Released earlier this year, Scenes From Above is Lage’s fifth album for Blue Note Records and the second produced by the celebrated Joe Henry. The album introduces a new ensemble featuring keyboardist John Medeski, bassist Jorge Roeder and drummer Kenny Wollesen.
Where 2024’s GRAMMY-nominated Speak to Me presented Lage as an improvising bandleader guiding a large ensemble through an expansive set of compositions, Scenes From Above reflects a different creative approach. Here, Lage positions himself as part of a deeply collaborative group dynamic, exploring new music written specifically for the quartet.
“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,’” says Lage. “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.”
The album’s nine compositions emerged from an intense writing period ahead of a residency at SFJAZZ where the band made its live debut. Imagining how the musicians might interact, Lage set a timer for twenty minutes, composed a piece, recorded a quick sketch, and immediately began again.
“My dream with composing, really, is
to have something to talk about once we’re together,” he says. “It’s not the
end-all, be-all.”
Keyboardist John Medeski adds: “Julian really thinks about things, has a lot of intention. But it’s a beautiful combination of caring about the concept and direction and of being free and in the moment.”
That balance — thoughtful composition
paired with spontaneous interplay — sits at the heart of Scenes From
Above, an album that captures four extraordinary musicians sharing space
and responding to each other in real time.
The quartet will bring this music to the stage at the Royal Festival Hall in May, marking Lage’s largest UK headline performance to date and a rare opportunity to see one of contemporary jazz’s most celebrated guitarists in an intimate ensemble setting.
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