Julian Lage (guitar), Daniel Blake (saxophone),  Aristides Rivas (cello), Jorge Roeder (bass), Tupac Mantilla (drums & percussion)

Twenty two year old Julian Lage was practically born with a guitar in his hand. He started playing when he was five years old. When he was eleven Gary Burton asked him to collaborate. Last year he released his first album: Sounding Point and it was immediately nominated for a Grammy Award in the category ‘Best Contemporary Jazz Album’ 2010.

Lage was ook al het onderwerp van een in 1997 voor de Academy Award genomineerde documentaire ‘Jules at Eight’. Hij nam een duo op met de mandolinespeler David Grisman (the 1999 release Dawg Duos), en speelde mee op de cover van ‘In a Sentimental Mood’ met Martin Taylor end David Grisman. Met vibrafonist Gary Burton is hij te horen op Generation (Concord, 2004) en Next Generation (Concord, 2005).

With his extraordinary skills Lage fits in almost every context. For Gary Burton, who gave lots of guitar players their first sho from Pat Metheny over John Scofield to Kurt Rosenwinkel, he was an ideal student. Lage also often plays with piano player Taylor Eigsti with whom he also made some recordings.

Lage developed a connection with jazz at a very early age but he is also keen on soundtracks, like the ones of  Bernard Herrmann, best known for the music in Hitchcock movies.

On Sounding Point we hear 10 original tracks and three covers and they all sound quite different. Lage creates a distinct jazz sound but with a modern and a well-considered approach which makes it sound quite surprising in spite of his young age. You can hear clear references in his music but he does not simply copies them.  You can distinguish four different musical environments: with his own quintet, in duo with Eigsti, in a virtuoso trio with banjo player Béla Fleck and mandolin player Chris Tile and solo on the acoustic guitar which recalls the style of Ralph Tower. Sounding Point is a very eclectic album with vivid compositions. On the electric guitar Jim Hall serves as a model. Lage also strives for those deep, warm and precise tones. He composes his solos in a creative and surprising way with lots of harmonic refinement. With Fleck and Thile he opts for collective improvisation mixed with classic influences, Americana, blues and jazz colors. With Eigsti he can show what he has to offer in the classic jazz tunes but above all Julian Lage is praised for his tremendous technical skills, his perfectionism and although still very young his musical spirit and maturity.