Julian Lage on Improvisation with the Fender Telecaster

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Julian Lage is a virtuoso jazz guitarist, six-time Grammy nominee and a former child prodigy who was the subject of the 1996 documentary, Jules at Eight. It’s hardly a surprise, then, that his approach to composition and improvisation is exceptionally deep.
 
“I think there’s a marriage between the physicality of our hands and our intelligence about music,” he explains. “But, at the end of the day, it’s really about storytelling—narrative drama, tension release and all those things. Then, it’s a matter of how you realize the stories.”

To express his own musical storytelling, Lage uses a guitar that isn’t typically associated with jazz—a Fender Telecaster.

“I used to feel if I had a jazz guitar, I’d play jazz music and if I had a rock guitar, I’d play rock,” he says. “Over time, I realized that’s not the way it goes. The Telecaster—I wouldn’t say it’s a chameleon, but it’s a very utilitarian instrument. It works with anything and in any environment in which a player would choose to use it. For me, I like the clarity to the notes, as well as how the Tele handles the nuances of everything I play. I thought, ‘This guitar makes sense. It’s going to make me a better player.' So, the Telecaster is here to stay. There’s no turning back.”

Follow Julian Lage at   / jlage  

Chapters
00:00 - Julian Lage on the Power of Improvisation
01:07 - Julian Lage Improvising on the Fender Player II Telecaster
04:15 - Julian’s Beginnings on the Guitar
05:47 - Why Julian Loves the Fender Telecaster
07:41 - On Dynamic Expression with the Fender Telecaster
09:57 - Outro