Sounding Point

Lage, Julian
Emarcy Records
Jazz | May 2009

Reviews

Fo
Reviewed 2009-07-18
JULIAN LAGE: Sounding Point
EmArcy, 2009

MODERN ACOUSTIC – Varied and deeply folksy, this debut by 21-year old guitarist Lage (a Bay Area native) draws on classical, bluegrass/newgrass and world music ideas, sounding like a new-age tone poem at one moment and a hip indie film score in the next. Béla Fleck and Chris Thile show up on three tracks (4,6,10), but I also hear a lot of Chick Corea in here, wrapped in an ECM-style echoing calm.

* * * * | Fo’s Picks: 2, 4, 6, 8, 12

1. 5:54 – easygoing & pensive, rhythmic & flowing; cello and exotic drumming
2. 7:16 – calm chamber jazz, a touch of noir cinema and some nifty accents
3. 2:58 – solo acoustic guitar improvisation: pensive, then soaring
4. 3:23 – guitar/madolin/banjo trio w/ Thile & Fleck: freefall interplay
5. 0:46 – brief guitar/sax duet
6. 5:47 – guitar/madolin/banjo: offbeat stride, dances around a slashing theme
7. 2:18 – soft sax/guitar/bass: small lumpy theme in 1st half, vamping 2nd half
8. 5:20 – unrecognizable Basie band classic: pulsating, chilly, very folkish
9. 4:27 – contemporary piano/guitar duet with Taylor Eigsti, Brazilian flavor
10. 2:19 – relaxed and very sunny guitar/mandolin/banjo stroll
11. 2:39 – solo guitar improvisation based on melody to #6
12. 5:54 – melody spins lazily over busy percussion; good solos
13. 7:14 – Lage & Eigsti cover Miles, emphasizing the blues in “All Blues”

[ Fo ] 07/18/09

Recent airplay

Long Day, Short Night
Constructive Rest
No Cover, No MinimumAug 09, 2013
Lil' Darlin'
No Cover, No MinimumOct 09, 2009
Motor Minder
No Cover, No MinimumSep 11, 2009
Long Day, Short Night
No Cover, No MinimumSep 04, 2009
Motor Minder
No Cover, No MinimumAug 28, 2009

Charting

2009-07-19 — 2009-09-20 Jazz
Week EndingAirplays
Sep 13 1
Sep 6 1
Aug 30 3
Aug 23 1
Aug 9 1
Aug 2 2
Jul 26 1

Track listing

1. Clarity
2. All Purpose Beginning
3. Familiar Posture
4. The Informant
5. Peterborough
6. Long Day, Short Night
7. Quiet, Through And Through
8. Lil' Darlin'
9. Tour One
10. Alameda
11. Constructive Rest
12. Motor Minder
13. Encore: All Blues