Miho Hazama: Where Groove Meets Orchestra

Since making her debut in 2013 at the helm of M_Unit with Journey to Journey, Miho Hazama has built a body of work that has firmly established her among the leading orchestrators of her generation.

Over the past decade, the Japanese composer and conductor has collaborated extensively with European orchestras, and since 2020 she has served as one of the three chief conductors of the Metropole Orkest, alongside Vince Mendoza and Jules Buckley.

Among the many ensembles Hazama has worked with, few seem more naturally aligned with her musical imagination than the legendary Dutch orchestra, which has long dissolved the boundaries between jazz orchestra, symphonic ensemble and contemporary crossover music. Her writing appears ideally suited to the Metropole Orkest's fluid identity: a sound world where groove, orchestral color and improvisation coexist with remarkable ease.

We spoke with Hazama about her long relationship with the orchestra—celebrated through the 2026 release of Arakatak, the lavish double LP marking the ensemble's eightieth anniversary—the challenges of writing for such a unique instrumental formation, and the evolving dialogue between jazz, orchestral music and contemporary crossover aesthetics.

All About Jazz: Your first encounter with the Metropole Orkest dates back to 2011, when you attended a workshop for young orchestrators led by Vince Mendoza. At the time you were only 25 and had not yet released your debut album, Journey to Journey. Can you describe the path that eventually led you, six years later, to becoming Permanent Guest Conductor of the Orkest?

Miho Hazama: The week of that Metropole Orkest workshop in 2011 is still one of the best of my life. Since composing is such an individual activity, spending time with other talented composers was an amazing experience. Then we got to work with the Orchestra and with Vince—there couldn't have been anything more inspiring.

Working with the Metropole Orkest had already been a dream of mine ever since I first discovered their sound in high school. I kept emailing them proposing collaborations, but that strategy wasn't especially effective, so in 2016 I decided to visit them personally during a summer vacation. That finally led to a production meeting with its producers, which eventually became our first collaborative project devoted to Thelonious Monk's music in 2017.

Although it was a relatively small tour involving only the big-band section of the orchestra, we had a wonderful experience together. From there, they gradually began trusting me not only as an arranger, but also as a conductor. Working with the Metropole Orkest truly feels like a dream come true.

AAJ: Since then, you have worked alongside two long-standing musical figures associated with the Metropole Orkest, Vince Mendoza and Jules Buckley. What has it meant to share that role with them, and what have you learned from observing their work?

MH: Vince Mendoza has been one of my musical heroes for a very long time. Having the chance to study his scores and perform them with the Metropole Orkest has been phenomenal. Even though I was never formally his student, I still feel I am constantly learning from the way he writes. His orchestration feels almost magical.

I also attended a few rehearsals conducted by Jules Buckley and learned a great deal from observing him. I really admire his proactive leadership and charismatic energy—I wish I had some of that myself!

AAJ: How does a project with the Metropole Orkest typically come together? What are the key stages of the process?

MH: Whenever I produce a project for an ensemble, one of the very first—and most important—things I think about is the specific musicians involved. The sound of the Metropole Orkest is incredibly distinctive, and of course they have the grooviest string section imaginable. Their strengths constantly inspire new project ideas.

AAJ: What kind of relationship have you developed with the musicians of the Metropole Orkest?

MH: I usually avoid becoming too close on a purely social level with colleagues. Maintaining a certain distance helps preserve mutual respect, both between us and toward the music itself. Of course, we still share conversations, family updates and a great deal of musical emotion together, so there's definitely a deep level of trust.

AAJ: The release of the albumArakatak celebrates the orchestra's eightieth anniversary. The project includes one of your original compositions alongside music by Vince Mendoza, Donny McCaslin, Tineke Postma, Shai Maestro, Mark Guiliana, Morris Kliphuis and Louis Cole. What was it like working with such a diverse group of composers?

MH: Before acting as conductor, I was actually part of the production team responsible for shaping the album. On behalf of the Metropole Orkest, we commissioned works from the composers without giving them very specific guidelines, so we didn't really know what kind of music we would receive until the scores arrived. Deciding which pieces would ultimately form the album became a long but extremely important process.

Once I knew which works I would conduct, studying the music felt natural and enjoyable. But during rehearsals—which lasted three days—I kept discovering new dimensions inside these compositions. The music constantly stimulated my composer's brain, so as conductor I could also contribute suggestions regarding balance and dramatic structure. It was a phenomenal experience.

As for my own piece, "Splash the Colors," it's difficult to quantify the actual writing time. I spent a very long period sketching ideas and imagining possibilities before finally putting everything on paper, which probably took around two weeks.

AAJ: An ensemble like the Metropole Orkest, where jazz big band and symphonic orchestra coexist, presents a fascinating challenge for a composer. Do you see yourself continuing to develop projects for this kind of hybrid instrumental formation?

MH: Absolutely. This orchestra literally has the sound I hear in my head. I would love to continue collaborating with them.

AAJ: Do you have particular conditions or environments that help your compositional process?

MH: For composing, I absolutely need an acoustic piano so I can hear the overtones properly. That resonance stimulates my imagination and expands my inspiration much more easily.

AAJ: What most distinguishes the Metropole Orkest from other large ensembles you have worked with?

MH: Groove. Everyone in the orchestra can groove. Usually it's difficult for strings, harpists or classical percussionists to feel fully comfortable with that kind of rhythmic language because they're not trained that way. But in this orchestra every single musician can swing and groove naturally.

AAJ: Throughout jazz history, attempts to merge jazz and symphonic music have produced uneven results. In your view, what are the main pitfalls that should be avoided when bringing those worlds together?

MH: The broader everyone's musical perspective is—whether producer, conductor or musician—the better. Thanks to streaming platforms and online access, people today listen to a much wider range of genres than before. I think that helps enormously when developing an authentic understanding of sound and groove in crossover music.

AAJ: What were the main challenges in arranging Thelonious Monk's music for The Monk: Live at Bimhuis?

MH: Monk's compositions leave very little room for arrangement because they're already so iconic and distinctive. It felt a bit like polishing a diamond: done correctly, it shines even brighter, but careless handling can easily damage its brilliance. It was an incredibly meaningful challenge.

AAJ: In 2018—the same year your live Monk project with the Metropole Orkest was released—you became chief conductor of the Danish Radio Big Band, while continuing to work extensively with other ensembles. Do you perceive major differences between European orchestras and ensembles based in the United States?

MH: Yes, although living in New York probably gives me a very specific perspective. New York has an extraordinary intensity. People move there with very clear ambitions, dreams and goals, and that energy affects musicians as well. Everything happens quickly. Musicians need to reach conclusions immediately, and communication tends to be very direct and practical.

That speed doesn't necessarily work in European orchestras. People often prefer longer discussions and a more gradual process. Sometimes I even consciously try to walk more slowly when I'm in Europe, just to move away from "New York mode."

AAJ: While working with European orchestras, do you ever miss the soloists of your M_Unit ensemble?

MH: I tend to think of M_Unit as something quite separate from my other projects, so mentally I don't really connect those worlds too much.

AAJ: What projects do you currently have on the horizon, both with the Metropole Orkest and elsewhere?

MH: At the moment there's nothing officially scheduled with the Metropole Orkest, although we are definitely planning future collaborations.

Elsewhere, I'll be working on several Miles Davis centennial projects with the hr-Bigband in Germany, a performance with the BBC Concert Orchestra at the Proms in London, and tours with the Danish Radio Big Band in both Denmark and Japan.

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