Matthew Evan Taylor - Life Returns (2025) Hi-Res

Matthew Evan Taylor’s LIFE RETURNS seamlessly weaves together African-American, South Asian, and Western European musical traditions. Performed by the chamber orchestra Metropolis Ensemble alongside the South Asian jazz collective RAJAS, the piece unfolds as a series of intimate musical exchanges, blending composition with improvisation in a fluid and organic dialogue.

A co-commission by MET Live Arts and Metropolis Ensemble, LIFE RETURNS was composed during the pandemic lockdowns, emerging as a powerful testament to resilience and unity in the face of global adversity. The album captures the energy of its live premiere, recorded in March 2022 at The Grace Rainey Rogers Auditorium within New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art.