Julian Lage Tribute to Jim Hall

Julian Lage led a quartet through an inspiring take on Jazz Standards on a rainy Sunday evening at SFJazz. The fourth member of the quartet, Chris Potter, was the guest sax player. I love when a band is having a great time, and the quartet seemed just overjoyed with how this set went.

Julian was playing a four-night stand at SFJazz and this was the final night. The show was organized as a tribute to seminal jazz guitarist Jim Hall, who was a mentor to Lage. It was also somewhat of a homecoming for Lage, as he grew up in Santa Rosa. Because it was a tribute show, Lage did not play his own compositions, but instead chose Standards like:

• My Funny Valentine
• Body and Soul
• All the Things You Are

They also played a number of Jim Hall compositions, like a 16-bar blues titled “Careful.”

Julian Lage’s talent is mesmerizing and the quartet’s take on every tune felt fresh. For example, “All the things..” started out completely abstract and disjointed, and after in came together and the musicians played the head, they were very ambitious in where they took the music. Lage was well-matched here by his drummer and bass player, who were willing to go whereever the interpretation took the collective. They had an amazing groove, too. Nothing too fancy, just a great groove. The responsiveness between Chris Potter and the rhythm section was particularly wonderful, with each driving the other forward. And just so fun to hear what a modern virtuoso quartet can do with familiar tunes.

Overall, it was a great show, and you can see how happy the musicians were in the photo. Indeed, as they exited for the green room, we could glimpse them having a high five and a hug.

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