Home » Jazz Musicians » Metropole Orkest
Metropole Orkest
Vince Mendoza/Metropole Orkest: Olympians

by Jack Bowers
Eight-time Grammy-winning composer/arranger Vince Mendoza, born and raised in Norwalk, CT, has enjoyed great success overseas--in Europe, to be more precise--since releasing an album with Germany's WDR Big Band in 1994. The following year, Mendoza began collaborating with the Dutch Metropole Orkest and in 1998 was named its principal guest conductor. Olympians is Mendoza's third recording with the massive, string-laden Metropole. He has recorded other albums with the London and Czech Symphony Orchestras. Here in the U.S., ...
Continue ReadingVince Mendoza Metropole Orkest: Olympians

by Richard J Salvucci
Many years ago Dizzy Gillespie recorded an album called The New Continent (Limelight, 1965). Whether it was commercially successful is hard to say, but it featured an all-star cast of Los Angeles session players. The recording made a deep impression on some listeners because it was creative, dynamic, exotic and simply enjoyable. Good compositions (by Lalo Schifrin), arrangements and musicians will do that, even if the result is a bit different than mainstream jazz. Or mainstream Gillespie. ...
Continue ReadingReinier Baas, Ben van Gelder, Metropole Orkest: Smash Hits

by Vincenzo Roggero
Il chitarrista Reinier Baas ed il sassofonista Ben van Gelder pur essendo ancora in giovane età (trentatré anni il primo, trenta il secondo) vantano già diversi riconoscimenti internazionali, numerose collaborazioni prestigiose, e un'intensa attività concertistica che solo nell'ultimo anno li ha visti condividere il palco oltre duecento volte (tra le quali le apprezzate esibizioni allo Young Jazz Festival di Foligno e alla Sala Vanni di Firenze).I brani presenti in Smash Hits--già presenti in altra veste nei precedenti album ...
Continue ReadingBill Evans: Metropole Orkest, '78

Source:
JazzWax by Marc Myers
On May 9, 1978, Bill Evans was in the Netherlands to play on the Dutch TV program Music Gallery with the Metropole Orkest. The piece was Gabriel Fauré's Pavane, arranged by Claus Ogerman. Pavane was the only work recorded by Bill with the orchestra that evening. According to pianist Dave Thompson, who sent along the following video link and research notes from Fred Dekker, project manager of the Metropole Orkest: 75 Years in Perspective series, Evans first recorded Pavane in ...
read more
Mike Keneally and Metropole Orkest - The Universe Will Provide (2004)

Source:
Something Else!
By Tom Johnson I was a little disappointed with guitarist Mike Keneally's initial release of 2004, Dog. It seemed to be lacking a little something physical, some cohesive element, in the music, but where it worked it worked great. It was just too unbalanced by some out of place avant-garde-ish pieces that didn't really fit in on such an otherwise rockin' release. So when the announcement came that The Universe Will Provide, Keneally's seemingly long-in-production orchestral" piece would follow shortly ...
read more
Music
Recordings: As Leader | As Sideperson
Quixote
From: OlympiansBy Metropole Orkest