Julian Lage Trio
Julian Lage, 35, has established himself as one of the greatest guitarists and improvisers of his generation. With three Grammy Award nominations and a new album, his first with the iconic Blue Note Records label. Lage is an improvisational wizard with the phenomenal ability to navigate the fields of jazz and blues as well as Americana, rock and country, indie, folk-rock and classical.
The show at the Jerusalem Jazz Festival invites the Israeli audience to dive into the wonderful world of an outstanding trio, led by Lage, and to experience moments from the phenomenal album, “Squint”, recorded by the trio in the midst of the covid-19 pandemic. A review of the album in the acclaimed jazz magazine, DownBeat, read: “A wonderfully modern interpretation of the Blue Note tradition.”
Alongside Lage on the Jerusalem jazz stage is bassist Jorge Roeder – a partner on his artistic journey who has also played with him in the ensembles of John Zorn, Nels Cline and Gary Burton – and drummer Dave King (The Bad Plus). The trio’s new album of mostly original compositions maintains a tight balance between melodic, lyrical and avant-garde qualities, the chemistry and deep harmonious synchrony between the skilled ensemble members presenting a seamless combination of historical perspective and contemporary aesthetics. The effortless and elegant playing, witty harmonies, mental flexibility and improvisation keep the listener alert and thrilled.
Lage came to prominence at the age of 8 as the protagonist of a short biographical documentary that garnered an Oscar nomination. Since then, his reputation has been steadily growing. At the age of 9 he performed with Carlos Santana. He was 11 when he recorded with the mandolin player David Grisman, and a year later made his Grammy debut. In his teens he was already playing with folk legend Doc Watson, vibraphone player Gary Burton and banjo player Béla Fleck. His debut album, Sounding Point, released in 2009 by the EmArcy label, was nominated for a Grammy Award in the Contemporary Jazz category (2009).
His musical approach is wide-ranging, pluralistic and diverse. Deeply rooted in the jazz tradition, he is able to move easily between musical styles: the Spanish guitar, the electric guitar, early 20th century standards or touches of jazz-rock, all of these are reflected in his albums. Lage has performed and recorded with many a great musician, including Gary Burton (with whom he has 4 albums) and John Zorn (with whom he has 7 albums) as well as Nels Clein, Charles Lloyd, Fred Hersch, Terri Lyne Carrington, Chris Davis, David Grisman, Eric Harland, Yoko Ono and Jesse Harris. The album “Mount Royal”, which he recorded with guitarist Chris Aldridge, earned him another Grammy nomination.