Julian Lage in Repose

As a longtime admirer of the guitarist Julian Lage, I’ve only wanted more from him in one area: more of him doing less. His is such a prodigious talent that, even with the casualness he emanates, even given his ease with his fellow players, his performances can sound not so much ornate or busy as, at some point, what might be described as additive, like an extra layer (or two) of complexity is eventually introduced where space might have provided another way to explore the given material.

Now comes “Opal,” the first track off a forthcoming full-length album, Scenes from Above, delivering exactly this sort of purposeful spareness — and wow does it deliver. The album, due out from Blue Note in late January 2026, features Lage’s new group: a quartet with keyboardist John Medeski, bassist Jorge Roeder, and drummer Kenny Wollesen. The plainly stated melody at the heart of “Opal” never goes into overdrive. Where Lage might earlier have expanded on themes at length, here he strips them back and lets them enter a state of repose. He takes pauses, and not for another member to solo, but for the substrate of the piece to be given room and time. There are eloquent pauses and muted refrains.

The first single from Scenes from Above, “Opal” is up on streaming services, and better yet there is live video version, which is even less embellished than the album take, lacking the bits of fractured piano, and lingering instead on Medeski’s near-subliminal organ. Up above is the live video take, and here is the album version: