{"id":139328,"date":"2023-08-04T06:00:00","date_gmt":"2023-08-04T13:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/acousticguitar.com\/?p=139328"},"modified":"2023-08-03T09:39:33","modified_gmt":"2023-08-03T16:39:33","slug":"julian-lage-champions-the-steel-string-acoustic-on-his-latest-blue-note-release","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/acousticguitar.com\/julian-lage-champions-the-steel-string-acoustic-on-his-latest-blue-note-release\/","title":{"rendered":"Julian Lage Champions the Steel-String Acoustic on His Latest Blue Note Release"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>With his 2015 album, <em><a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3N9I3h7\" target=\"_blank\">World\u2019s Fair<\/a><\/em>, Julian Lage offered a solo guitar tour de force\u2014a collection of compositions as remarkable for their memorable melodies as for showcasing Lage\u2019s total command of the steel-string guitar, his ability to coax so many tonal nuances from his 1939 Martin 000-18. Around the same time, Lage began collaborating with Bill Collings on what would become his signature model <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/acousticguitar.com\/review-collings-julian-lage-signature-om1-jl\/\" target=\"_blank\">Collings OM1 JL<\/a>.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But since then, in leading his namesake jazz trio, Lage has focused on the electric\u2014 whether using a Fender Telecaster or his signature hollowbody Collings 470 JL\u2014reaching ever higher levels of melodic, harmonic, and rhythmic invention, not to mention technical wizardry. That\u2019s why it comes as a welcome surprise that for his latest EP on the storied Blue Note label, <em><a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/45LeoCw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">The Layers<\/a><\/em>, recorded at the same time as 2022\u2019s <em><a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3Cbu7x8\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">View with a Room<\/a>, <\/em>instead of the expected electric, Lage plays his OM1 JL on half of the six tracks, including an intimate duet with guitarist Bill Frisell.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Having previously connected with Lage for <em>AG<\/em>\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/acousticguitar.com\/julian-lage-at-30-a-visit-in-san-francisco-with-the-jazz-guitar-phenomenon\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">April 2018 cover story<\/a>, I caught up with the deep-thinking guitarist, composer, and improviser to learn more about his uncommon use of the steel-string guitar in the evolution of his ensemble, as well as collaborating with his wife, singer-songwriter Margaret Glaspy, who helps bring a narrative quality to his instrumental work.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<span class=\"embed-youtube\" style=\"text-align:center; display: block;\"><iframe class=\"youtube-player\" width=\"1290\" height=\"726\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/__HXjnmH3t8?version=3&#038;rel=1&#038;showsearch=0&#038;showinfo=1&#038;iv_load_policy=1&#038;fs=1&#038;hl=en-US&#038;autohide=2&#038;wmode=transparent\" allowfullscreen=\"true\" style=\"border:0;\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts allow-same-origin allow-popups allow-presentation allow-popups-to-escape-sandbox\"><\/iframe><\/span>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>For your past handful of albums, your focus had been on the electric guitar trio. What was it about the batch of tunes on <em>The Layers<\/em> that called for you to play acoustic?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>What\u2019s funny is I brought a bunch of guitars to the session, mostly electric, and only one acoustic. Taken as a whole, the two records have about 16 songs. Part of the reason I had an acoustic on standby was in case it felt like there was any fatigue of a certain sound. The first time that the acoustic entered the picture was with this duet with Bill [Frisell] called \u201cThis World.\u201d We had rehearsed all 16 songs on two acoustic guitars, even the ones that are electric. And I remember kind of taking note as we went through: \u2018OK, \u201cThis World\u201d sounds really good as an acoustic arrangement.\u2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Was the process similar for the other two acoustic tunes on the recording, \u201cThe Layers\u201d and \u201cDouble Southpaw\u201d?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThe Layers\u201d I had definitely considered electric. But then once we got to playing it and that fatigue came in, I thought, No, switch it up\u2014let\u2019s go acoustic. And then \u201cDouble Southpaw\u201d [see transcription in the <a href=\"https:\/\/store.acousticguitar.com\/collections\/back-issues\/products\/no-341-july-august-2023\">July-August 2023 issue<\/a><em>.<\/em>] was also planned as an electric trio, but for continuity\u2019s sake with the duo with Bill, I thought, Well, let\u2019s also do that as acoustic, but as a duet with [bassist] Jorge [Roeder]. The music definitely dictated when it felt appropriate to have a change. And it was all in relationship to what we already had, the things that were working so well electrically. We said, Well, let\u2019s not beat a dead horse. Let\u2019s just see if it works. And everything we tried really seemed to work well acoustically.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<span class=\"embed-youtube\" style=\"text-align:center; display: block;\"><iframe class=\"youtube-player\" width=\"1290\" height=\"726\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/d6nwFxkTNjM?version=3&#038;rel=1&#038;showsearch=0&#038;showinfo=1&#038;iv_load_policy=1&#038;fs=1&#038;hl=en-US&#038;autohide=2&#038;wmode=transparent\" allowfullscreen=\"true\" style=\"border:0;\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts allow-same-origin allow-popups allow-presentation allow-popups-to-escape-sandbox\"><\/iframe><\/span>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><strong><em>The Layers<\/em> seems to be all about different ensemble configurations. What was it like to play acoustic in these settings, and did you discover anything new in the instrument in the process?