Julian Lage ( ; born December 25, 1987) is an American

guitarist A guitarist (or a guitar player) is a person who plays the guitar. Guitarists may play a variety of guitar family instruments such as classical guitars, acoustic guitars, electric guitars, and bass guitars. Some guitarists accompany themselv ...

and

composer A composer is a person who writes music. The term is especially used to indicate composers of Western classical music, or those who are composers by occupation. Many composers are, or were, also skilled performers of music. Etymology and Defi ...

Career

child prodigy A child prodigy is defined in psychology research literature as a person under the age of ten who produces meaningful output in some domain at the level of an adult expert. The term is also applied more broadly to young people who are extraor ...

, Lage was the subject of the 1996 short documentary film ''Jules at Eight''. At 12, he performed at the 2000

Grammy Awards The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pres ...

. Three years later, he became a faculty member of the

Stanford Jazz Workshop Stanford Jazz Workshop (SJW) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to jazz education and the annual concert series known as the Stanford Jazz Festival. SJW was founded in 1972 by saxophonist and educator Jim Nadel. Though many of its activities a ...

at Stanford University. Classically trained at the

San Francisco Conservatory of Music The San Francisco Conservatory of Music (SFCM) is a private music conservatory in San Francisco, California. As of 2021, it had 480 students. History The San Francisco Conservatory of Music was founded in 1917 by Ada Clement and Lillian Hodgh ...

, he has studied at

Sonoma State University Sonoma State University (SSU, Sonoma State, or Sonoma) is a public university in Rohnert Park in Sonoma County, California, US. It is one of the smallest members of the California State University (CSU) system. Sonoma State offers 92 Bachelor's d ...

and the

Ali Akbar College of Music The Ali Akbar College of Music (AACM) is the name of three schools founded by Indian musician Ali Akbar Khan to teach Indian classical music. The first was founded in 1956 in Calcutta, India. The second was founded in 1967 in Berkeley, Californi ...

. He graduated from the

Berklee College of Music Berklee College of Music is a private music college in Boston, Massachusetts. It is the largest independent college of contemporary music in the world. Known for the study of jazz and modern American music, it also offers college-level cours ...

in 2008. On March 24, 2009

EmArcy EmArcy Records is a jazz record label founded in 1954 by the American Mercury Records. The name is a phonetic spelling of "MRC", the initials for Mercury Record Company. During the 1950s and 1960s, musicians such as Max Roach, Clifford Brown ...

released his debut album ''

Sounding Point ''Sounding Point'' is the debut studio album by the then 21-year-old jazz guitarist Julian Lage. It was released in March 2009 by EmArcy Records. It entered the ''Billboard'' Top Contemporary Jazz Albums chart at number 13 and was nominated for ...

'' to favorable reviews. It was nominated for the 2010

Grammy Award The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pres ...

Best Contemporary Jazz Album. His second album, ''Gladwell'', was released April 26, 2011, to positive reviews. His first solo acoustic album, ''

World's Fair A world's fair, also known as a universal exhibition or an expo, is a large international exhibition designed to showcase the achievements of nations. These exhibitions vary in character and are held in different parts of the world at a specif ...

'', was released on March 2, 2015, and his fourth album, ''

Arclight An arclight or arc lamp is a lamp that produces a bright light by generating an electric arc across two electrodes. Arclight, Arc Light or arc light may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Characters * Arclight (comics), a mutant super-vill ...

'', was released on March 11, 2016. He has worked in a trio with Scott Colley and drummer

Kenny Wollesen Kenny Wollesen (born 1966) is an American drummer and percussionist. Wollesen has recorded and toured with Tom Waits, Sean Lennon, Ron Sexsmith, Bill Frisell, Norah Jones, John Lurie, Myra Melford, Steven Bernstein, and John Zorn. He is a foun ...

and has recorded duo albums with guitarists

Chris Eldridge Chris Eldridge is an American guitarist and singer. He is a member of Punch Brothers and frequently performs in a duo with fellow guitarist Julian Lage. He is also the guitarist in the house band on Live From Here. He was a founding member of the ...

Gyan Riley Gyan Riley (born 1977) is an American guitarist and composer. He is a son of minimalist composer Terry Riley. They frequently collaborate, including a tour in Europe in September 2016. Gyan Riley studied at San Francisco Conservatory of Music. He ...

, and

Nels Cline Nels Courtney Cline (born January 4, 1956) is an American guitarist and composer. He has been the guitarist for the band Wilco since 2004. In the 1980s he played jazz, often in collaboration with his twin brother Alex Cline, Alex, a percussionis ...

. For the 2017 guitar duo album ''Mount Royal'', Lage and Eldridge received a Grammy nomination for Best Contemporary Instrumental Album. He is currently a faculty member at the

New England Conservatory of Music The New England Conservatory of Music (NEC) is a Private college, private music school in Boston, Massachusetts. It is the oldest independent music Music school, conservatory in the United States and among the most prestigious in the world. The ...

