Moving along (but not quite getting there)
Brett Reynolds | 05/05/2001
(3 out of 5 stars)
"I loved Jesse's first album, European Quintet. It's the kind of recording that catches you the first time around and never gets old. His second album, Herbs, Fruits, Balms, and Spices, was very different. It has a more tropical feel to it, but again pulled me in at once. Catch, on the other hand, never really caught my ear. The CD would finish and I'd realize I had almost forgotten it was on. It starts with a funky tune that almost rocks out, but just doesn't make it over the hump. The rest of the album is similar: more up-beat than the first two, but often not quite getting there. Jesse's playing is mature and expressive, his band is solid, and Roy Hargrove (among others) adds some beautiful playing, but somehow it all falls just short of where it should be.His concert at STB 139 in Tokyo (April, 2001) was based mostly on tunes from Catch, and was similarly disappointing. It would be interesting to see this truly gifted guitarist move out of 'pure jazz' category, and just do his own thing."
From another universe
Brett Reynolds | 12/01/2001
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Jesse van Ruller is from another universe: that of the godgiven talent for whom nothing seems impossible....His effortless playing is not about grooves but about ideas. On "Catch!" these are best displayed in the up-tempo pieces. And with the complex refinement of compositions like "Victory" and "Harry's Ears" van Ruller proves that jazz can go just as deep as "real" classical music."
Track Listings (9) - Disc #1