Throughout his over 30 year-spanning career, Jonathan Kreisberg has made a name for himself that reaches beyond his reputation as a dexterous bop-guitarist that frames him as a leading composer of the modern jazz variety. Like any song from the sacrosanct repertoire of standards, Kreisberg's compositions reveal memorable heads with a cleverly wrought spin to them. His melodies exude as much ease as they do emotional depth and reappear in altered forms throughout a song—disguised as imitations or within sequences. A characteristic guitar-tone in combination with his highly technical skillset further elevates the craft on display.

Kreisberg's own studio work with a bigger ensemble has been in hibernation since 2014's Quartet endeavor Wave Upon Wave (New For Now Music, 2014). In the meantime, he released the acclaimed duo-venture, Kreisberg meets Veras (New For Now Music, 2018), which saw him team up with the Brazilian nylon-string virtuoso Nelson Veras in a modest show of force. With the restraint of an acoustic nylon-string guitar as a counterpart, this duo-date demonstrated Kreisberg's subtle touch and keen ear for the simultaneousness of melodic and harmonic movements in counterpoint. His quartet, however, hasn't been on complete hiatus. Besides touring with organ legend Lonnie Smith, Kreisberg has been hard at work, touring Europe and the States with his quartet and presenting new material as well as fresh spins on old Kreisberg originals. Luckily, one of the dates of those tours—March 15th 2019 to be exact—was documented "on tape" at the Jazz Schmiede in Düsseldorf. Due to the busy tour schedule, the band forgot that the gig would be recorded. In consequence, the live set, released as Capturing Spirits, finds Kreisberg and his band at their most energetic and free. Unshackled from the pressure of "the perfect take," the guitarist and his band let the music flow as naturally as it comes and take risks, successfully. (www.allaboutjazz.com)