Gladwell: Best of 2011
Gladwell has been hailed as one of the best releases of 2011!
Chicago Tribune
Acoustic Guitar Magazine
WOUB
Crown of the Continent Guitar Foundation
Something Else Reviews
Julian will be an artist in residence for the 2012 Crown of the Continent Guitar Foundation Workshops. More information and how to register can be found here.
Julian Lage Trio featuring Larry Grenadier and Eric Harland
Don't miss the chance to see this special group live for the first time. On December 30 the trio will perform in New Haven, CT at Firehouse 12. They will then play for NPR's "Toast of the Nation" at the Berklee College of Music on December 31.
More information here.
Zenon, Adasiewicz, Lage top best jazz list
"Julian Lage Group, "Gladwell" (Emarcy): If anyone doubted the promise of guitarist Lage, his sophomore CD confirms it. Transcending specific jazz languages, avoiding conventional instrumentation and stressing beauty of sound above all else, Lage and his quintet produce a richly lyrical music that's as surprising as it is inevitable."
Read the Chicago Tribune article here.
NEW LESSON POSTED
Julian recently did an online lesson for Premier Guitar Magazine. Click here to check it out.
LISTENING PARTY WITH GARY BURTON
On Tuesday, September 20 at 7PM, Julian and Gary Burton participated in a listening party at Lincoln Center in NYC. They discussed their new albums and thoughts on music. The event was taped and is now available for watching! Click here to watch.
NEW BLOG
Hello All,
I'm excited to share with you my group's new blog,www.julianlagegroup.com, which features video from the first concert series.
Hope you enjoy!
Thanks, jules
FALL TOUR WITH NEW GARY BURTON QUARTET
During September and Octber the New Gary Burton Quartet with Julian Lage, Scott Colley, and Antonio Sanchez will tour throughout the United States! Check out the official EPK video featuring interviews with each musician: Click to watch
For Full Tour Schedule Click Here
NPR - TINY DESK CONCERT
When Lage recently came for a one-nighter in Washington, D.C., he brought only bassist Jorge Roeder and percussionist Tupac Mantilla. (His usual quintet is a bit unusual, adding a saxophonist and a cellist.) Collectively, the three are soft-spoken and friendly, and they're stellar musicians, too. At the NPR Music offices, they treated us to songs that haven't yet been commercially recorded — the opening tune "Welcoming Committee" and the closing untitled number, harvested from a little online experiment wherein Lage challenged himself to write a song a day for 30 days. ("The first 23 suuucked," he joked.) In between, there's the gentle whisk and country-road twang of "However," which appears on the Julian Lage Group's 2011 sophomore album, Gladwell. Full Video Here
CLICK HERE TO LISTEN TO TRACKS
NOW AVAILABLE ON AMAZON. CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFO
"Be it the lovely “Margaret,” the fantastically rhythmic “However,” the adrenaline-charged “Telegram” or any of the other wonderful songs on the album, Lage has a distinct voice as a guitarist and composer. Gladwell is a joy." — DOWNBEAT MAGAZINE
"With its constantly shifting moods, transparent textures, and unexpected references, “Gladwell’’ rewards repeated listening; it’s a destination that sounds like nothing else on the map." — BOSTON GLOBE
"A genial, springlike virtuosity suffuses the playing of Julian Lage..." — NY TIMES
"The folk and roots make it clear this is a guitar album — the kind of experiment that recalls the immersion of Gary Burton and Steve Swallow in "guitaristic" rock-influenced composition, or their collaborator Pat Metheny. But Lage, with his taste in vintage acoustic and electric-guitar sounds, his own mix of influences, and this unusual ensemble, is doing something just as radical." — BOSTON PHOENIX
Julian Lage Group On Tour
DOWNBEAT MAGAZINE
"The Julian Lage Group is one of the best up-and-coming ensembles in improvised music today."
BOSTON GLOBE
"The Julian Lage Group kicked off the release this week of “Gladwell’ ...with stretched out and ramped up performances of material taken almost entirely from the album, featuring jaw-dropping virtuosity from the group’s ferociously gifted 23-year-old namesake guitarist."
NY TIMES
"A genial, springlike virtuosity suffuses the playing of Julian Lage..."