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I think you are hitting the nail on the head, which is that it was educational. I had recorded with acoustic guitar before and felt like, if not considered, it can have less power than electric guitar. A lot of my fascination with acoustic guitar has been, like with that <em>World\u2019s Fair<\/em> record, when you have just one acoustic guitar, it actually sounds bigger than a single electric with the band because it just occupies a bigger part of the frame. And so I had always thought that to make the acoustic guitar bigger, you need to have less around you. But\u2014total humble pie, total humility\u2014what I realized is that though that can be true, you can also play acoustic with an ensemble, like that song \u201cThe Layers,\u201d which is two acoustic guitars, bass, and drums, and it doesn\u2019t sound small. It just sounds like a different texture.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>So I learned a lot about the utility of the instrument\u2014that it still sounds like a leading voice, but by way of its texture, its intimacy, and its sonic profile. And I learned that in large part from making <em>The Layers<\/em>, whatever you\u2019re doing is the thing that will be noticed. I\u2019m working on a new record right now and thinking about that more: If everything\u2019s equal, what\u2019s the timbre that we want? Which is certainly not novel, but I just kind of thought, Oh holy cow, I never put that two and two together.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>I noticed that in the videos for the album, you\u2019re playing your Collings OM. What made it work so well here?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>There\u2019s two things about the Collings that stand out to me. One is that its intonation is really good, and the way it resonates, it\u2019s bold. It\u2019s not like the Martin I\u2019ve had for years but is just kind of sitting at home. That old 000-18, I love it, but for it to be in tune means to let certain things be kind of flat or kind of sharp, and that\u2019s when the guitar truly resonates.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The Collings is kind of extreme in the way it is really in tune, which is its own declaration. When the guitar enters, it\u2019s going to be defining what the pitch is going to be. So that\u2019s one thing that gave me maybe a little more wind in my sails as far as blending with Bill and Jorge as string instruments or blending timbrally with Dave King\u2019s drums. The intonation is just so clear on the Collings.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Why do you gravitate toward smaller-bodied acoustics?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In my experience, part of what I love about a true OM or short-scale 000 is the information that\u2019s left out of the guitar. There\u2019s not an abundance of low end that\u2019s swallowing up the mid-range, like you could have on a dreadnought\u2014though there are obvious exceptions: dreadnoughts and jumbos that are perfectly balanced.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>With the Collings I feel like I\u2019ve got this really reliable midrange with a little bit of sparkle and a little bit of a honky, almost Tele-like, quality when I want it. Or it\u2019s very gentle, almost like a nylon-string, which I think you hear a little bit more on \u201cThis World.\u201d There\u2019s kind of a dulcet thing; the harmonics are just very clear and kind of felt-like. So I think between the intonation and the sound, it\u2019s not like I\u2019m asking the band to come to an instrument that is so idiosyncratic that it makes them stand out too much or feel like they\u2019re walking on eggshells.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><a href=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/acousticguitar.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/Julian-Lage-plays-with-bassist-Jorge-Roeder.jpg?ssl=1\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"750\" height=\"523\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/acousticguitar.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/Julian-Lage-plays-with-bassist-Jorge-Roeder.jpg?resize=750%2C523&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"Julian Lage plays with bassist Jorge Roeder\" class=\"wp-image-139330\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/acousticguitar.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/Julian-Lage-plays-with-bassist-Jorge-Roeder.jpg?w=750&amp;ssl=1 750w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/acousticguitar.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/Julian-Lage-plays-with-bassist-Jorge-Roeder.jpg?resize=300%2C209&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/acousticguitar.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/Julian-Lage-plays-with-bassist-Jorge-Roeder.jpg?resize=600%2C418&amp;ssl=1 600w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 750px) 100vw, 750px\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><em>Julian Lage plays with bassist Jorge Roeder<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Your wife, Margaret Glaspy, produced <em>The Layers<\/em>. What was it like to collaborate with her in this way, and more generally, how has her input shaped the way you approach your music?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Margaret is an incredible guitarist and singer-songwriter and producer. And I think just as partners in crime for many years, I look to her for being a very honest barometer of the things I\u2019m working on and the things we perceive in the world together. We have a very intimate understanding of each other\u2019s opinions and preferences. And not to say that they\u2019re one and the same, but there\u2019s a lot of mutual respect. So her role in the studio was almost like a traditional producer model. She was in the booth, listening to takes and going yay or nay. And for this project in particular, because it was a quartet of musicians as the dominant configuration in a room with no headphones, I really wanted to be alleviated of the bird\u2019s-eye view.