Circles

Not my favorite genre, but this is a pretty killer disc. Guitarist van Ruller, the first European ever to win (in 1995) the prestigious Thelonius Monk Competition--judged, no less, by Pat Metheny, John Scofield, Jim Hall, Pat Martino, and Mark Whitfield--is quickly becoming one of the giant jazzmen of his generation. Already with eight records under his belt as leader and more than a dozen as sideman, he also teaches at the Conservatory of Amsterdam and is a leading member of the Jazz Orchestra of the Concertgebouw.Here he finds himself in first-class company with Seamus Blake (tenor sax), Bill Stewart (drums), and Sam Yahel (organ). The band swings like crazy--not surprising, with such a lineup--and completely tunes into the leader's songs (six of eight selections are van Ruller's) and concept, be it hard-chargin' post-bop ("One"), modern soul-jazz ("Circles"), poignant ballad ("Here Comes the Sun" [not the Beatles' tune), boppish-funk (Blake's "Black Dahlia"), triple-time ("33 Waltz"), or that old guitar chestnut, "Gone with the Wind."As I say, not particularly my cup of tea, but these great musicians just play brilliantly, swinging their butts off, the tunes are all catchy and hook-heavy, and the vibe drips casual perfection. Highly recommended.

Jesse Van Ruller is one of my favorite guitarists in all the world. This is one of my favorites of his CDs. The playing all-around(tenor saxophone, gtr, organ and drums)is superb.