Full Tour Schedule Here
Gladwell: DownBeat Magazine Editor's Pick
"Be it the lovely “Margaret,” the fantastically rhythmic “However,” the adrenaline-charged “Telegram” or any of the other wonderful songs on the album, Lage has a distinct voice as a guitarist and composer. Gladwell is a joy." Read the review Here
WBGO Studio Session
Julian recently appeared on WBGO's Studio Session to discuss the new album and perform select tracks! Listen Here
NY Times Album Review
"A genial, springlike virtuosity suffuses the playing of Julian Lage..."Click here to read the full review
Julian on WNYC Soundcheck
On Friday, April 29 WNYC Souncheck hosted Julian for a special live, in studio performance. Click here to listen
Gladwell is officially released today!
In honor of the new release, we have posted a special video of Julian performing a solo version of "233 Butler" from the album. Click here to watch
New Live Show Review
The Julian Lage Group kicked off the release this week of “Gladwell’’ with two nights of prerelease celebrating at Club Passim. And celebrate they did, with stretched out and ramped up performances of material taken almost entirely from the album, featuring jaw-dropping virtuosity from the group’s ferociously gifted 23-year-old namesake guitarist. Full Review Here
Album Review: Boston Globe
With its constantly shifting moods, transparent textures, and unexpected references, “Gladwell’’ rewards repeated listening; it’s a destination that sounds like nothing else on the map. Boston Globe Album Review
Floating Heavyweights
The folk and roots make it clear this is a guitar album — the kind of experiment that recalls the immersion of Gary Burton and Steve Swallow in "guitaristic" rock-influenced composition, or their collaborator Pat Metheny. But Lage, with his taste in vintage acoustic and electric-guitar sounds, his own mix of influences, and this unusual ensemble, is doing something just as radical. Boston Phoenix Album Review
New Video on YouTube. Julian describes the new album!
NEW ALBUM COMING APRIL 26!
CLICK HERE TO LISTEN TO TRACKS
PRE-ORDER NOW AVAILABLE ON AMAZON. CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFO
OFFICIAL PRESS RELEASE
Following his Grammy-nominated 2009 debut Sounding Point, virtuoso guitarist Julian Lage returns with the evocative and finely wrought Gladwell - the second effort by his offbeat, eclectic group.
The album unfolds according to a fanciful and story-driven plan, as Lage explains: "We began playing with the idea of creating a story we could use as a guiding light in our writing process.... The result was the development of an imaginary and forgotten town known as Gladwell.... As a metaphor, Gladwell presented us with a clear architecture, to compose songs that evoke feelings of people and places we hold dear."
"Some songs specifically identify with particular parts of the town," writes Lage, "while other pieces simply fit into the overall concept and musical direction. The intention of the music is to encourage the listener, at every turn, to take a step towards the unknown...."
As with Sounding Point, Gladwell reflects Lage's wide-ranging musical interests and talents, ranging from chamber music, American folk and bluegrass to latin, world, string-band tradition and modern jazz. The album also exhibits contemporary singer-songwriter aesthetics.
The leader's fluid improvisations and rich, beautifully captured tone on electric and acoustic guitars anchor the music at every step, but the contributions of the band members are equally indispensable.
"Dan has a background in classical composition as well as improvisation," says Lage, "so he brings a sense of curiosity to the band that is deeply rooted in a variety of traditions. From Aristides we've learned a tremendous amount about how to play as a chamber-like ensemble, how to utilize dynamics and blending, and how to move and breathe as a unit. The sound of cello has opened our ears to the world that lives between classical music and jazz and it is amazing to witness how Aristides so uniquely marries the two. Tupac is like a conductor of energy, using his diverse palette of colors to shape and inform the music - his approach is never static, and it is exhilarating to share in his passion for uncovering new approaches. Jorge [who was the first member to join the band] has an incredible grounding force that enables the band to really take off in any direction at any point in time - I feel Jorge's presence as kind of like the narrator of a story, always keeping an eye on the bigger perspective while remaining an active participant at every turn."
Lage's recent trio appearances with fiddle master Mark O'Connor (also collaborating with the violinist's group, "Hot Swing") and bass giant John Patitucci have only strengthened the imprint of Americana and acoustic music on his work. In fact, Lage debuted on record at age 11 on Dawg Duos (1999), featuring David Grisman, Vassar Clements, Edgar Meyer, Béla Fleck and more. "Those were my heroes," Lage marvels. (He went on to recruit Fleck for three tracks on Sounding Point.)
