van Ruller // Hogenhuis

Jesse van Ruller and Maarten Hogenhuis are working on their second duo album. They have started composing again, and are inspired by artists such as Sufjan Stevens, Andrew Bird, Grizzly Bear and Blake Mills. The pair seeks dialogue in rhythm and melody and breaks the traditional division of roles of accompanist and soloist. The new album will be released during the course of this year and contains both acoustic and edited pieces, in the latter case the saxophone and guitar are used in every possible way.

Jesse van Ruller (1972) needs no extensive introduction. His reputation as one of the most talented guitarists of his generation extends worldwide and has resulted in collaborations with international artists such as Seamus Blake, Roy Hargrove, Joe Lovano and Bill Stewart. His intuitive playing is characterized by a deep sense of melody and a high degree of rhythmic agility.

Maarten Hogenhuis (1986) is one of the exponents of a young generation of jazz musicians. He is part of the super jazz formation BRUUT!, leads his own trio and was awarded the North Sea Jazz Composition Assignment in 2019. He was previously part of Reinier Baas's The More Socially Relevant Jazz Music Ensemble. He is also a much sought after accompaniment musician in various genres.

That versatility in genres is something that binds these two musicians together. Although their roots lie in traditional jazz, you can clearly hear in this duo that their influences do not stop at Miles, Coltrane or Parker. Their repertoire consists of their own compositions, supplemented with standards, written roughly between 1920 and 2020.

Jesse van Ruller – guitar
Maarten Hogenhuis – alto sax