Tenor saxophonist Mete Erker (1971) is one of today’s most distinctive and unconventional musicians. His highly personal style is rooted in a lyrical tone and energetic drive. Erker's Dutch-Turkish family background gave him the opportunity to engage in deep reflection on his identity. This is clearly evident on his new project, the double album Tilburg Noord, where he plays with young musicians at the forefront of the Dutch jazz scene: Floris Kappeyne (piano), Tijs Klaassen (bass), and Wouter Kühne (drums). Experience fused with fresh perspectives. For Erker, the Tilburg Noord neighborhood is “a place full of color and mystery.” With this project, he travels a road where freedom meets structure. A combination of the extroverted music of jazz pioneers like Albert Ayler and Charlie Haden and contemporary Northern European impressionism: free flow music. Music that reminds us what it means to belong.
