Country : United States Label : Blue Note Genres and styles : chamber jazz / Contemporary Jazz / Jazz Year : 2024

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

· by Vitta Morales


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.

Latest 360 Content

Transforming Hiroshima mon amour into contemporary opera: Christian Lapointe and Rosa Lind tell the story

Transforming Hiroshima mon amour into contemporary opera: Christian Lapointe and Rosa Lind tell the story

Sparks – MAD!

Sparks – MAD!

“Hiroshima, mon amour”: An Evening to Remember

“Hiroshima, mon amour”: An Evening to Remember

Peter Murphy – Silver Shade

Peter Murphy – Silver Shade

Ken Pomeroy – Cruel World

Ken Pomeroy – Cruel World

Art of the Line: Klangkarussell’s Euro Vision at SAT

Art of the Line: Klangkarussell’s Euro Vision at SAT

Festival des Saveurs | Closing With Reggae

Festival des Saveurs | Closing With Reggae

Centroamérica – a powerful docu-play about truth and connection in an age of distance and denial

Centroamérica – a powerful docu-play about truth and connection in an age of distance and denial

Lido Pimienta – La Belleza

Lido Pimienta – La Belleza

Tamir Barzilay – Phosphene Journal

Tamir Barzilay – Phosphene Journal

The best ‘’Candlelight concert‘’ ever.

The best ‘’Candlelight concert‘’ ever.

Men I Trust – Equus Caballus

Men I Trust – Equus Caballus

The Halluci Nation – Path of the Baby Face

The Halluci Nation – Path of the Baby Face

A lap steel guitar choir and an angel to end the Innovations en concert 24-25 season

A lap steel guitar choir and an angel to end the Innovations en concert 24-25 season

The OSM and Abel Selaocoe: Evenings When You’d Like to Stop Time

The OSM and Abel Selaocoe: Evenings When You’d Like to Stop Time

Reaching for the sky: Francis Choinière’s challenge to end his OPCM’s 10th season

Reaching for the sky: Francis Choinière’s challenge to end his OPCM’s 10th season

Piknic 3: A Little Bit of Everything Under the Sun

Piknic 3: A Little Bit of Everything Under the Sun

Cazzu – Latinaje

Cazzu – Latinaje

Stereolab – Instant Holograms On Metal Film

Stereolab – Instant Holograms On Metal Film

SMCQ | In memoriam Jocelyn Morlock

SMCQ | In memoriam Jocelyn Morlock

Abbey Road at Festival Classica

Abbey Road at Festival Classica

Mira Choquette – Hier encore

Mira Choquette – Hier encore

Jared Dunn; Anna Gorecka – Gorecki’s World of the Piano

Jared Dunn; Anna Gorecka – Gorecki’s World of the Piano

Subscribe to our newsletter