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>What did that look like?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I thought my best bet was just to listen as hard as I ever have listened in my life\u2014just to be focused and be available to Bill, Dave, and Jorge. I didn\u2019t really want to be going, Was that a good solo, or did I play too long? Was that too gregarious? So I could easily hand over the satellite view to Margaret. I didn\u2019t take anything really personally. If she said, Well, no\u2014do another [take], I\u2019d go, Great, I\u2019d love to. I didn\u2019t really care; I don\u2019t have that kind of relationship to the music. It liberated me and the band because they trust her, too.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The hardest thing I think to fathom, which was so valuable to us, was when we would play one take, and she\u2019d say, \u201cYou\u2019re done.\u201d Because the professional musician part of our brains said, Well, surely this is going to be a process, and we\u2019ll do it until we get it. But that was really cool for her to say, \u201cNope, you don\u2019t need a backup. You\u2019re not going to do it better. You\u2019ll do it different, but you won\u2019t do it better.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The other thing is that Margaret\u2019s not easily impressed by things that are specific to, say, jazz guitar, because she\u2019s coming at this as a storyteller. Her business is: Is it a good narrative? Is it a compelling story? And I also love that because I didn\u2019t feel she would get excited about something that didn\u2019t feel universal, like a dazzling, specific guitar part.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Especially on <em>The Layers<\/em>, what makes those songs compelling is their emotional narrative more than any one guitar moment. And that\u2019s why I think they all ended up being put together as a record, because <em>View with a Room<\/em> was about grabbing the ear. It was about showcasing the trio [plus Bill Frisell]. It was about showing interplay and swing and these, like I said, more dazzling things. This record is about emotion, and Margaret\u2019s role as a producer really allowed that to happen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/store.acousticguitar.com\/products\/no-341-july-august-2023\" name=\"magazine link\"><img decoding=\"async\" style=\"width: 150px; height: 198px; margin: 0px 20px 10px 0px;\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/acousticguitar.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/11\/001_341_Cover-150px.jpg?w=1290&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"Acoustic Guitar magazine cover for issue 341\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\"><\/a>\n<p style=\"font-family: sans-serif; margin: 0px 0px 15px 0px;\">This article originally appeared in the <a href=\"https:\/\/store.acousticguitar.com\/products\/no-341-july-august-2023\">July\/August 2023<\/a> issue of <em>Acoustic Guitar<\/em> magazine.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Lage talks about his uncommon use of the steel-string guitar in the evolution of his ensemble, as well as collaborating with his wife, singer-songwriter Margaret Glaspy<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":24,"featured_media":139329,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"The guitarist talks about his uncommon use of the steel-string in the evolution of his ensemble, as well as collaborating with his wife, singer-songwriter Margaret Glaspy.","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false}}},"categories":[1692],"tags":[1846],"ppma_author":[1541],"blocksy_meta":[],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/acousticguitar.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/JulianLage_7_byShervinLainez.jpg?fit=750%2C472&ssl=1","authors":[{"term_id":1541,"user_id":24,"is_guest":0,"slug":"adam-perlmutterstringletter-com","display_name":"Adam Perlmutter","avatar_url":{"url":"https:\/\/acousticguitar.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/11\/Adam-Perlmutter.jpg","url2x":"https:\/\/acousticguitar.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/11\/Adam-Perlmutter.jpg"},"user_url":"","last_name":"Perlmutter","first_name":"Adam","description":"Adam Perlmutter holds a bachelor of music degree from the University of North Carolina-Greensboro and a master's degree in Contemporary Improvisation from the New England Conservatory. He is the editor of <i>Acoustic Guitar<\/i>."}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/acousticguitar.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/139328"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/acousticguitar.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/acousticguitar.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/acousticguitar.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/24"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/acousticguitar.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=139328"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/acousticguitar.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/139328\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":141519,"href":"https:\/\/acousticguitar.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/139328\/revisions\/141519"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/acousticguitar.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/139329"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/acousticguitar.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=139328"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/acousticguitar.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=139328"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/acousticguitar.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=139328"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/acousticguitar.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/ppma_author?post=139328"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}