"Working with Mark O'Connor made me realize you can bring that simplicity and elegance of the guitar to the main stage," says Lage. "A lot of times growing up I felt the guitar had to be more like a saxophone or a piano - it was never really encouraged in jazz to use capos or open tuning, for instance. With Mark I felt I had permission to cultivate those sonic elements, and I discovered so much new music, like 'Freight Train' or old bluegrass tunes, or old-time music. It's so coupled with the design of the instrument. When you're playing that music on the guitar, it's as though all the lights are green."
Hailed by All About Jazz as "a giant in the making," Lage grew up in California and was the subject of an Academy Award-nominated documentary, Jules at Eight. He gained pivotal early exposure as a protégé of legendary vibraphonist Gary Burton, recording and touring with Burton on two projects: Generations (2004) and Next Generation (2005). Other recent high-profile sideman appearances include Lucky To Be Me and Let It Come To You by longtime friend and close collaborator, pianist Taylor Eigsti. Having reunited with Gary Burton for live engagements beginning in 2010, Julian can also be heard this year as a member of the "New Gary Burton Quartet" on the forthcoming CD Common Ground (featuring Scott Colley and Antonio Sanchez).
With his previous Sounding Point, Lage arrived at a unique approach to composition and ensemble craft, a searching yet accessible sound that earned him his 2009 Grammy nomination for Best Contemporary Jazz Album. The music was "a major find," declared Time Out New York - "springy, intelligent chamber Americana that fits perfectly into a spectrum of Nonesuch-style players like Bill Frisell and Chris Thile's Punch Brothers." This new album represents another stage in that evolution, building on the proven strengths of and solidifying a unique identity for Lage's working band but continuing to open new doors and exploring new horizons. As Lage himself puts it: "Welcome to Gladwell."
New Show Review: Kansas City Star
2/25/2011
"On Monday night Lage and his group put on a mesmerizing display of youthful enthusiasm and impressive musicianship"
Click here to read the full article
Spring 2011 Tour Dates Announced!
Full Schedule
Midwest tour dates have now been posted along with the tour of Europe in May and Westcoast tour in June...
Time Out NY
"Burton's New Quartet holds greater promise. Sanchez remains in the drum chair, while bassist Scott Colley takes over for longtime Burton colleague Steve Swallow. And Lage? His impeccable instincts and sparkling semiacoustic sound should again sit well with Burton’s finely honed lyricism..."
Click here to read the full article
The New Gary Burton Quartet to perform on October 19-24 at the Blue Note in NYC, NY
In August Julian performed with "The New Gary Burton Quartet" featuring Gary Burton, Scott Colley, and Antonio Sanchez at the Red Sea Jazz Festival. They will make their North American debut at the Blue Note in New York City on October 19-24. The group will then go on to tour Europe and will make a new recording for Concord Records in 2011!
Check out the recent feature from Jazziz Magazine
Newport Jazz Festival: Listen to the Concert!
The Julian Lage Group recently played the 2010 Carefusion Newport Jazz Festival. NPR was on location to broadcast the recording, take pictures, and upload the performance so everyone can stream it online.
Click here to listen
Guitar Etudes
Julian is currently composing new and original guitar etudes. Click here to watch the first 3
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Sounding Point:
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Julian Lage: Ahead of the Curve
Click to Read the new JazzTimes article
Julian in the Boston Globe and Boston Phoenix!
Click to read the Globe article
Click to read the Phoenix article
Chicago Tribune
"GOT TO HAND IT TO LAGE, BAND: THEY THINK, PLAY DIFFERENTLY."
Click here to read the entire review
ArtistShare
Julian's ArtistShare project presents a unique opportunity for fans to connect with his music. Participate in a lesson with Julian as he discusses improvisation on the classic tune "Autumn Leaves" and watch as Julian and Jim Hall perform this as a duet!
Artist Share.
Live Interviews!
