Metropolarity – the long-awaited new album by saxophonist Jasper Blom in collaboration with the Metropole Orkest – is out today. The album is now available on all major streaming platforms. The release will be celebrated with a special concert on Wednesday, May 28, at the Muziekgebouw aan ’t IJ.
For Blom, the album marks a significant moment in his career:
“Metropolarity is a musical milestone for me,” he says. “It’s the eighth release by my quartet, which has now been together for 20 years. Collaborating with the Metropole Orkest felt like a dream come true. Hearing my music come to life in grand, cathedral-like soundscapes performed by fifty incredible musicians was breathtaking.”
The renowned jazz magazine DownBeat describes Metropolarity as “a striking blend of the leader’s innovative compositions, the quartet’s tight, intuitive improvisations and the majestic sweep of the Metropole Orkest.” On Blom’s quartet — featuring guitarist Jesse van Ruller, bassist Frans van der Hoeven, and drummer Martijn Vink — the magazine writes:
“The symbiotic virtuosity of Blom and his heavyweight quartet mates blooms brilliantly in the orchestra’s verdant garden bed.”
The album is a monumental tribute to Blom’s two-decade collaboration with his quartet and to the innovative strength of the Metropole Orkest. Under the baton of conductor Christian Elsässer, and with arrangements by Jochen Neuffer, Damiano Pascarelli, Calle Rasmussen, and Callum Au, Blom’s music gains a rich orchestral depth. Metropolarity is now available everywhere.
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