Perhaps the only recent example the style that Williams employs here is in the somewhat unfairly maligned Sabrina, although that was ostensibly a romantic score and Catch Me If You Can is essentially a cat and mouse chase, but with the serious edge of exactly why Abagnale did what he did. The brief opening cue introduces the jazz element with a sax solo, performed by Dan Higgins, which threatens to mutate into an edgy and suspenseful chase cue, with restless strings and flute taking the sax's lead. The "Float" develops this music further into one of the highlight tracks of the score that introduces one of the main themes, a fairly playful, almost Christmassy melody that represents the chase element. Some of the distinctive harmonic twists of Sabrina are quite evident on a number of occasions, although there is the feeling of more dramatic weight here.
The Father's Theme (the subtitle of the cue, Recollections), is the second notable melody of the score and is much more somber and sobering. The album version perhaps overplays the improvisational sax solo which leads the arrangement, the result being that the quite lovely melody is obscured a little. Call me old fashioned, but in some ways I can't help feel that a more traditional strings version might have been more engaging. Both this and the chase theme appear on numerous occasions, although are offered in surprisingly few variations. The chase theme is always perky and the Father's theme is always on sax and quite somber. Although neither is developed a great deal, they appear infrequently enough to avoid seeming overused. The incidental moments are always engaging, particularly the tense Airport Scene, even if it does seem to surprisingly echo Minority Report's terse opening.
The period songs actually break the score up in a good way and I can't complain as Come Fly With Me is probably my favourite song by Old Blue Eyes. The titular finale cue reprises the major material into a two part arrangement that doesn't seem to resolve as strongly as it might, but still makes for a decent enough concert presentation. One pleasing aspect is the transparency of orchestration; Williams' recent efforts have had very rich and broad arrangements which results in a thick texture, but even the heavier passages of Catch Me If You Can have a gentle grace. A charming change in direction for Williams and an interesting chance for him to return to the time before his grand symphonic writing became de rigeur and for, of all things, a Spielberg film. Surprising fun.
Rating ~ 
Total Time ~ 62:35