Prodigal US guitarist Julian Lage has been almost exclusively associated with the acoustic version of his instrument since he burst onto the scene at the tender age of eight. And anyone who has heard his jaw-dropping virtuosity since would wonder if he had anything more to prove. But 20 years later, Lage thinks he does, and his debut for the Mack Avenue label sees him pick up an electric guitar for the first time.

Not just any electric guitar, mind you, but a Fender Telecaster, which brings out a welcome country twang in Lage's formerly suave, sophisticated melodic imagination. The mood veers from tender to raucous, with echoes of Bill Frisell and particularly Jim Hall, whose erstwhile colleagues, bass player Scott Colley and drummer Kenny Wollensen, make up the sensitive, ever-responsive rhythm section. mackavenue.com