Recording new album where jazz meets Balkan and the Middle Eastern music traditions.

The project:

Hi, I’m Mehmet Polat. I have been working on compositions for my 6th album, this time with 3 fantastic jazz musicians. The line up is Mike Roelofs on piano, Daniel van Huffelen on double bass Martin Hafizi on drums, and I will be playing ud.

Recording and releasing this album is my biggest dream right now.

The album title:

This album is called Embodied Poetry. The new pieces have been ripening for a long time and they are full of inspiration from experimentations on stage and in life.

Recording this album cannot be done without donations to cover part of the expenses. I know that you’ll love this music. So I ask you to be part of making this Embodied Poetry album come to life by donating towards the production costs.

Rewards for donors:

Please check the rewards for donors (tegenprestaties) to see what I offer you in return. We will be performing the pieces publicly after the album is released. And I hope to see you at the concerts!

Recording & releasing plan:

The recordings will take place at the end of November. After the post production works and printing it will be released most probably at the end of January 2023. And of course it will be available on all digital platforms as Spotify, Itunes, YouTube and everywhere.

Who is Mehmet Polat:

Mehmet Polat is a master ud player, composer, ensemble leader and soloist who tours internationally. From Africa to India, Persia to the Balkans, Contemporary to Jazz, he has been combining various musical genres with his Alevi Spiritual, Anatolian Folk and Ottoman classical music background. Through his improvisations, compositions and his own take on a variety of musical styles, Mehmet is constantly searching for new musical paths and inspiration. After many years of research, he invented his own technique to advance beyond the limitations of his traditional instrument. With this new left hand technique, he can play more advanced and modern pieces. He has also designed an ud with two extra bass strings to broaden the range and function of his instrument.

The costs of the album:

Rehearsals
Studio costs during recording, mixing & mastering
Photography, Layout & printing
Logistics
Copyrights

This album's expenses were partially granted by cultural funds Buma and Sena.

On my website www.mehmetpolat.net you can listen all my albums, and read the beautiful reviews what was written about them.

Watch the fragments of our debut concert in Zutphen.

Selected review quotes from my previous albums:

“Adventurous improvised music in which tradition goes hand in hand with exploration and innovation.” - JazzFlits NL

“…with twelve different yet cohesive compositions, it can almost be called a sublime total composition of over an hour.” “The more often you listen it, you will love it more” - Moors Magazine NL

“You can clearly hear on the record that Mehmet Polat is a musician who is constantly looking for new musical paths, this is what makes his music exciting and unpredictable.“ - Lira Magazine SE

More reviews on my website.