Julian Lage

Speak to Me

Blue Note

Guitarist and composer Julian Lage has now evolved his wordless narratives by increasing his ensemble and delivering his latest, Speak to Me, across two albums with a surprising but astute choice for producer in Joe Henry. Singer-songwriter and noted producer of albums by Allen Toussaint and Solomon Burke, to name just two, Henry seems well attuned to Lage’s wavelength, sharing the rather unique blend of blues, gospel, pop, and edgy jazz. Yet, there’s some sleight of hand at play too. Lage manages to maintain the integrity of his longstanding trio of bassist Jorge Roeder and drummer Dave King, while augmenting his group in a highly textural way that adds to the sonics without diminishing the interplay and critical support from the bass-drum tandem. In a way, that’s not surprising because these songs were rehearsed and played by the trio multiple times before entering the studio and playing with the additional musicians. As a result, the album was recorded quickly.

Configuration across these thirteen tracks range from one solo piece to six quartet, one quintet, and five sextet pieces. Patrick Warren plays an array of keyboards and other instruments (eight in all) while Kris Davis plays piano and Henry’s son, Levon Henry, plays multiple woodwinds across five tracks. The other rather clever element is that this augmentation on the surface seems to imply a louder sound, certainly electric guitar and perhaps electronics but instead Lage plays acoustic guitar on eight tracks, electric on four, and both on one. Despite Warren’s arsenal which extends to such instruments as Dulcitone and Marxophone, there are no synths at play. On this, his fourth release for Blue Note, Lage sees the album not as a departure, but an extension of his work on 2021’s Squint, (covered on these pages) with Henry reining him in just a bit to ensure that all was in service to the song. In Lage’s words, describing Henry as a man of few words but discreet guidance – “It’s like he had a forcefield around the project.”

“Hymnal” begins with Roeder’s sturdy pizzicato, and his vibraphone layered in. Lage plays the gospel-like melody on his acoustic with Warren providing an echoing string-like backdrop with his keyboards as the tune alternates intimate serenity with some call-and-response sequences. The sextet rendered “Northern Shuffle” brings surging power with Lage going rock-like on his electric axe, supported by a dense backdrop of piano, keyboards, and Henry’s wailing tenor to pulsating rhythm highlighted by Roeder’s walking double bass. They leave some room for free jazz expression too. The pensive “Omission” is the blended piece with both Lage and Roeder switching from acoustic to electric within the melodic tune as Warren contributes sympatico comping on the piano. The same cast renders the suspensefully slow “Serenade” with Lage picking judiciously elongated notes on his electric with the “fifth” member of the ensemble being the many pauses of space. “Myself Around You” is the sublimely gorgeous solo acoustic piece, relatively animated in comparison to the two prior tracks.

Standout “South Mountain” is packed with drama, from Lage’s emphatic strums to Henry’s haunting, shrieking clarinet, evoking perhaps wild creatures on the prowl to King’s cymbal flourishes meshing so well with Warren’s strings-like effects on the keys. The title track follows that spooky reverie with an upbeat vibe that inventively marries surf-rock and defiant blues with a unbounded free jazz excursion, Warren taking to marimba and organs in support of Lage’s spirited flight, with Henry’s tenor adding an edgy layer. “Two and One” is a moderately calm, quartet rendered acoustic ditty, akin to “Serenade” in its use of space but with intricate rhythm patterns and a declarative pizzicato statement from Roeder. The sextet rendered “Vanishing Points” has a cinematic, elusive, meditative quality befitting the title with Lage’s acoustic engaging in dialogue with Davis on piano as Henry quips on alto clarinet before all yield again for another expressive Roeder solo. The entire ensemble resumes to take it out, evoking a misty-like oceanic scene. The blending of Lage’s electric and Warren’s Dulcitone give “Tiburon” interesting textures accompanying Lage’s frenetic fret runs.

“As it Were” is another of the pensive acoustic pieces, a series of edgy and rather haunting chords rather than a distinct melody, with the quartet engaged in serious interplay. The shuffling “76” has King and Roeder setting a stomping groove for Lage’s acoustic to ramble freely. Davis, with whom Lage played on her dazzling 2023 Diatonic Ribbons Live at the Village Vanguard (Pyroclastic), picks up on Lage’s spirit, launching her own unrestrained jaunt. The album closes with the lilting, gently chiming “Nothing Happens Here,” meant to evoke the undulating movement of a river. With Lage’s acoustic prominent, the delicate support of piano, Wurlitzer, and alto saxophone are a prime example of how well textures embellish Lage’s stellar guitar work.

Lage has long established himself as one of our most important and versatile guitar voices. He continues to explore new and fertile ground, reaping a most sumptuous harvest with this one. Look for his live appearances with his new Speak to Me band this Spring and Summer.

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