Julian Lage Quartet

feat. John Medeski, Jorge Roeder & Kenny Wollesen

Hailed as one of the most gifted guitarists of his generation and “one of the highest category of improvising musicians” (The New Yorker), Julian Lage has spent decades exploring the many strains of American music with boundless curiosity and technical mastery. With roots tangled up in jazz, folk, classical, and country music, Lage brings what The New York Times calls “a disarming spirit of generosity” to his playing, approaching tradition as an open field for invention.

A lifelong musician, Lage emerged early as a singular talent. He learned the guitar at age five and was already playing onstage with Carlos Santana at eight. That same year, he was the subject of the short documentary Jules at Eight, showcasing his prodigious talents, performed for the Grammy Awards as a preteen, and later joined Gary Burton’s quartet at just 16. Rather than resting on early acclaim, Lage has continually evolved, recording widely as a leader and collaborating with artists including John Zorn, Fred Hersch, Nels Cline, and Chris Eldridge.

For this concert, he performs music from his newest album Scenes from Above, with bassist Jorge Roeder, drummer Kenny Wollesen, and renowned keyboardist John Medeski. Though conceptualized by Lage, Scenes from Above is not about him as bandleader. Instead, he is firmly rooted as a band member within the quartet, resulting in nine tracks that frame a brilliantly open experience. The four dazzling players give and take space in equal measure as they explore these songs in one space, in real time.

This event is co-presented with Infidels Jazz as part of the VANJAZZ ’26 Jazz Festival