PAN M 360 AT FIJM | Julian Lage – Speak To Me

No other media outlet in Montreal has so many people on hand to provide expert coverage of the Festival International de Jazz de Montréal. Many of us are scouring the outdoor site and concert halls: Jacob Langlois-Pelletier, Frédéric Cardin, Stephan Boissonneault, Michel Labrecque, Varun Swarup, Vitta Morales and Alain Brunet bring you their album reviews, concert reports and a few interviews. Happy reading and listening!

As a bright eyed teen, an old jazz drummer once told me how I could win over any audience: appeal to their bones, their brains, and their hearts making sure you at least have two out three. In other words, he was telling me to keep it danceable, interesting, and emotional. Since then, I’ve often tried to listen to music through this filter and I would be lying through my teeth if I didn’t give Julian Lage’s newest album props for achieving exactly this. (In various combinations and quantities, of course). 

Speak To Me is Lage’s latest studio album not yet four months old as of the time of writing. In the fashion we’ve come to expect from Lage, we’re treated to something diverse and eclectic but grounded. Is it jazz-folk? Rock-jazz? Jazz fusion folk-rock? Whatever naming conventions you subscribe to, or don’t, his unique playing and composing is really on display here. From pointillistic and avant-garde clarinet in the latter half of “South Mountain;” to lush and slow-jammy in “Serenade;” to driving guitar lines and droney marimba in “Speak to Me;” I’d venture to say that there is a least one thing in Speak To Me you’ll find danceable, interesting, or touching. Julian Lage will be giving both a masterclass and performance on June 27th. The masterclass will be 3pm at Galerie TD (2nd floor of Studio TD) where Lage will surely be able to field questions about his compositional process, his favourite guitarists, and his preference of string gauge among other things. The performance will be at 9pm at Théâtre Jean-Duceppe where you’ll be able to see his eclecticism in action.