Julian Lage - Speak To Me

February 27, 2024

Label: Blue Note Records, 2024

Personnel - Julian Lage: acoustic and electric guitar; Jorge Roeder: bass, vibraphone; Dave King: drums; Patrick Warren: piano, keyboards; Levon Henry: tenor saxophone; Kris Davis: piano.

Guitarist and composer Julian Lage explores different styles and group formats - from solo to quartet to sextet - in his fourth full-length album for Blue Note, Speak To Me. On seven tracks, his versatility is showcased alongside regular associates bassist Jorge Roeder and drummer Dave King, with keyboardist Patrick Warren adding distinct flavors to their sharp sound.

On the opener, “Hymnal”, strings emulation flow from his keys while Lage’s acoustic phrases dialogue with Roeder’s bass lines. It’s all delivered with a liberal narrative perspective. “Northern Shuffle” infuses cheerful rock n' roll-flavored blues with outside electric guitar playing, adding a slight dissonance that enhances its appeal. Featuring a sextet arrangement, Levon Henry's tenor saxophone shines on this piece.

Similarly presented in a sextet setting, "South Mountain" leans towards folk with strummed passages in five and a loose-limbed finale. "76" delivers an intoxicating rock tale with Lage on acoustic guitar and pianist Kris Davis contributing a gripping solo. "Speak To Me" electrifies with free spirit, saturating the atmosphere with vibrant colors, while "Two and One" revisits acoustic blues with hints of Django Reinhardt's swinging propensity.

If “Omission” is a dyed-in-the-wool contemporary country song, then “Serenade” waltzes unhurriedly with passionate romanticism, highlighted by Warren’s soaring keyboard accompaniment. “Tiburon” features vibrant guitar improvisation over a rich harmonic progression and King’s simmering drum work, while “As it Were” captivates with Lage’s dissonant acoustic swoops and fragile aesthetics.

Lage’s ability to infuse songs with unexpected twists while maintaining a strong foundation showcases his unique musical vision, which, never rigid but not completely rooted in improvisation, relies on a sure-footed synthesis of post-bop, rock, and American music. On this account, this eclectic artist, who often combines angular detail with pleasant melodicism, cannot be reined by an obvious classification.

Favorite Tracks:
01 - Hymnal ► 06 - South Mountain ► 11 - As it Were

Julian Lage - View With a Room

August 11, 2022

Label: Blue Note Records, 2022

Personnel - Julian Lage: electric guitar; Bill Frisell: electric guitar, baritone guitar; Jorge Roeder: acoustic bass; Dave King: drums.

American guitarist Julian Lage cultivates a unique sound that combines roots and progression. He has been calling attention both through his own albums and sideperson credits (Charles Lloyd, Gary Burton, John Zorn, and Nels Cline). The awaited sophomore album on the Blue Note imprint, View With a Room, is the follow-up to last year’s Squint, featuring his working trio with bassist Jorge Roeder and The Bad Plus drummer, Dave King. But for this outing, the gifted guitarist Bill Frisell was invited to play a few tracks, perfectly serving the musical sensibilities of Lage compositions. The two guitarists are in absolute control of the fretboard, and never resort to pyrotechnics to impress. Instead, they deliver beautifully texturized music with an immense and effortless harmonic scope.

“Tributary”, the opening piece, and “Echo”, which was written and arranged by Lage and Roeder, are highlights, exemplifying this capacity to create rich textures and employ stunning melodies without overplaying. Bookended by tasteful electronics and an Americana-tinged atmosphere, the former flows with silky chord progressions and passages with delicate detail, spectacular staccatos, lustrous octaves, and smartly controlled articulations. The latter tune, starting with a prominent bass figure, brings together charming tones and a certain cinematic mystery. Excellent note choices elevate the poignancy, just like in “Let Every Room Sing”, a chorale-like song impregnated with warm classical innuendos. Complementary guitar layers with occasional harmonics rest on top of the spare, if loose, commentary provided by Roeder and King.

Lage and his partners leap into the closer, “Fairbanks”, as well as the sprightly “Chavez”, whose B section recalls Sting’s former group The Police, with a pop/rock frame of mind. In reality, this album is made of borderless music, and if “Temple Step” is a blues with a reggae touch (Frisell plays baritone guitar here), then “Auditorium” promotes an alliance between country-pop and the crunchy, contemporary snare-driven rhythmic tapestry at the base. On its part, the waltz “Word For Word”, delivered in trio, has that irresistible bounce of Jim Hall and Bill Evans, as well as a polyrhythmic feel edged by triplets on the drummer’s side.

This recording, displaying the magnitude of the composer’s gifts, exudes virtuosity and sincerity all around - from composition to sonic maturation to execution.

Favorite Tracks:
01 - Tributary ► 02 - Word For Word ► 05 - Echo

Julian Lage - Squint

June 2, 2021

Label: Blue Note Records, 2021

Personnel - Julian lage: electric guitar; Jorge Roeder: double bass; Dave King: drums.

