Date/Time
Date(s) - 03/07/2025
8:15 pm
Location
Toplocentrala
Categories
Mehmet Polat Quartet
Renowned ud player and composer Mehmet Polat brings together three exceptional jazz and world music talents in his new quartet: Franz von Chossy on piano, Martin Hafizi on drums, and Daniel van Huffelen on double bass. Together, they explore a unique blend of jazz and global musical traditions, continuing Polat’s distinctive journey through musical crossovers.
The quartet’s compositions emerge from deep contemplation, experimentation, emotion, and artistic curiosity. With roots in various traditions, the music ventures beyond conventional time signatures into intricate odd meters such as 5/4, 7/4, and 9/8—rhythms found in many non-Western musical forms. A solid rhythmic foundation by the bass and drums supports soaring, interwoven lines from the ud and piano. Each musician contributes a fresh and individual musical perspective, making the ensemble greater than the sum of its parts.
The Mehmet Polat Quartet released their debut album, Embodied Poetry, in June 2023, followed by their latest album, Roots in Motion, released in March 2025.
Line up:
Mehmet Polat – ud & compositions
Franz von Chossy – piano
Martin Hafizi – drums
Daniel van Huffelen – double bass
Live Videos
Performance Highlights
- Bimhuis
- LantarenVenster
- Muziekpodium Zeeland
- De X
- Growing Music Festival
- Amersfoort World and Jazz Festival
- Showcase selection at:
- World Music Festival Taiwan (2024, TW)
- Jammin’ Juan in Antibes (2024, FR)
- A to Jazz Festival (2025, BG)
⭐️ Selected Album Reviews
“…the jazz aesthetic is one that suffuses the entire album.”
**** – Songlines (UK)
“Unforgettable musical tranquility.”
– JazzNu (NL)
“Admirable harmonious playing, impressive range of styles.”
– Cumhuriyet (TR)
“Mehmet Polat is one of the best, most influential and innovative ud players of his generation.”
– Heaven Magazine (NL)
“Contemporary, unconventional world music of great stature…”
– New Folk Sounds (NL)
“The inclusiveness of the music is distinctive.”
– Jazzflits (NL)
“Beautiful, melancholic, often exciting, always warm music…”
– Moors Magazine (NL)
“An evocative work, born from openness and peaceful coexistence… expertly infused with jazz.”
– Blogfoolk (IT)
“A brilliant album.”
– Lira Magazine (SE)
“The emphasis is always on his magnificent playing on the ud…”
– MixedWorldMusic (NL)
“Polat is currently the most important representative of the oud in Europe.”
– Nieuwe Noten (NL)
“Displays pure creative jazz with outbursts of introspective improvisations…”
– Written in Music / Europe Jazz Network
“A virtuoso union of two united universes… soothing beauties will reveal themselves.”
– Jazzmania (BE)
“An open eye and ear for everything and everyone… 70 minutes of excellent listening pleasure.”
– Rootstime (BE)
“Unequalled, heartwarming global sounds…”
– Zeeuwse Cultuur Agenda (NL)
Links
Contact
Mehmet Polat
✉️ info@mehmetpolat.net
Chris Lebeaustraat 4, 1062DC Amsterdam, Netherlands