When the well-known composer, arranger, musician Vince Mendoza took over as conductor of the Metropole Orchestra, out of the Netherlands, one of his first projects was to work with guitarist John Scofield again.

The title "54," on the ECM label, relates to the number of musicians playing on this release and is why the Metropole Orchestra is billed as the world's largest performing jazz and pop orchestra. The arrangements are mostly from the pen of Scofield, with Mendoza contributing two ("Jung Parade" & "Say We Did").

You can go to the bank that this release will be a guaranteed nomination for a Grammy. I'll be surprised if it isn't the winner in its category. With the guitar work of Scofield complemented by the excellent solo work from Metropole musicians, this baby is a shoo-in as one of the very best jazz releases of the year. Give it a listen.