clark Terry, Nancy Wilson and the Yellowjackets, flies solo here, shining the spotlight on its own drawing cards with generally dazzling results — as would be expected from an orchestra that has been one of Europe’s foremost Jazz ensembles for more than half a century. Metropole has had only three principal conductors during that time: ...