Julian Lage on his musical education and upbringing

[@Riffified]

WHAT A BEAUTIFUL HUMAN-BEING.

[@yesfan157]

What a sweet and gentle person. Combined with his playing ability, he is quite the gem indeed.

[@demoras]

Yeah, he's an awesome guy. Very nice, too. I met him a couple of years ago and had a chat with him. He's just like in the video. Super calm and super nice, haha! But man, don't give up. Like Julian Lage said to me: "You just have to keep coming back to it every day", you should keep coming back to music and keep working on your skills. I used to be a metalhead only playing powerchords, but nowadays I'm slowly but surely writing more stuff that combines jazz, folk and the like. It takes time!

[@libb_y]

Randy Vincent still gives guitar lessons and performs at my school currently! George Marsh is my drum instructor at the moment and I feel incredibly blessed to be learning from him and having the both of them within arm's reach of me. I got really excited to hear Julian say that he studied with him

[@Minor7thb5]

Such a great player and he appears to be so earnest and genuine a rare trait for a prodigy. I get the feeling he is at home with a musician strumming cowboy chords or a symphony playing Stravinsky.

[@Froike]

One of the best guitarists around in my book....great technique, soul, creativity, and style.....

[@DanielVerberne]

What a warm and handsome guy. And clearly, what a wonderful musical upbringing. The extent of Julian's early guitar lessons (two multi-hour sessions a week!) seems quite extreme for most young children, so he must have been showing significant aptitude or strong parental endorsement, but either way it sounds like it was a deep musical learning.

[@ronkopald]

At the risk of being wrong, I have to say that Lage will one day be in the firmament of Joe Pass, Cline, Wes, Grant Green, Vignola, blah blah blah.. Dude has skills beyond what most people have. When I pick up the guitar, I'm always to trying to emulate certain people. I have a suspicion that Lage will one day be in the canon of players other guitar players will try to sound like. Dude has skills.

[@YourOwnAdventure]

+Ron Kopald I can completely agree with you on that. The only sad part is, the jazz world is getting smaller. I suppose that will make it even more true that he belongs next to those names!

[@user-zw7oe4jv3j]

He's a breath of fresh air, really. I'm so tired of jazz guitarrists who think rolling the tone down and playing outside notes will suffice to make them sound great. Finally someone with some personality

[@andyanderlini2030]

He will be the first and only Julian Lage.

[@ideath173]

Um, Julian is already light years ahead of this list. Vignola??? He surpassed him at like 16

[@crieverytim]

I'd put Julian head and shoulders above all those guys. Cline??? like Nels??? are you kidding? Great musician, but really??? Pass is great, but is there anything he's doing that Julian couldn't? We're talking Django, Hall, Benson, Montgomery territory and none of those guys have the diversity and range Julian has. From Jim Hall to full on Ornette Coleman. Don't worry, there's no risk in your assertion - Julian is already a once in a lifetime player. Of course it all comes down to preference, people like Tristano more than Oscar Peterson, but I don't think there's anything he can't do - hence being regarded as a virtuoso.

[@demoras]

Haha, I can attest to that. It's incredibly infectuous. I once had a chat with him several years ago when I met him at a jazz festival here, and he's just indeed super happy :D

[@Wyrdo999]

Julian is an AMAZING player and has a great personality. He is so humble also. I still believe he is the reincarnation of some famous musician/composer.

[@martinet1985]

There's a certain type of resemblance with Chris Thile in the way he talks and expresses himself. I like Chris Thile a lot!

[@maturefox1]

Great interview - at least from one side! ;) Btw: John Martyn is from Scotland, but lived until his death in 2010 in Ireland.

[@lusarmientomusic]

i'm in love

[@Boldstrummer]

Incredible support of masters makes a master. . .

[@my1name2]

i think it's that combined with his facial expressions

[@jpcafe]

He is doing what he loves :D

[@bluntobjct]

yes! you're right :)

[@york9x19]

7:41 = goodbye eardrums!

[@Tuckermoore]

10yrs later the boy was a fellow SKATER

[@impolitikful]

volume too low

[@SIRUS80]

how is that bad or good or anything??

[@Mattieval]

It's just an observation. I'd probably consider it a good thing.

[@bluntobjct]

he sounds a bit like elijah wood

[@fishbrehth]

Ron Kopald: you're wrong.

[@Halliday7895]

genetics

[@nononouh]

2

[@Mattieval]

This is guy is far too happy all of the time.

[@PeterDad60]

Sounds like he has money behind him and someone is promoting him. I tried to like his music. But playing nothing more than cascading rippling notes is about all I hear. That in itself is not bad but he needs to add more depth and feelings as well as invention. Technical skill around the fingerboard alone is meaningless to my ear if it goes on and on with little variation. Look, he's young and I will give him a chance. I am left wondering about those other talented young musicians with no money behind them, just talent. Who decides as to who can earn a living performing?

[@ryanharrison3118]

I'm going to have to say your wrong, he has beautiful feel in his playing. He's definitely not show showing technical skill for it's own sake. Everything I've heard him play works perfectly in the context of the music. Check out the stuff at KEXP-his playing with Nels Cline is really amazing!

[@PaulAsbell]

PeterDad60 You're entitled to your opinion of whether you like Julian's playing, of course. But you're simply incorrect, about every particular you raised in this post.

[@Minor7thb5]

PeterDad60 Totally disagree with you. Not sure what you are hearing. Music is a personal journey and there are no absolutes about what one is supposed to enjoy or dislike...However, assuming that others enjoy his sound based on "he has money" promoting him is crazy. He is not a boy band like Menudo or some crazy metal hair band for teeny boppers. He is the real deal. However, you are entitled to your opinion.

[@veronaseller2604]

$50 for playing a birthday party when he was 6 years old, A "couple hundred dollars" for playing a pancake festival in his town at some other unspoken age. Comes from money? Yeah I'd say so.

[@dicksnyder6753]

Bang on. I saw him play in Toronto around 2019. Full house, lots of happy hipster couples making out and swaying. I found his playing toneless, hamfisted and entirely lacking in insight. No dynamic with the band. A lot of cacked notes. But he smiles and sways and panders, and the girls in the audience love it. He's no Abercrombie, that's for sure.

[@takezomiyamoto1390]

this guy sounds like he lives in a flying marshmellow castle surrounded by rainbow puking unicorns or smth... i find it kind of obnoxious to be honest. Love his music though.