Julian Lage

Herbie Hancock: "Julian, you play with heart, mind, and soul. Where’d you find all this so early in life?"
David Grisman: "I was amazed by the depth of his playing, he’s a real improviser who just goes with the flow. He’s not about anything other than making a beautiful musical statement.”
Gary Burton: "We had to do various takes on different tunes, and it struck me how none of his solos were alike. He was constantly inventive but without a need to show off. His way of proving himself is not by being flashy, but by discovering the meaning in the music."
Martin Taylor: "My favorite guitar player!”
Julian Lage: “I’m not saying that I will do jazz for the rest of my life, but I can still keep growing and learning through it... it is so complicated, interesting and wonderful.”
At every stage in his growth, those most qualified to judge Julian Lage have given passing notice to his blazing technique, his passion for excellence, and even his youth. But they usually save their highest accolades for his musical wisdom, sophistication and wit, which they find even more remarkable than his skill on the guitar.
Still not twenty years old, but with over a decade performing as a professional, Lage has found ways to nourish his aptitudes and keep his passion alive throughout a long, demanding conservatory education, and a great deal of attention from the media. Though he showed promise quite early, Julian instinctively avoided the temptation to become a narrow technical performer on guitar. Educated in Western classical music at the San Francisco Conservatory and Sonoma State University, Julian listened to jazz on his own. He developed improvisational skill in parallel with his classical musical education, studying at Ali Akbar College of Music in California and Berklee College of Music in Boston.
In a recent chapter of the story, Julian has been playing and composing for vibraphonist Gary Burton’s Generations band. This ongoing collaboration has produced great performances on tour and in the studio, several original compositions by Julian, and two successful cd’s with the Generations band.
Here's a video of Julian and Taylor performing at the Falcon Room on October 20, 2007.
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