It’s frequent to find a variety of styles - jazz, folk, blues, country - in the music of virtuosic 33-year-old guitarist Julian Lage, who makes his debut as a leader on the Blue Note label with Squint. The album - whose program includes nine Lage originals, one jazz standard (the gracefully waltzing Mandel/Mercer's “Emily”) and one classic country song (Billy Hill’s “Call of the Canyon”) - was built with his current working trio, featuring bassist Jorge Roeder and the former-The Bad Plus drummer Dave King. It’s the long-waited follow-up to Love Hurts (Mack Avenue, 2019), whose rich repertoire included tunes by Keith Jarrett, Ornette Coleman, Ivers/Lynch, Roy Orbison and Jimmy Giuffre.

According to the bandleader, his tactic for this album was to make positive, beautiful music, and he succeeded with cohesiveness and an authentic trio sound that, happy to note, is never too polished.

“Etude” is a relaxing solo guitar introduction to the album, instantly drawing us in, but without disclosing what the rest of the record entails. Its discreetly brilliant melodic impressions lie on folk and contemporary classical elements.

The blues style is very present throughout, and if “Boo’s Blues” is a mature, easy listening tune with chordal mastery (momentarily presented like a progression of evolving chromaticism) and a swinging Kenny Burrell-delivery, then the following piece, “Squint”, adds a hooky Led Zeppelin-like rock twist to the genre.

Lage's beautiful composition “Day and Age”, retrieved from his first solo album, World’s Fair (2015), is equally bluesy, stirred by a country jazz undercurrent where the smooth texture and fascinating melody become one. This is breezy, amiable stuff that extends to “Quiet Like a Fuse”, which places a delicious guitar riff at the center with sparse bass accompaniment and subdued drums in the background. There's also the Scofield-esque “Twilight Surfer”, in which a rockabilly vibe stumbles on smooth jazz funk.

The casual pop groove with bluesy melodic accents of “Saint Rose” has Lage raising his hat to Wilco’s frontman Jeff Tweedy at the same time that alludes to his Californian hometown, Santa Rosa. But there’s another dedication on the album - “Familiar Flower” borrows the sophistication of saxophonist Charles Lloyd, with whom Lage has been playing in recent years. Sinuous guitar discourses flow comfortably on top of persistent bass pedals and clattering drums.

The arresting and eclectic Squint was crafted with nuance, clarity and precision, and the results are sophisticated and vibrant.

Favorite Tracks:
03 - Squint ► 07 - Day and Age ► 08 - Quiet Like a Fuse

Julian Lage - Modern Lore

March 7, 2018

Label: Mack Avenue, 2018

Personel - Julian Lage: guitar; Scott Colley: double bass; Kenny Wollesen: drums; Tyler Chester: keyboards; Jesse Harris: maracas, casio, acoustic guitar.

Guitarist Julian Lage recorded his new album, Modern Lore, with a quality lineup of musicians that include bassist Scott Colley, drummer Kenny Wollesen, keyboardist Tyler Chester, and Jesse Harris, who besides producing, also plays maracas, casio, and acoustic guitar. Lage digs deep into the American roots, presenting us something distinct, perhaps even more personal than in his previous Arclight (Mack Avenue, 2016), an album conceived in the typical guitar-bass-drums trio format.

Fusing country, rockabilly, and jazz, “The Ramble” takes you to a spine-tingling rollercoaster, erupting in a stunning guitar solo whose point of entrance is impactful enough to make you alert. Lage’s Fender Telecaster fills the air with its robust Western sound, and Colley, in addition to the groove, drives an intelligible if short bass solo before the reinstatement of that sort of Wild West foray.

The softness of “Atlantic Limited” is generated by a blend of country-pop and early rock n’ roll, in the same line of “Wordsmith”, which touches a bit further the roots rock before being wrapped up in distortion.

Different yet complying with the mood, “General Thunder” flows with a rock-steady beat, enlightened by the harmonious lines drawn from the country and folk-rock genres. The smoothness of its texture doesn’t lose the fine balance between the American roots and the modern lore that the band claims, feeling perfect for a dusty road trip. It’s like if the adult rock of Dire Straits had melded with the progressive country of Johnny Cash. It doesn’t have that funky wit of “Roger the Dodger” though, a ternary composition that explodes with bluesy screams and poignant outcries.

With techniques, styles, and lucid tones being constantly cross-wired and recombined, we can appreciate the easy listening pop/rock of “Splendor Riot”, the bluesy rodeo style of the hard-swinging “Look Book”, the Roy Orbison-esque lament of “Whatever You Say, Henry”, and the free state of mind of “Earth Science”, where the musicians endorse exploration. Far more reflective is the closing tune, “Pantheon”, abandoning the tradition in favor of a modern harmonization and shifting tempos.

Regardless if this is your style or not, it’s undeniable the superb instrumental outfits created by an ambitious rising-star who, without wasting time, is carving out his own space. He's making his way with a sui generis sound and a sure sense of direction, just like Bill Frisell and Pat Metheny did.

Favorite Tracks:
03 - General Thunder ► 04 - Roger the Dodger ► 06 - Splendor Riot