Listen to Julian on The Jazz Session with Jason Crain Click to Listen
Listen to Julian on WBUR's "Here and Now". Listen to the interview here
Julian was recently featured on NPR's weekend edition. Listen to the interview here
Listen to Julian's recent interview with LeRoy Downs on the Jazz Cat. Listen to the interview here
SOUNDING POINT: Released to Great Reviews!
"In all these different formats, Lage's well-developed personality shines through. Here's a jazz newcomer more interested in elegance than in flash, more interested in instrumental storytelling than in virtuosity. " Washington Post
"With so many emerging artists releasing albums before they're ready, debuts like Sounding Point come along all too rarely. With a fully-formed voice that transcends yet incorporates his multifaceted stylistic interests, Lage's impressive debut points to a giant in the making. Most artists his age are described in terms of promise; with Sounding Point, Lage bypasses promise and goes straight to delivery." All About Jazz
"Julian Lage, "Sounding Point" (Decca, B): He proves his mastery of acoustic guitar styles in four modernistic settings: with a breezy jazz group and originals evoking Lage's start with Gary Burton; in an angular "bluegrass concrete" tuneup with Chris Thile and Bela Fleck; plus mysterioso (Alfred Hitchcock inspired!) solo; and duo (with Taylor Eigsti) guitar settings."Philadelphia Daily News
"Sounding Point is so negligibly packaged that it could easily slip under the radar or be mistaken for just another guitar-geek recording. In fact it's a major find‹springy, intelligent chamber Americana that fits perfectly into a spectrum of Nonesuch-style players like Bill Frisell and Chris Thile's Punch Brothers." Time Out New York The Julian Lage Group received a great review from the Boston Globe following their recent show at Club Passim. Read the full review here
More reviews:
Jazz.com
New Haven Register
San Francisco Gate
Clearly a breakthrough album that would be expected to be a strong challenger for album of the year...click to read the full album review...
Click here to visit Julian's ArtistShare Project Experience Center. Here you can order the new album and participate in the musical process.
SOUNDING POINT: Released MARCH 24
On March 24, Julian Lage released his debut album, Sounding Point, on EmArcy Records! Julian has teamed up with ArtistShare to deliver the ultimate fan experience.
Click here to pre-order the CD and visit Julian's ArtistShare Project Experience Center
From there you can follow the experience of Julian on the road through photos, journal entries and downloads of live performances in celebration of the release of Sounding Point.
You will also be able to watch Julian's compositions come to life through downloads of musical sketches with commentary.
Bela Fleck's "Throw Down Your Heart" now available
Throw Down Your Heartchronicles banjo virtuoso and 9 time Grammy award winner Bela Fleck's musical journey to Africa to explore the little known African roots of the banjo. Bela's boundary-breaking musical adventure takes him to Uganda, Tanzania, The Gambia, and Mali, and provides a glimpse of the beauty and complexity of African music. Using his banjo, Bela transcends barriers of language and culture, finding common ground and forging connections with musicians from very different backgrounds.
Julian Lage Group on Tour
Beginning January 30, the Julian Lage Group kicks off the first of many shows for 2009. They will be touring in support of the upcoming EmArcy release, Sounding Point.
Punch Brother In NYC
January 21, 2008
Hello All,
Happy New Year! It's been a little while since my last posting and I wanted to say hello and let you know about an exciting show coming up. Tomorrow, January 22, 2008, my favorite band Punch Brothers is performing in NYC at the Living Room. Punch Brothers consists of Chris Thile, Chris Eldridge, Gabe Witcher, Noam Pickelny, and Paul Kowert. Seeing them perform is an incredibly inspiring experience and they are the coolest guys too. I'll be there to watch and play some too......If you are around, please come out. We would love to see you!
Headed To London
November 17, 2008
Hello All,
I wanted to check in and write something on my new and improved website. I am on my way to London tomorrow to play with Taylor Eigsti. We are performing at Royal Festival Hall as part of the London Jazz Festival, opening for the great Milton Nascimento. We are both really looking forward to being apart of this wonderful occasion and to play duo again. It will be our last duo show until we pick things back up in February in Philadelphia.
In honor of our show at Royal Festival Hall, I wanted to post a video of Stravinsky conducting Firebird at Royal Festival Hall in 1965. This video is so inspiring to me, watching the way he conducts and embodies the music so deeply. What a master! Enjoy!!