Julian Lage in Saint Paul

Julian Lage is an American jazz guitarist and composer, born in Santa Rosa, California, in 1987. First documented as a child musician in the film Jules at Eight, he built an instrumental catalog that includes Arclight, Modern Lore, Squint and View with a Room. As a teenager, Julian Lage toured with vibraphonist Gary Burton, gaining early experience in an established jazz ensemble. He later toured in a two-guitar format with Chris Eldridge after their albums Avalon and Mount Royal, then made the trio of bassist Jorge Roeder and drummer Dave King central to his concerts and Blue Note recordings.

John Medeski is an American keyboardist and composer born in Louisville in 1965, best known as a member of the improvisational jazz-funk trio Medeski Martin & Wood. His Hammond B-3 organ, piano and clavinet shape albums including Shack-man, Combustication and Uninvisible, while his other projects include recordings with guitarist John Scofield and the group The Word. During the 1990s, Medeski Martin & Wood developed their concert repertoire in New York clubs including the Knitting Factory, then took their improvisational sets into theatres and festivals including Bonnaroo and the Newport Jazz Festival. After recording A Go Go with John Scofield in 1998, he and the trio performed with the guitarist, a partnership later billed as Medeski Scofield Martin & Wood. He also toured with The Word, an organ-and-pedal-steel group featuring Robert Randolph and members of North Mississippi Allstars.