LAGE LUND

Lage Lund is acclaimed not only as one of the finest guitarists of his generation,
but also one of the most compelling jazz artists in the world today. He is “all
music and all soul,” according to Russell Malone, one of the judges who awarded
Lund top prize in the 2005 Thelonious Monk International Jazz Competition.

Armed with a mastery of the standard repertoire and a growing body of original
compositions, Lund swings with great authority, displaying a staggering harmonic
sophistication and a singularly fluid voice as a soloist. He also brings a “casually
magnetic” presence to the stage, “channeling reticence into a whisper-quiet
mystique” (New York Times).

Born and raised in Skien, Norway, Lund relocated to Boston after high school
and attended Berklee College of Music. In 2002 he moved to New York and soon
became the first electric guitarist ever to enroll at the Juilliard School of Music. In
the years since his Monk Competition victory, he has become a sought-after
sideman with the David Sanchez Quartet, the Maria Schneider Orchestra, the
Mingus Orchestra and many more. He has been fortunate enough to work with
elder statesmen and peers alike: Ron Carter, Mulgrew Miller and Wynton
Marsalis, Carmen Lundy, FLY, Marcus Strickland, Jaleel Shaw, Will Vinson,
Aaron Parks, Kendrick Scott, Jimmy Greene and Ingrid Jensen, among others.

Lund released Early Songs, his debut on the Criss Cross label, in 2008. He
followed up in 2010 with Unlikely Stories, a vibrant set of mainly original tunes
with a superb supporting cast: pianist Edward Simon, bassist Ben Street and
drummer Bill Stewart. In 2011 he brought out the independent live recording
Small Club – Big City, produced by Jimmy Katz and recorded over several nights
at the intimate Bar Next Door. This fine album captures the warm sound and
intense interplay of Lund’s trio with bassist Orlando Le Fleming and drummer
Marcus Gilmore (Jamire Williams on two tracks).

With the 2012 quartet release Live at Smalls — featuring Gilmore, Street and
pianist Pete Rende — Lund continues to refine his artistry, bringing tonal clarity
and an unerring sense of proportion to music recorded at Smalls, the famed
Greenwich Village club. Through stateside appearances and live engagements
throughout Europe, Japan and around the world, Lund has ascended to the
highest ranks as a performer and a creative force. He is among those setting the
agenda for jazz improvisation in the 21st century.