''World's Fair'' is the third album released by

Julian Lage Julian Lage ( ; born December 25, 1987) is an American guitarist and composer. Career A child prodigy, Lage was the subject of the 1996 short documentary film ''Jules at Eight''. At 12, he performed at the 2000 Grammy Awards. Three years later ...

as leader. Recorded on a 1939

Martin Martin may refer to: Places * Martin City (disambiguation) * Martin County (disambiguation) * Martin Township (disambiguation) Antarctica * Martin Peninsula, Marie Byrd Land * Port Martin, Adelie Land * Point Martin, South Orkney Islands Austral ...

000-18 with no overdubbing, it is the first solo album he has recorded.

Background

Lage said that a large part of the inspiration for this album was the classical guitarist

Andrés Segovia Andrés Segovia Torres, 1st Marquis of Salobreña (21 February 1893 – 2 June 1987) was a Spanish virtuoso classical guitarist. Many professional classical guitarists were students of Segovia or their students. Segovia's contribution to the m ...

, and that it "draw from the sonic fingerprint of early radio recordings mixed with the short form structures of some of my favorite classical and folk music". While he still considers the album to be jazz-oriented, he stated that he stayed away from swing-style music "because I didn't think solo guitar was the format for me to play swing".

Overview

The first track, "40's", which was the only song given a pre-release, is of a medium tempo and alternates between the keys of F and D. "Peru" opens with some light picking before settling into the actual tune, and "Japan" begins "with an angular, almost discordant sound, but enters into a laid back groove, occasionally interrupted by unsettled harmonies". "Double Stops", as the title implies, makes extensive use of

double stop In music, a double stop is the technique of playing two notes simultaneously on a stringed instrument such as a violin, a viola, a cello, or a double bass. On instruments such as the Hardanger fiddle it is common and often employed. In performin ...

s throughout the course of the song. "Gardens" was described as making Lage sound like "a flatpicking Andrés Segovia", due to the fast bluegrass picking technique employed. Only two tracks on the album were not composed by Lage. The first, "Where or When", a

Rodgers and Hart Rodgers and Hart were an American songwriting partnership between composer Richard Rodgers (1902–1979) and the lyricist Lorenz Hart (1895–1943). They worked together on 28 stage musicals and more than 500 songs from 1919 until Hart ...

show tune, was described as " ingeringlike a comfortable memory." The other is a folk song, "Red Prairie Dawn", which "puts his folk roots on display."

Reception

Mark F. Turner's '' AllAboutJazz'' review said that "It's the perfect showcase of his fine abilities on acoustic guitar." ''

Relix ''Relix'', originally and occasionally later ''Dead Relix'', is a magazine that focuses on live and improvisational music. The magazine was launched in 1974 as a handmade newsletter devoted to connecting people who recorded Grateful Dead concert ...

'' review said that "the music's austerity magnifies its grandeur". The review from ''

The Stanford Daily ''The Stanford Daily'' is the student-run, independent daily newspaper serving Stanford University. ''The Daily'' is distributed throughout campus and the surrounding community of Palo Alto, California, United States. It has published since the U ...

'' stated that "Fans of Lage's more experimental work...may be disappointed to find that ''World's Fair'' lacks the abstract sophistication found in many works of contemporary jazz. But it's fairly clear that Lage was not writing to push musical boundaries, but rather to pay homage to the diverse range of music that has shaped his own playing and taste." The Sun Gazette commented "Lage ervesthe songs rather than his ego...the brilliance is in how simple and effortless he makes it sound".

Track listing

All compositions written by Julian Lage except where noted. # 40's – 3:50 # Peru – 2:54 # Japan – 4:11 # Ryland – 3:16 # Double Stops – 1:50 # Gardens – 3:56 # Century – 2:55 #

Where or When "Where or When" is a show tune from the 1937 Rodgers and Hart musical ''Babes in Arms''. It was first performed by Ray Heatherton and Mitzi Green. That same year, Hal Kemp recorded a popular version. The song also appeared in the film version o ...

(

Richard Rodgers Richard Charles Rodgers (June 28, 1902 – December 30, 1979) was an American Musical composition, composer who worked primarily in musical theater. With 43 Broadway musicals and over 900 songs to his credit, Rodgers was one of the most ...

) – 2:21 # Missouri – 4:11 # Red Prairie Dawn (

Gary Harrison Gary Steven Harrison is an American songwriter. Harrison began his career in the 1970s, and has written over 300 major-label recorded songs, including several number one hits. His songwriting credits include: " Hey Cinderella" (recorded by Suzy ...

/Traditional) – 2:51 # Day and Age – 2:41 # Lullaby – 3:00

Personnel

* Julian Lage –

acoustic guitar An acoustic guitar is a musical instrument in the string family. When a string is plucked its vibration is transmitted from the bridge, resonating throughout the top of the guitar. It is also transmitted to the side and back of the instrument, ...

* Matt Munisteri – producing * Armand Hirsch, Teddy Tuthill, Jon Ashley –

engineering Engineering is the use of scientific method, scientific principles to design and build machines, structures, and other items, including bridges, tunnels, roads, vehicles, and buildings. The discipline of engineering encompasses a broad rang ...

Dan Millice Dan Millice is an American mastering engineer based out of Engine Room Audio in New York City. Education and career Dan Millice was born in North Carolina and graduated from Appalachian State University with a bachelor's degree in music industry ...

– mastering * Matt Pfahlert – design

Charts

References

{{Authority control Julian Lage albums 2015 albums