Saw Julian Lage yesterday

[docsteve]

I saw Julian Lage with his current band last night in Cologne - John Medeski on organ, Jorge Roeder on bass, and Kenny Wollesen on drums. Great concert; much better than I expected after seeing him last year with Kenny Barron on drums. When last year’s gig was like a big jam session that got tedious after a while, this one was well-structured, neither too short nor too long with 90 minutes, focused on the tunes, with excellent playing by everyone involved. Kenny Wollesen is a great and unobtrusive drummer, and the overall feel was of a classic grooving organ quartet, albeit on the highest level. Also it was great to have John Medeski as counterpart to Julian, playing off of each other and leaving room for each other to shine.

The set list was mostly drawn from the current album and included a few tunes that didn’t make the final cut, but were great to hear live. Julian played an Epiphone all night. There was a Tele on stage, but he didn’t use it. The amp was a Deluxe Reverb with a few pedals, which apparently were always on. Apart from a Strymon Flint, I couldn’t make out which ones. Doesn’t matter, the guitar sounded round and full, without the Tele’s occasional harshness.





PS sorry for the giant images, can’t find a way to resize them in the editor.

[Cunamara]

Around the time that "Arclight" came out, I saw Julian with Jorge and Kenny as a trio. I had a long conversation with Jorge at the merch table after their set and he noted that Kenny is a very consistent drummer. The tempo does not change and if the bass player tries to push or pull the tempo, it just doesn't work.

Jorge, by the way, is an extremely interesting person to talk to about his views on music, the role of the bass, how to interact with other improvisers, how Jaco ruined the fretless electric bass for everybody after him. Very smart man who is quite learned about his instrument and jazz. He is a master musician and a master improviser. I think I learned as much from that 20 minute conversation as I had in the previous 10 years. I have mainly heard him in the context of playing with Julian but he has become one of my favorite bass players to listen to.

Interesting to see Julian playing the Epiphone. Usually he's playing instruments worth many thousands of dollars instead of one worth under a grand, unless that's actually a vintage Epiphone formerly owned by John Lennon or something. As a travel instrument on tour, a decent but inexpensive instrument is eminently sensible.

[Sam Sherry]

Interesting to see Julian playing the Epiphone. Usually he's playing instruments worth many thousands of dollars instead of one worth under a grand, unless that's actually a vintage Epiphone formerly owned by John Lennon or something. As a travel instrument on tour, a decent but inexpensive instrument is eminently sensible.

There is plenty of variation in Sheraton reissues but I haven't spotted one like JL's Sheraton: Fox-ear horns, wide-tulip peghead and the logo placed high. All that suggested a mid/late 1960s instrument. (As, of course, does Mr. Lage's zeal for vintage gear.)

I didn't do a deep survey but this 1965 Sheraton at CMI appears to match.

It's hanging for $7,650.

[Cunamara]

Oh, nice digging around! I had not noticed that his guitar has mini humbuckers instead of full-size PAF's.

A friend of mine has one of the modern ones with P90s. It's a really nice playing and sounding guitar.

[Jonah]

I saw them today on Eindhoven

I really liked it. It sounds like a conceptual program, or a suite.

Also I think all the players are equally strong, in other groups Julian sometimes can be overwhelming.

Here Medeski was amazing, very sophisticated, tasteful, thoghtful solos. He can get out of organ whatever he wants.
Kenny Wolleson is so great, he can be so inventive, light flying around he has such a groove and precision at the same time
Jorge Roeder played only 2 solos but they were so melodious and beautifu.

And the sound mix was very good, very well balanced

[Bob_Ross]

The amp was a Deluxe Reverb with a few pedals, which apparently were always on. Apart from a Strymon Flint, I couldn’t make out which ones.

That blue pedal second from the left sure looks like a Montreal Assembly Count To 5 ...but if it is, I can't believe it was "always on"! That box is an instant gateway to glorious cacophony.

[Jonah]

And I should say thanks to docsteve actually.
I did not want to go, I was too tired and everyone who lives in the area knows what it is to drive Antwerp ring in rush hour.
And partly I did not feel it would be worth it.

But I saw this thread, when I was leaving my work, called my 13y son (he is now into jazz drums) and we did it(now Kenny is his hero)))

But it was a true joy for us.

PS
It was not sold out by the way, almost half or 1/3 was empty.

Good to have this forum)))

[lillidjangoisms]

Saw them yesterday in Eindhoven too, it was really great hearing them play after the album came out. The band is incrmedible, and I was surprised too that a lot of seats were actually free, maybe too many stops in the area, with Koln and Liege before.

Was surprised too that Julian played an Epiphone and I was curious today and saw that Epiphone actually has a stock model exactly like the one he played available for sale now.

[bluejaybill]

Interesting to see Julian getting into Epiphone and Gibson style guitars after such a long period of being associated with Telecasters and his namesake Collings. The Epiphone he possibly may have picked up for the European tour, I have not seem him use one in the states. He has been seen with an ES225 and an ES355 I believe. (Or something similar).

I saw this band last year in San Francisco, and they sounded marvelous. Medeski was a revelation and plays off Julian in a wonderful way. Lage played the telecaster all night.

Great band and an inspiration to watch!

[EastwoodMike]

That blue pedal second from the left sure looks like a Montreal Assembly Count To 5 ...but if it is, I can't believe it was "always on"! That box is an instant gateway to glorious cacophony.

my guess is

peterson stomp tuner -> something from UA effects, maybe the max? -> flint -> empress para eq -> something orange without foot switch or knob: a DI perhaps?

[Jonah]

By the way I could not figure out what Opal tune reminds me

And now I know - Sacred place by Ralph Towner)))

It is partly the same harmony and also the idea of extension of harmonic movement is used in the same way in both pieces: you expect that it will be resolved now but it keeps moving further and then resolves first (if I hear correctly) into vi and then a cadence to I
( So it is typical classical interrupted cadence)

In both tunes it uses the same vehicle and harmony movement direction which creates very similar semantics