esse van Ruller won the prestigious Thelonious Monk Award on Washington in 1995. The jury, consisting of Pat Metheny, John Scofield. Jim Hall, Pat Martino and Mark Whitfield, was of the opinion that Jesse is one of the most promising talents of his time. In the same year he graduated summa cum laude from the Hilversum Conservatory. Since then he has collaborated with many of the world leading jazz musicians. He was nominated for the Ducth Bird and Edison Awards several times and to date has released 11 albums as a leader or co-leader.

Jesse about Peter Bernstein: "Around 1993 or 94, the first time I came to NYC as a young guitarist and student of jazz, I went into the East-Village, walked around and heard faint jazz music. I followed the sound and entered a club called Visiones. The sound was that of a guitar-organ-drums trio and it was the most swinging, original, soulful guitar playing I had ever heard. And it came from someone who couldn’t be much older than me. It...

esse van Ruller won the prestigious Thelonious Monk Award on Washington in 1995. The jury, consisting of Pat Metheny, John Scofield. Jim Hall, Pat Martino and Mark Whitfield, was of the opinion that Jesse is one of the most promising talents of his time. In the same year he graduated summa cum laude from the Hilversum Conservatory. Since then he has collaborated with many of the world leading jazz musicians. He was nominated for the Ducth Bird and Edison Awards several times and to date has released 11 albums as a leader or co-leader.

Jesse about Peter Bernstein: "Around 1993 or 94, the first time I came to NYC as a young guitarist and student of jazz, I went into the East-Village, walked around and heard faint jazz music. I followed the sound and entered a club called Visiones. The sound was that of a guitar-organ-drums trio and it was the most swinging, original, soulful guitar playing I had ever heard. And it came from someone who couldn’t be much older than me. It was Peter’s trio with Larry Goldings and Bill Stewart. That experience brought the music that I only knew from a distance, belonging to an older generation, forward in time and made it relevant to me. Clearly I have been an admirer of Peter’s playing since and many years later we met and started playing together occasionally. Peter is the kind of improviser I try to be as well: impressing by not trying to impress anyone, always chasing melodic development, not relying on prepared material and 'being in the moment’."

Peter Bernstein about Jesse van Ruller: "I first met Jesse around 1995, after he won the Thelonious Monk competition. I got to play with him when I visited the school he taught at in Hilversum a few years later. I’ve been lucky enough to play some gigs with him over the years, some just duo, some as part of a concert with more guitar players. We did a little tour of Italy in 2018 as part of guitarist Rale Micic’s tribute project to Jim Hall. Jesse has been one of my favorite players ever since I first heard him and it’s always a pleasure and an inspiration to play with him.”...

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