Guitarist Julian Lage has a unique sound that blends jazz, classical, and roots music. As he explained during a visit to KNKX studios in 2022, he's got a theory on where it comes from.
"I'm of the thinking that we all have our sound the second we pick up an instrument. It's the way your hands move. It's the way you breathe. It's your sensibilities," he said.
Lage has been developing his sound for most of his life. As a child prodigy, Lage was the subject of a documentary at eight years old, and he made his recording debut at 16 with legendary vibraphonist Gary Burton.
Lage waited until he was 21 to release his debut album, Sounding Point, which earned his first of six Grammy nominations. Lage is a humble artist, despite the critical acclaim he's earned from a young age.
"This is the thing I've been doing since I was a kid, and that's enough. There's a certain degree of making peace with what's there that triumphs over searching for some declaration of 'this is my sound,'" he said.
Lage said his sound on the guitar is defined by the music he plays, largely original compositions. He's not waiting for divine inspiration. Lage sits down and writes every day, sometimes with his guitar, sometimes without.
"There's something about a regimented writing schedule that I do like. Even if it's 10 minutes, you know, 'Okay, I'm gonna write a song in 10 minutes. Here it is.' Once it's on the paper, then it gets tweaked and whatnot," he said.
His compositions are just a starting point. He and his bandmates keep the songs open for interpretation on stage, where they really come to life. Lage says many of his songs are "pop-ish or rock-related songs" played from the perspective of improvisers.
"It's being played with a certain sense of risk and also just freshness. It allows us, on tour, to really expand and let the music evolve," Lage said.
Lage says his trio works together to get the best out of every song. They're free to be themselves as musicians, but the point is to create something unique as a team.
"We function as somewhat of a chamber ensemble, at least that's how we look at it. It's deeply rooted in jazz, improvised music, but I would say there's a shared sense of orchestrational responsibility," he said.
While creating music with his bandmates is a group effort, Lage says editing how he plays is the essence of his art. He's stripping away musical cliches, influences, and muscle memory to find his sound.
"It's a process of elimination; eliminating any factors in the tone, the vocabulary, whatever it might be —compositionally, improvisationally — eliminating these things that block true nature."
Lage's unique musical nature will be on full display during the Earshot Jazz Festival, when he performs with his quartet at the Moore Theatre on Oct. 15.
Songs heard in this episode:
- "Day and Age"
- "Let Every Room Sing"
- "Auditorium"
