Guitarist Julian Lage performs live in the Jazz24 studios on June 15, 2011. Credit Justin Steyer / KPLU
When Julian Lage was 8 years old, his skill as a guitarist was the subject of a documentary film, Jules at Eight. Before he entered his teens, he had already performed with Carlos Santana and jazz vibraphonist, Gary Burton.
He made his first jazz recording with Burton at age 15, and at age 22 he released his first CD as a band leader. Now, at the ripe old age of 24, he’s just released his second CD, called Gladwell.
To celebrate and promote the new recording, Julian is traveling the country with his quintet, and stopped by the KPLU studios last week to treat us to three delightful pieces of music.
Along with his drummer, Tupac Mantilla, and bassist, Jorge Roeder, Julian began the set with his intriguing reworking of the Neil Hefti classic, Li’l Darlin (which Mantilla plays percussion on Roeder’s bass for the second half of the tune):
The trio also performed However, from their new CD, and finished up with an as-yet unrecorded composition called Welcoming Committee: