The bass player is a magician. He plays bass and sits in the audience at the same time...

It's so heartening to see that 1.5 million people have watched a video of three people playing a song written in 1938 in what looks like a parking garage, wearing casual Friday clothes and mostly just looking at each other or their instruments. There's nothing wrong with show-biz, but it's great that we can experience this kind of thing as well.

I had a Skype lesson with a Julian today. I saw that he was offering private lessons on his Instagram and jumped on it. Nicest guy ever. At the end of the lesson I asked about this intro. I asked if it was completely improvised. Really, I knew the answer was yes, bc I've seen him do this intro about 5 times and every time it's completely different. But part of my brain had to believe that some of it was pre written, I just couldn't believe something that rich and complex could be completely improvised on the spot. He just laughed and said it was all improvised. He talked about improvising compositions. How he would literally practice improvising like this, just his guitar, no accompaniment, for 40 minutes straight without stopping. He said Keith Jarret did that a lot in concert. Incredible stuff.

the dude under julian's left arm is my spirit animal

Jazz is still alive

That intro is like an improvised 21st century jazz version of Bach

This guy is a monster. His use of dynamics is masterful!

There are tons of technically brilliant guitarists around but very few who are so deeply musical.

This concert feels like it's unfolding in some Utopian society.

That little Fender Champ is pushed to its limit. It sounds so good. Great performance.

His tone.. its like I can hear the wood. So pure.

I just realised he might be my favourite guitarist and musician of all time

I must admit that this dirty kind-of-rock sound coming from his tele in a jazz context is a thing to me!

My first exposure to this artist... won't be my last.

I took my lunch hour in Manhattan and headed down to a guitar shop today in the village to try a Collings guitar bc I’d seen Julian playing them and was curious. I go to open the door and who pops out of the shop. Julian!! Nicest guy. Just chatted briefly, told him what a fan I was. Whish I’d caught him playing inside!

one of the best things about his performances is that you can actually tell he's having so much fun. it's contagious really

i love how well this is recorded/filmed/mixed

if pixar made a movie about a musicians journey to find the soul of sound. this song would be the moment in which said man finds what he is looking for.

This is one of the best live jazz performances I’ve ever seen. Mind. blown.

Wow Julian as always but.. Ladies and gents, that right there is Kenny Wolleson. One of the most underrated drummers in the solar system.

It’s a crime I can only like this one time, but watch it so often.

Bach with a Telecaster. Sublime.

I saw Julian play in Fall River, MA in December 2021. He literally changed my mind, he exploded my concept of taking time, of taking pauses, of not just shredding but being creative. He changed how I think about music. After 20 years of playing piano, I didn't expect that to ever happen. Thank you Julian for truly giving me a second birth of musical freedom.

Julian is one of the best guitar players of all time.

I super appreciate how perfectly Julian gives the Bass his space to sing.

Anytime I’ve lacked inspiration as a guitarist I come back to this video and I start practicing right away

I love that Julian plays such an amazing solo and ends it with downward motifs that move the spotlight to Scott so seamlessly that the audience forgets to applaud. Everyone’s in the trio with these guys.

I play guitar, and have for a long time, and I'm very OK at it, but I can't emphasize enough how incredible it is to see Julian Lage and Scott Colley play with this complexity without looking at their instruments. I try to play without looking all the time (an exercise in being fully engaged with what you you're playing rather than thinking about the physical exercise of playing) and it's not easy in the least. I love jazz but many jazz players have traditionally had a very muffled tone which I don't find appealing. It's nice to see Lage using more varied guitar tones as well as playing with a tweed Champ and a telecaster. Sounds amazing.

This guy at 8:48 watching with mouth wide open, totally in awe :D

I've watched what happens between 01:00 and 02:15 multiple times now and I still can't really wrap my head around that. I don't think there is any other guitar player alive today who can play that so cleanly.

I am a Julian simp, I can't stop watching this, I come here everyday.

THis is probably my favourite jazz guitar piece ever, and quite possibly the greatest solo ever.. the tone and sound of everything is immaculate.. bass great, fucking love the classy drumming and the wishy washes of those cymbals.. jesus fucking christ its insanely good.. floored..

if you pause it at exactly 6:47 you can see the bassist magically on stage AND in the crowd at the same time. that's some serious talent.

That guy in the background is still there, jamming out

Man, the tightrope walk with insanely well-executed almost baroque stuff swerving into dissonance and that little amp right on the edge of distortion; this guy's incredible...

The tone, the dynamics, the touch, and the emotions put on 6 strings,,, He is probably one of the finest guitarists alive today. It's a privilege listening to his magical playing, free of charge on the Internet.

I feel like every time I listen to this, my ears get a little sharper, my eyes get a little brighter, and my heart gets a little bit more open. Julian, you make this world a markedly better place.

And after just a few videos, Mr. Lage finds himself among my favorite guitarists.

Musicianship beyond compare all three. Pure magic. Whenever I watch Julian play I wonder how it would sound if George Benson was introduced into the mix. Gnome sayin?

Santa Cruz loves Kenny!

julian lage is one of the most inspiring players I've ever heard

I just seen them perform live. I can’t believe how above anything I can think of they are, like they literally belong to music heaven... and I’m a sucker for rock and electronica. I feel like I just seen Mozart or Bach, Liszt... I’m speechless. My standards have been smashed, blown, disintegrated.

Julian doesn't seen to play for musicians, however if you are a musician or a big music fan, there is so much referential stuff...oh that's Bach, oh that's Monk, oh that's, Albert King, BB King, Hendrix, oh wait, that's a Mike Brecker lick!! Makes my head explode!! Delicious!

I found myself clapping, then realized I was all alone. Incredible music!! Thank you!!!

Such elegant playing

WOW! Not only is Julian Lage astounding, but the band just responds so well to his changes. You need to watch this a few times to see and hear what the bass and drums are doing too! Craftsmen all!

I keep coming back.. Over and over again. I Love the dissonance. My favourite guitarist ❤️

no shredding, only playing the right notes, that's what I love on this guy

I have watched it numerous times, and each time is mesmerizing. The 84 people who gave it a thumbs down must have musical tastes, the likes of which I am not familiar.

“Like” doesn’t even begin to describe what I’m feeling...

It must feel crazy to watch your own concert while seating at the same time.

Is this entire thing improv??? If so this has probably got to be the best improvisational guitarist ever if not maybe just the best guitarist ever, no questions asked. As well as the bassist and the drummer, it takes a lot of talent to be that smooth on command basically

Never heard anything like this guy. All that technique, all that harmonic complexity, it's all to serve an artistic end, never just to show off. He redefines the instrument. (The little Hard Days Night strum at 7:15 is worth the price of admission!)

Stunning virtuosity all around, man, that Tele sounds sooo good!!

That teley through a tweed champ is the ticket in the right hands for jazz

Nice to see/hear jazz of this kind played on a Tele'. Lage gets a lovely sound out of his; clean and jazzy, but with just that hint of 'bite', a little glassy and brittle, on the edge of distorting. But still pretty full and mellow... really great.

I think this is the most I've smiled at a live performance ever

The blood of the greatest guitarists of all time, from the most diverse of genres, runs through his veins with effortless grace and harmony, straight from the heart. He is the ultimate reincarnation, the chosen one who demonstrates the pure and infinite beauty of all music. Maximum respect and gratitude to Julian for all that he is.

I love how he breathes in between phrases, always a correct pause, master.

Come here everyday to remind myself how cool and real jazz is.

my soul are getting higher watching this

Please oh please oh please offer this entire show in Blue Ray.

My Tele led me here and what a discovery!

