Bay Area jazz fans have been watching the career of Julian Lage for, well, most of his life.
And we mean that pretty much literally, given that he was a child prodigy and the focus of a documentary “Julian at Eight” at the age when most kids are more interested watching “SpongeBog Squarepants” than mastering jazz guitar licks.
Lage’s career, as an adult, has definitely lived up to all the hype he generated as a youth. The acclaimed guitarist, who is now 38, has nabbed seven Grammy nominations over the years. He also has a record deal with the most legendary of jazz labels — Blue Note Records.
And he keeps right on putting out good albums.
Jazz fans can hear what Lage has been up to lately when he delivers his fifth full-length Blue Note release — “Scenes From Above” — on Jan. 23.
The album, which was produced by three-time-Grammy-winner Joe Henry, finds Lage fronting a terrific new quartet featuring keyboardist John Medeski, bassist Jorge Roeder, and drummer Kenny Wollesen.
“I came in with a desire to present this as an egalitarian thing, rather than ‘I’m the leader — let’s build something around me,’” Lage says of the project. “This is music that’s connected to our own growth and development individually and within our relationships with one another, with no sense that anybody’s expecting anything.”
To order the album, or to find out more information about ways to stream it, visit julianlage.com.
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