The Julian Lage Group
Studio Barndiva
237 Center Street
Julian Lage (Photo by Jimmy Katz)
Date: Friday, May 29
Time: 7 pm. & 9 p.m. (two shows)
Tickets: $35
Santa Rosa-raised Julian Lage needs no introduction in Healdsburg, as he’s played just about every festival since the beginning. But this year marks a major leap for the dazzling 21-year-old guitarist, who returns from Boston to celebrate his debut recording on EmArcy, “Sounding Point,” with a stellar young band of players he met back east.
Featuring saxophonist Ben Roseth, cellist Aristides Rivas, bassist Jorge Roeder and drummer/percussionist Tupac Mantilla, the international ensemble that plays Studio Barndiva on Friday, May 29 explores Lage’s fascinating compositions, which draw on his vast palette of influences.
While most musicians are just starting to come into their own at 21, Lage is already a well-traveled professional. Over the past decade he’s gained international attention through tours and recordings with vibraphone great Gary Burton’s Generations Band, duo concerts with pianist Taylor Eigsti and performances with Pat Metheny, David Grisman and Marian McPartland.
On his long anticipated debut album, Lage joined forces with a typically diverse array of players, including banjo star Bela Fleck and mandolin maestro Chris Thile of Nickel Creek fame, as well as several of the young players who he is bringing to Healdsburg for this appearance.
Lage’s rapid advancement as a musician can partially be explained by his parents’ willingness to tailor his education around his musical aspirations. While he graduated from Santa Rosa’s Maria Carrillo High School, he spent several years doing an independent study program at home, which allowed him to travel for gigs and devote more time to music. He’s also studied at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, Sonoma State University, the Ali Akbar College of Music in Marin.
Unfazed by sharing the stage with his musical heroes, he’s performed with giants such as Herbie Hancock, Bobby Hutcherson, Carlos Santana, and has often encountered his heroes on stage at Healdsburg, like the time he sat in with Charles Lloyd, Billy Higgins and John Abercrombie.
Julian Lage first gained attention outside the Bay Area with the release of Mark Becker’s 1997 Academy Award-nominated short documentary “Jules at Eight,” which captured Lage as a little boy with a big feeling for the blues (check out the clip on YouTube – the first half is all Julian). A brief television appearance led to his most consequential musical connection to date, when Gary Burton happened to see the 2000 Grammy telecast and spotted the 12-year-old Lage as he flashed briefly on screen for a solo with a youth combo assembled especially for the awards ceremony.
“He had half a chorus on a blues, and then they moved quickly on,” Burton says. “Just for that moment, when he was dead center in the screen and had a solo spot, something caught my eye, and I said, ‘Well, that kid actually sounds like he has a great feel and knows what he’s doing.’” Almost a decade later, Lage has more than lived up to Burton’s first impression.
JulianLage.com
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