Julian Lage At Higher Ground

Julian Lage
Higher Ground Ballroom
South Burlington Vermont
March 16, 2024

Watching and listening to Julian Lage and his band the evening of March 16th at Higher Ground, it was hard to believe this stop was the first on a new leg of the roadwork wryly dubbed the 'More Than A Trio' tour. The guitarist and his four bandmates demonstrated as much confidence in their musicianship as in their material.

The quintet wasted no time in front of the sold-out crowd in the South Burlington Vermont venue's larger room. Playing solo at the outset of "Tiburon," in fact, Lage invoked the muses as much through his animated stage presence as his inimitable plucking style; his indirect approach to the notes he squeezed from the fretboard of his Fender Telecaster correlated to the waving of his instrument in the air: it was as if he was containing himself from wild(er) gesticulations in order to focus his intensity into his playing.

And that perspective also corresponded to the light touch he and his bandmates applied to their respective instruments, virtually without exception, during the ninety-minutes plus they occupied the stage. Rather than conjure the sonic equivalent of a bold, bright kaleidoscope of colors, the guitarist/composer and his bandmates instead painted with a panoply of pastels.

Following the ten-minute opening number, the fifteen minutes or so of "Hymnal" certified their bravery as much as (and perhaps more than) their collective and individual instrumental aptitude. For instance, keyboardist Rob Burger's subliminal organ work belied its importance in creating atmosphere around the bandleader's playing, while Levon Henry's woodwinds mirrored both acoustic and electric guitar lines, therefore adding emphasis to the outlines of melody.

It thus fell to bassist Jorge Roeder and veteran drummer Rudy Royston to implant the rhythm(s) to the proceedings, both of whom clearly took great joy in supporting the ensemble. Yet, both men certainly took no less delight in their spotlights, thanks at least in part to the expert house sound overseen by audio guru Mark Goodell (duly recognized by Lage himself late in the evening).

Grins of pleasure invariably arose around the bandstand at such intervals, and not just in adorning the faces of the two in the rhythm section. Yet no other superficial physical demonstrations intruded upon the deliberate procession of improvisation on "Serenade"—one of a handful of culls from Lage's LP Speak To Me (Blue Note, 2024)—or selections of cover material like John Coltrane's own astute choice of balladry "Say It (Over and Over Again)."

As on the aforementioned studio outing it concludes, "Nothing Happens Here" belied its title. And the emphatic rendition of "Northern Shuffle" initiated an interlude including "Vanishing Points," during which the fivesome hinted more than once they were about to break into "Jingo," from the eponymous long-player by the early Santana band.

That interval turned out to be a foreshadowing of the single encore number. Here Lage employed his third guitar of the evening, a nylon-stringed instrument distinct in sound from his electric as well as the Collings signature acoustic he wielded for nigh on half the show; his vigorous strumming almost but not quite camouflaged how such 'wooden' instruments clarify Lage's precision in bending and shaping his runs up and down the neck.

It was a fittingly emphatic response to the capacity crowd's own spirited call for more at the close of the single set. Apart from a couple isolated exclamations from the obligatory yahoos in attendance, the audience (seated and otherwise) was no less knowledgeable than lively in its acclamation, a deserved reaction to Julian Lage's mature stewardship of his band this late winter night in the Green Mountains.

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