''Squint'' and ''View With a Room'' (2021-present)

On March 17, 2021, it was announced that he signed to

Blue Note Records Blue Note Records is an American jazz record label owned by Universal Music Group and operated under Capitol Music Group. Established in 1939 by Alfred Lion and Max Margulis, it derived its name from the blue notes of jazz and the blues. Or ...

. Along with the announcement, it was announced that his debut release on the label entitled ''Squint'' would be released on June 11. The lead single "Saint Rose" was released on that day as well. April 9 saw the release on the second single "Boo's Blues." April 30 saw the release of the third single "Etude." The fourth single "Familiar Flower" was released on May 21. Lage's sophomore record on Blue Note entitled ''View With a Room'' was released on September 16, 2022 The lead single "Auditorium" was released on June 21. "Word for Word," the second single, was released on July 13. The third single "Tributary" was released on August 10. The fourth single, "Chavez" was released on August 31st.

Discography

As leader

* ''

'' (

, 2009) * '' Gladwell'' (EmArcy, 2011) * '' Close to Picture EP'' with

(Modern Lore, 2013) * '' Free Flying'' with

Fred Hersch Fred Hersch (born October 21, 1955) is an American jazz pianist, educator and HIV/AIDS activist. He was the first person to play weeklong engagements as a solo pianist at the Village Vanguard in New York City. He has recorded more than 70 of his ...

( Palmetto, 2013) * ''

Avalon Avalon (; la, Insula Avallonis; cy, Ynys Afallon, Ynys Afallach; kw, Enys Avalow; literally meaning "the isle of fruit r appletrees"; also written ''Avallon'' or ''Avilion'' among various other spellings) is a mythical island featured in the ...

'' with

(Modern Lore, 2014) * ''

Room In a building or large vehicle, like a ship, a room is any enclosed space within a number of walls to which entry is possible only via a door or other dividing structure that connects it to either a passage (architecture), passageway, another roo ...

'' with

(Mack Avenue, 2014) * ''

'' (Modern Lore, 2015) * ''

'' (

Mack Avenue Mack Avenue Records is an independent record label in Grosse Pointe Farms, Michigan. Background Mack Avenue was founded in 1999 by Gretchen Carhartt Valade, a jazz fan and chair of the American apparel company Carhartt. The company is a sponsor ...

, 2016) * ''Live in Los Angeles'' EP (Mack Avenue, 2017) * ''

Mount Royal Mount Royal (french: link=no, Mont Royal, ) is a large intrusive rock hill or small mountain in the city of Montreal, immediately west of Downtown Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The best-known hypothesis for the origin of the name Montreal is the hi ...

'' with Chris Eldridge (

Free Dirt ''Free Dirt'' is the first full-length album by Australian alternative rock band Died Pretty, released in 1986. The album was repackaged in 2008 by Aztec Music with a second CD containing seven singles and six live recordings from 1986. Critica ...

, 2017) * '' Modern Lore'' (Mack Avenue, 2018) * ''

Love Hurts "Love Hurts" is a song written and composed by the American songwriter Boudleaux Bryant. First recorded by the Everly Brothers in July 1960, the song is most well known from the 1974 international hit version by Scottish hard rock band Nazare ...

'' (Mack Avenue, 2019) * ''

Squint Squinting is the action of looking at something with partially closed eyes. Squinting is most often practiced by people who suffer from refractive errors of the eye who either do not have or are not using their glasses. Squinting helps momentari ...

'' (

Blue Note In jazz and blues, a blue note is a note that—for expressive purposes—is sung or played at a slightly different pitch from standard. Typically the alteration is between a quartertone and a semitone, but this varies depending on the musical co ...

, 2021) * '' View with a Room'' (

, 2022)

As sideman

With

Gary Burton Gary Burton (born January 23, 1943) is an American jazz vibraphonist, composer, and educator. Burton developed a pianistic style of four-mallet technique as an alternative to the prevailing two-mallet technique. This approach caused him to be he ...

* ''

Generations A generation is "all of the people born and living at about the same time, regarded collectively." Generation or generations may also refer to: Science and technology * Generation (particle physics), a division of the elementary particles * Gen ...

'' (Concord Jazz, 2004) * '' Next Generation'' (Concord Jazz, 2005) * '' Common Ground'' (Mack Avenue, 2011) * ''

Guided Tour A tour guide (U.S.) or a tourist guide (European) is a person who provides assistance, information on cultural, historical and contemporary heritage to people on organized sightseeing and individual clients at educational establishments, relig ...

'' (Mack Avenue, 2013) With

John Zorn John Zorn (born September 2, 1953) is an American composer, conductor, saxophonist, arranger and producer who "deliberately resists category". Zorn's avant-garde and experimental approaches to composition and improvisation are inclusive of jaz ...

