Julian Lage


Julian Price Lage is an American guitarist and composer.
A child prodigy, Lage performed at the 2000 Grammy Awards at age 12, and at 15 became a faculty member of the Stanford Jazz Workshop. He released his debut album Sounding Point in 2009 on the EmArcy Records label. He was signed to Blue Note Records in 2021, with whom he has released the albums Squint, View with a Room, The Layers EP, Speak to Me and Scenes From Above.
Lage teaches ensembles and guitar at The New School's School of Jazz and Contemporary Music in New York City.

Early life and career

Lage was born in Santa Rosa, California, and is the youngest of five children. His father, Mario, is a visual artist, and his mother is of Jewish heritage. 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, he became a faculty member of the Stanford Jazz Workshop at Stanford University. Classically trained at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, he has studied at Sonoma State University and the Ali Akbar College of Music. He graduated from the Berklee College of Music in 2008.
On March 24, 2009 EmArcy released his debut album Sounding Point to favorable reviews. It was nominated for the 2010 Grammy Award Best Contemporary Jazz Album. His second album, Gladwell, was released April 26, 2011, to positive reviews. His first solo acoustic album, World's Fair, was released on March 2, 2015, and his fourth album, Arclight, was released on March 11, 2016.
In a 2016 interview promoting Arclight on the NPR program Fresh Air, Lage revealed that around the time of the release of World's Fair he struggled with focal dystonia, a neurological disorder resulting from the repeated performance of tasks. The disorder caused spasms in his left arm and hand while trying to play the guitar. He believed that the condition was brought on at age five from playing and gripping the neck of his guitar too hard, because the guitar was bigger than he was. At the time, he believed that was what he needed to do to "sound official... and drop the guitar." He had to "re-learn how to play the guitar in a way that addressed these tendencies that got in trouble in the first place."
He has worked in a trio with Scott Colley and drummer Kenny Wollesen and has recorded duo albums with guitarists Chris Eldridge, Gyan Riley, and Nels Cline. For the 2017 guitar duo album Mount Royal, Lage and Eldridge received a Grammy nomination for Best Contemporary Instrumental Album.
Lage is presently a faculty member at The School of Jazz and Contemporary Music at The New School in New York City, where he teaches ensembles and guitar. He has taught at the New England Conservatory of Music.
On March 17, 2021, it was announced that he signed to Blue Note Records. 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."
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 31.
On November 14, 2023, Lage released the single, Omission, continuing to use the acoustic instrumentation found on his EP The Layers, which was released on March 17, 2023.

Discography

As leader

  • Sounding Point
  • Gladwell
  • Free Flying with Fred Hersch
  • Close to Picture with Chris Eldridge
  • Avalon with Chris Eldridge
  • Room with Nels Cline
  • World's Fair
  • Arclight
  • Live in Los Angeles
  • Mount Royal with Chris Eldridge
  • Modern Lore
  • Love Hurts
  • Squint
  • View with a Room
  • The Layers EP
  • Speak to Me
  • ''Scenes from Above''

    As sideman

With Gary Burton
  • Generations
  • Next Generation
  • Common Ground
  • Guided Tour
With John Zorn
  • Midsummer Moons
  • Insurrection
  • Salem 1692
  • The Book Beri'ah Vol.4 – Chesed
  • Nove Cantici Per Francesco D'Assisi
  • Virtue
  • Songs for Petra
  • Teresa De Ávila
  • Parables
  • New Masada Quartet
  • John Zorn’s Bagatelles Vol.10
  • A Garden Of Forking Paths
  • Incerto
  • New Masada Quartet Volume Two
  • Multiplicities II
  • Quatrain
  • Full Fathom Five
  • Homenaje A Remedios Varo
  • Nothing Is As Real As Nothing
  • Her Melodious Lay
  • Lamentations
  • New Masada Quartet, Vol. 3
With others
YearNominated workEventAwardResult
2010Sounding PointGrammy AwardsBest Contemporary Jazz Album
2018Mount Royal Grammy AwardsBest Contemporary Instrumental Album
2018Mount Royal Independent Music AwardsBest Instrumental AlbumWon
2019Modern LoreGrammy AwardsBest Contemporary Instrumental AlbumNomitated
2024The LayersGrammy AwardsBest Contemporary Instrumental AlbumNomitated
2025Speak to MeGrammy AwardsBest Contemporary Instrumental AlbumNomitated