Quantum Leap

Mehmet Polat, the Turkish oud player and composer describes his instrument as being a ‘great connector of cultures’ and, indeed, the oud is one of the main melody instruments across Anatolia, the Middle East and North Africa. Polat does more than use his instrument's diplomatic capabilities to bring musicians and styles together, however; this album abounds with myriad influences from across the Mediterranean and beyond. The personnel alone includes a Catalonian drummer, a Dutch accordionist, a German bassist, a Turkish soprano, a Dutch trumpet player, an Azeri kamancha player and a Cypriot violinist.

Quantum Leap embraces jazz more deeply than Polat's previous releases, and it does so in a modal fashion, although more familiar jazz tonalities can be heard in ‘All Connected’. The drums add to this, as do the improvised sections on various instruments. Another nice detail is the careful use of microtonal maqams at certain points. In ‘Falseta Mesopotámica’, for example, the flamenco bulerías rhythm combines with a Turkish vocal hoyrat, reminding one of the audible similarities between Anatolian song and flamenco cante jondo. These microtones are more obvious in the kamancha solo on ‘Breathing Again’ and the melody of ‘Entropy’, and they blend effortlessly with their eclectic surroundings.