* ''Midsummer Moons'' (Tzadik, 2017) * ''Insurrection'' (Tzadik, 2018) * ''Salem 1692'' (Tzadik, 2018) * ''The Book Beri'ah'' (Tzadik, 2018) * ''Nove Cantici Per Francesco D'Assisi'' (Tzadik, 2019) * ''Virtue'' (Tzadik, 2020) * ''Songs for Petra'' (Tzadik, 2020) * ''Teresa De Ávila'' (Tzadik, 2021) * ''Parables'' (Tzadik, 2021) * ''New Masada Quartet'' (Tzadik, 2021) * ''A Garden Of Forking Paths'' (Tzadik, 2021) * ''Incerto'' (Tzadik, 2022) With others *

Terri Lyne Carrington Terri Lyne Carrington (born August 4, 1965) is an American jazz drummer, composer, producer, and educator. She has played with Dizzy Gillespie, Stan Getz, Clark Terry, Herbie Hancock, Wayne Shorter, Joe Sample, Al Jarreau, Yellowjackets, and ma ...

, ''More to Say'' (E1, 2009) *

, '' Lovers'' (Blue Note, 2016) * Nels Cline, '' Currents, Constellations'' (Blue Note, 2018) *

Kris Davis Kris Davis (born 1980) is a Canadian jazz pianist and composer. Early life Davis was born in Vancouver in 1980 and grew up in Calgary, Alberta. She studied classical piano from the age of six and discovered jazz while a high school student. She ...

, ''Duopoly'' (Pyroclastic, 2016) *

Virgil Donati Virgil Donati (born 22 October 1958) is an Australian drummer, composer and producer. He holds the drum sticks in the Traditional grip, traditional style and is also proficient at the Keyboard instrument, keyboard. Donati formed Planet X (band), ...

, ''Ruination'' (Gildon Music, 2019) * Dave Douglas, ''Uplift Twelve Pieces for Positive Action'' (Greenleaf Music, 2018) *

Taylor Eigsti Taylor Eigsti (born September 24, 1984) is an American jazz pianist and composer. Eigsti's trio features bassist Harish Raghavan and drummer Eric Harland. He is also a member of Eric Harland Voyager, Kendrick Scott Oracle, and Gretchen Parlato's ...

, ''Lucky to Be Me'' (Concord Jazz, 2006) *

David Grisman David Grisman (born March 23, 1945) is an American mandolinist. His music combines bluegrass, folk, and jazz in a genre he calls "Dawg music". He founded the record label Acoustic Disc, which issues his recordings and those of other acoustic mu ...

, '' Dawg Duos'' (Acoustic Disc, 1999) * Eric Harland, ''Voyager: Live by Night'' (Space Time, 2011) * Eric Harland, ''Vipassana'' (GSI, 2014) *

Jesse Harris Jesse Harris (born October 24, 1969) is an American singer-songwriter, producer, and guitarist. He has worked with Norah Jones, Melody Gardot, Madeleine Peyroux, Nikki Yanofsky, and Lizz Wright. Early life and education Harris and his twin sist ...

, ''No Wrong No Right'' (Dangerbird, 2015) * Charles Lloyd, '' 8: Kindred Spirits (Live from the Lobero)'' (Blue Note, 2020) *

Sophie Milman Sophie Milman (born 1983) is a Russian-born Canadian jazz vocalist. After emigrating from Russia in the early 1990s, Milman, who is Jewish, spent most of her childhood years in Israel where she listened extensively to jazz. Her family later emigr ...

, ''in the Moonlight'' (E1, 2011) *

Yoko Ono Yoko Ono ( ; ja, 小野洋子, Ono Yōko, usually spelled in katakana ; born February 18, 1933) is a Japanese multimedia artist, singer, songwriter, and peace activist. Her work also encompasses performance art and filmmaking. Ono grew up i ...

, ''

Take Me to the Land of Hell ''Take Me to the Land of Hell'' is the 2013 album by Yoko Ono's band Plastic Ono Band. It is her fifteenth solo album overall and Ono's third since reforming the Plastic Ono Band in 2009 with her son Sean Lennon. It features guests Yuka C Honda, ...

'' (Chimera Music, 2013) *

Dayna Stephens Dayna Stephens (born August 1, 1978) is an American jazz saxophonist and composer. In addition to leading his own group, Stephens has performed extensively with Kenny Barron, Ambrose Akinmusire, Taylor Eigsti, Julian Lage, Eric Harland, and Ger ...

, ''Today Is Tomorrow'' (Criss Cross, 2012) * Dayna Stephens, ''

Peace Peace is a concept of societal friendship and harmony in the absence of hostility and violence. In a social sense, peace is commonly used to mean a lack of conflict (such as war) and freedom from fear of violence between individuals or groups. ...

'' (Sunnyside, 2014)

Awards and nominations

References

External links

Official website

On Marian McPartland's ''Piano Jazz''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lage, Julian 20th-century American guitarists 21st-century American guitarists American jazz guitarists Living people 1987 births Palmetto Records artists People from Santa Rosa, California Mack Avenue Records artists EmArcy Records artists Jazz musicians from California