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 Seamus Blake Quintet, the Mingus Orchestra
and many more. He has been fortunate enough to work with elder
statesmen and peers alike: Ron Carter, Mulgrew Miller, 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.
