Virtuoso guitarist and meditation practitioner Julian Lage joins David Nichtern for a conversation around creating a vision for what we have to offer the world and how we can hone our creativity with meditative practice.
Award-winning guitarist Julian Lage has been widely acclaimed as one of the most prodigious guitarists of his generation. The New York-based musician boasts a long resumé as a desired sideman with legendary artists like Gary Burton, Chris Eldridge, and Fred Hersch, to name just a few. Equally important is his reputation as a soloist and bandleader. He is equally versed in jazz, classical, pop, and show tunes, and has spent more than a decade searching through the myriad strains of American musical history via an impeccable technique and a gift for freely associating between styles, tempos, keys, and textures that adds to his limitless improvisational spirit. Find music and find tour dates at julianlage.com.
Watch the extended version of this podcast below to catch a moving music performance from Julian and David or please feel free to check it out on David’s Facebook Page
Meeting a Guitar Tulku
David and Julian speak about how they met and bonded over their love of meditation and music. They discuss the topic of reincarnation and speculate on the possibility of Julian being a guitarist in a past life. Julian shares his influences as a guitarist and talks about his time with legendary guitarist, Jim Hall.
Creating A Vision for Yourself (19:00)
What do you have to offer to the world? Julian and David discuss how we can cultivate our skills into a gift meant for the world. They look at how we can accomplish this by creating a vision for ourselves of what we want to achieve and how we plan on getting there.
“The world needs all the help that we can give it at this point. Whatever talents we have, whatever resources we have, it comes down to the individual.” – David Nichtern
Music & Meditation (36:15)
David and Julian speak about the role of meditation in their lives and in their music, closing with a live audience Q&A.
“I love meditation. It is definitely the only time of the day where – even after 5 or 10 minutes – I can see the gap between the motor is running and some other interpretation of reality. It is the only time I feel that and it is refreshing.” – Julian Lage
