feature photo: Alysse Gafkjen
The headline news on the recent release by guitarist extraordinaire Julian Lage is that this is his debut on the storied Blue Note Records. What gives Squint the substance that’s worthy of the imprint is that Lage continues with the potent trio from Love Hurts (2019) with Jorge Roeder on bass and David King on drums, a group that functions so well in carrying out Lage’s mission.
This isn’t quite Love Hurts, Redux, however. While that album mostly centered on Lage’s personalized arrangements of other people’s songs covering a broad range of idioms distilled through his own filter, Squint converges on primarily Lage’s own composing pen and the offhand way he brings out his strains. Like those covers — and the there’s a couple more on this record — he’s able to serve his comely melodies while laying down some sophisticated chops from his rough-toned Telecaster.
That might seem a little complicated but with Julian Lage, it’s the exact opposite. There’s an air of quiet confidence that oozes from Squint, one you get from seasoned vets who don’t have to cater to anyone or anything but their own indulgences. That kind of attitude is well elucidated on a tune like “Short Form,” where Lage is playing with such intimacy and breezy poise, and his bandmates support him by effortlessly taking care of everything else. For “Boo’s Blues” Lage caresses the blues strain while blurring the line between comping and leading. “Squint” has the feel of an impromptu jam, but it soon becomes clear that Lage’s unconventional mixture of blues and bop is going places, and his playing is carefree; Roeder and King get their own randy blows in as well.
The group dynamic that these three have developed over the last few years has elevated the playing because everything each musician does is purposeful to the entire group. King’s unsettled drums propels “Familiar Flower” as Lage’s licks are tasty and bold at once. The guitarist plays with a light touch on the hushed “Quiet Like A Fuse,” tactfully letting his rhythm section just fill the spaces between the notes.
Julian Lage belongs in that rarefied category of guitarists who can dabble into any kind of genre and remain sounding very much himself. “Twilight Surfer” sports a slight, rockabilly twang with a backbeat and the boys are clearly enjoying themselves. The country side is more overt with a cover of the ditty made famous by Gene Autry, “Call of The Canyon,” but even here, Lage remains loose, melodic and spry. And we put an ear on the rock-ish “Saint Rose” when it was advanced back in March.
Lage has been steeped in the standards probably since he was knee-high and the Mandel-Mercer nugget “Emily” gets nicely-done delicate treatment here.
As Julian Lage settles comfortably into an established veteran guitarist after being seen as a fresh face for so long (because he started making waves at such a young age), he never stops refining his craft and always does things in his own way. Squint is the record of an established veteran composing, playing and leading on a high plane.
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