Metropole Orchest, John Scofield, Vince Mendoza - 54 (2010) / jazz, post-bop, fusion, orchestral, modern classical

The lineup of Holland's Metropole Orchestra, a symphony ensemble with a reputation for leftfield ventures, makes up most of the 54 individuals (including some assured, if not startling horn soloists) to whom the album's title refers. The others are acclaimed crossover composer/arranger Vince Mendoza and guitar improviser John Scofield, whose pithy compositions, arranged by Mendoza, Jim McNeely and Florian Ross, make up most of the repertoire. The strings textures may bring this a bit too close to romantic-movie music for admirers of Scofield's gritty, Hendrix-tinged bluesiness, and the jazz solos over softly padding congas and congenial riffing on the opening Carlos sound rather carefully shoehorned into their spaces in the score. But Scofield's guitar sound is talkatively funky after a typical hard-struck dissonance to open Polo Towers, the guitarist's slyly funky classic Twang is subtly cajoled by the band, and the busily urban, West Side Story-like melody of Peculiar showcases the Scofield melodic qualities that caught Miles Davis's attention in the 1980s. The arrangements could have reflected his bite and pungency a little more, but there's plenty of punch to this set.