ROODE BIOSCOOP SESSIES 8.0 | Mehmet Polat Quartet

Ud player and composer Mehmet Polat brings on board three virtuosos of jazz and world music to form his new quartet: Philipp Rüttgers on piano, Martin Hafizi on drums and Johannes Fend on double bass. The quartet blends jazz with rich musical traditions from Polat’s many previous crossover projects.

The crossover-inspired compositions spring into existence through contemplation, experiments, emotions, adventure and virtuosity. Polat finds a certain freedom in diverging from simple time signatures into complex ‘odd meters’ like the 5/4, 7/4 and 9/8 found in non-Western music. The drums and double bass provide a rhythmical fundament for melodic ud and piano lines. Each of the musicians brings an individual musical sensibility, creativity and freshness to interpreting and performing the works. Collectively they make the whole much more than a sum of the parts.

The Mehmet Polat Quartet’s debut album, Embodied Poetry has been released in June 2023.

Mehmet Polat - ud / compositions
Philipp Rüttgers - piano
Martin Hafizi - drums
Johannes Fend - double bass

Please note that members of the audience may be recorded on video and may appear in online publications or on local TV station AT5.