Pretty much a perfect rendition of a classic. I was pleased to see Julian playing the exact same telecaster that I have had since 1971. You know when you see a friend or pick up one of your guitars and play it and you get to listen to it? How cool that is? It’s sort of like that for me listening to the song on this video. I also am very impressed by the fact that not even once did he bend a string. And if there was ever a guitar that was meant to play by bending the strings all over the place, it’s the telecaster. It’s exciting to listen to traditional jazz guitar music with very forward thinking and contemporary harmonic considerations and when is being played by Qatar, and a guitarist, that could blow everybody out of that room if they wanted to! And when he really starts to get going you can feel the sound of that guitar in your stomach, just like if you’re standing next to a 56 rock at 88 Oldsmobile, and it revs up. There’s nothing better than having lots of headroom with your volume and tone. This is the first time I’ve ever heard the showman play. Thanks for posting…

01:35 remind me Johan Sebastian Bach. What a Genius!!

The dynamics of his playing is absolutely sublime. And the way he just reaches at the very end of a phrase for a soft high note is just so good.

This is it. The counterpoint to the cold, to the souless, to the flashy, to the shallow, to the intranscendental, to the hype, to the formulas, to the marketing buzz. This is it. Salvation.

The sound of jazz, the beauty of life.

THIS is the future of jazz.... NOW. Players extraordinaire, beautiful production and presentation and immersed audience in the mix. BraV-Fn-O!

The drummer nervously laughing at 1:33 is one of the most relatable thing ever

I’m actually crying. This is how this performance touched me

Это потрясло мою сущность!!! Я много слушал прекрасной музыки, но эта Муза - Гениальна!!!!!!!! Спасибо, это пела не гитара, а душа - потрясающе чуткого человека!!!!!!!!!!

Truly an unreal player. Plus the expression of the guy in the audience is priceless too. I guess that's what your face looks like when your mind is blown

Zo much excitement!! This is heavier than a metal show. LOVE it.

there are no words to express how good this is, the more i watch it the more amazed i am, and it´s been years. The tone, the easyness, the drums, bass... absolute masterpiece

Masterful brushwork...everyone present is ridiculously talented.

Definitely of the best Guitarist of this generation! Julian is a Genius!!! come back soon to Puerto Rico again for some master classes at the Conservatory Of Music of PR!!

It's like Julian Lage's superpower is guitar.

That 5w tweed champ sounds so good, I hate it. Because of this video I can never justify buying a large amp to sound good, when that baby amp is perfect in this set.

No tabs to play along with? lol right...as if I can even dial in a tone that sweet, let alone do anything with it. So fluid, so natural, just as organic as you get. What a guy

Holy crap! This is one of those musical moments I'll remember for the rest of my life. What inspired and inspiring playing!

he keeps getting better. he was already incredible when i saw him live 4 years ago

It is such a great experience to watch someone who is amazing at their talent enjoy taking part in the ritual of playing great live music..very beautiful

This I can wrap even my limited musical understanding around. Familiar yet edgy and taking chances. I like.

that tele picked julian lage as his instrument..the level of uniqueness coming from julian is just pqjeuqnalqnxhenqoz.. i have no idea how he comes up with those notes its amazing.. one of the best musician of today..

Julian's music is pure joy and hapiness

I would have given anything to have been in that room with those guys. I have never heard anything like this. Talented above and beyond anyone else. I'm floored!

No importa cuanto tiempo pase siempre hay que volver a ver esta intro

From his hands straight to my soul. Undeniable beauty.

I just watched this with my neighbour who is like familiy to me, and we got in a trance where we felt like we were in the room watching this performance, to me this is everything i want myself to be as an artist... music is a magical thing, maybe one of the most magical thing in all of life

I’ve known this amazing man for several years. I thank him for the best piece of advice I’ve ever been given - “wear moleskin trousers at all times, for peace of mind and personal creativity”. I’ll be seeing you 😊

men this is incredible how is strong

Among other things, that was some sweet guitar tone. Also love the performer laughs throughout.

That into though 🤯 I'm glad one of my guitar teachers showed me this guitarist.

The quiet is the most treacherous landscape in music. Bravo! Thanks for the magic.

One of the very few times I’ve watched a video twice... I just had to listen to that intro one more time..

Thank you Rick Beato for putting a spotlight Julian..

you can see it on the faces in the room, just pure hypnotism, I felt just the same when I saw him

Music is in a good place. 😊

Listening to Julian Gage is transformative, almost religious experience.