Julian Lage Expands His Sonic Dialogue With New Quartet Track “Talking Drum”

Written By: Big C

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Photo Credit: Hannah Gray Hall

Conversation doesn’t always need words! Julian Lage explores that idea on Talking Drum, a fluid, exploratory new track that foregrounds interplay over exhibition. Lifted from his forthcoming album Scenes From Above, the piece unfolds as a living exchange, where melody and rhythm circulate freely among four players listening as intently as they speak.

Recorded with a newly assembled quartet featuring John Medeski, Jorge Roeder, and Kenny Wollesen, the track reflects Lage’s shift toward collective balance. Medeski’s organ darts in and out of the arrangement, nudging the music forward before pulling away, while the rhythm section keeps the ground elastic and responsive. Rather than settling into repetition, “Talking Drum” thrives on momentum. Entering, exiting, and reshaping itself before any single idea can calcify, Lage explains :

I wanted this to feel egalitarian.

The single continues the introduction of "Scenes From Above," Lage’s fifth release for Blue Note Records and his second collaboration with producer Joe Henry. Following the meditative lead single Opal, the album reframes Lage not as a centerpiece, but as an equal participant within a group built around shared curiosity. With "Scenes From" Above arriving January 23, 2026, Lage will bring this quartet to international stages, including Big Ears Festival in Knoxville and London’s Royal Festival Hall. The album captures a band discovering itself in real time: alert, generous, and unguarded. Listen to “Talking Drum” now and experience the sound of Julian Lage on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, X, and YouTube.

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