Julian Lage might just be the greatest guitarist to ever live. That’s not an unreasonable opinion if you like guitar music, or you like jazz, or you like making sweeping statements about an individual’s timeless mastery. It is definitely not the first time that I have written in this way about the maestro whose music we’re naming Album of the Week this week. It also won’t be the last, I can assure you that. That’s because when I write on Lage, I am otherwise stumped for words to say (which is rare for me).
Back in November 2024, I went to the Glasshouse in Gateshead, UK to see Lage perform a varied solo set of his music in order to promote his release Speak To Me – an album that will undoubtedly feature in future weeks. It was an evening filled with awe and admiration. In reshaping original numbers for a solo guitar setting, he reminded me of how truly brilliant compositions can be transformed in a moment by the hands of truly brilliant musicians. Lage is that kind of musician and his compositions are that kind of brilliant. Want proof of this? Listen to his album World’s Fair. Released in 2015, this album sees its 10-year anniversary this year. After a decade in the world, the minimalist approach to solo playing still provides refreshing directness. The silence, creaks and breathes are still welcomed almost as part of the composition. Better still, the forwardness and simplicity of most of the melodies remain a benchmark of Lage’s artistry. Yes, he has some mindboggling chops – that’s one of the reasons why the guitar world has fallen in love with him – but it is his deliberateness and often modest approach to composing that has the rest of the music world listening. World’s Fair shows an honest yet courageous side to Lage, as it blends American musical traditions with his own humble modernity. The production is restrained and playing is respectful. That is to say, respectful to the tunes that he wrote; it is almost as if he treats them with a reverence that would be applied to age old music.
Speaking of age old music, this album has one of my favourite compositions of his, ‘Day and Age’. If you want an example of how a tune may be reimagined in a variety of settings and structures, this is as good as they get. ‘Day and Age’ has been “covered” by Lage in a number of live settings, with an acoustic and electric guitar. It has also been fantastically re-recorded and released on his album Squint with an ensemble that not only serve to support the melody but enhance the rhythmic flow of the piece. In every rendition of his own music that I have heard, Lage always manages to stay true to the piece while exploring the far reaches of its composition. World’s Fair is essentially a worktop and the tunes within it are pieces of clay, moulded but not set. Go and listen to the album and then find recordings of him playing them live or in another album. Then you’ll understand.
Waxing Lyrical 