Live at Porgy & Bess

Jazz guitarist Julian Lage: Pure love for music

Julian Lage is a guitar virtuoso who feels at home in a wide variety of styles. He is a welcome live guest in Austria, either solo or as a project musician.

(Bild: Shervin Lainez)

He is only 36 and is already considered one of the best jazz guitarists in the world. The former child prodigy Julian Lage has brought the hype surrounding him into adulthood. He recently released his famous album "Speak To Me" and is coming to Porgy & Bess with the legendary John Zorn. 

George Benson, John McLaughlin, Django Reinhardt and co. - the search for the best jazz guitarist of all time has been an enjoyable debate for decades. The young Julian Lage is well on his way to being mentioned in the same breath as the greats of his guild sooner rather than later. At just 36 years of age, he already has a global career to his name that is second to none.

Early prodigy
The child prodigy from San Francisco was already performing in public at the age of six and was portrayed in the Oscar-nominated short film "Jules At Eight" at the tender age of eight. At that time, the talent of the century was already jamming with Carlos Santana and Pat Metheny. Despite all the advance praise, his childhood was sheltered. His family supported the talent to the best of their ability. "Everything went quietly and relaxed," he tells the "Krone" in an interview, "our parents always supported us and gave us plenty of room to try things out. This kind of freedom is incredibly important for a young person."

Lage found role models and mentors in Ralph Towner and Jim Hall, and worked with Gary Burton and the eccentric John Zorn as well as Nels Cline and the legendary Charles Lloyd. Lage recognizes the power of community and succeeds both as a side musician and at the center of the stage action. In his live sets, he jumps back and forth between jazz, flamenco, Americana and bluegrass seemingly effortlessly, offering his audience a multifaceted treat. "For me, it's about the pure love of music. The biggest challenge is to switch between styles and still always pick up the audience." He works primarily with Jorge Roeder, Bill Frisell and John Zorn.

Extending his own art
Adapting to other music and meandering between different projects comes naturally to Lage. "Collaborating with other musicians is always enriching, but as they are all good friends of mine, I don't see too much difference. I play with Roeder most of the time, sometimes Dave King joins me on drums. When I'm on stage with Zorn and the Masada Quartet, it's like an extension of my own art."

Live in Vienna
As part of the New Masada Quartet, Lage will be playing twice with Zorn at the Porgy & Bess on April 30. All information about the special live highlights can be found at www.porgy.at.