song: Word for Word
artist: Julian Lage
album: View with a Room (2022)
writer: Music by Julian Lage

electric jazz guitar: Julian Lage
double bass: Jorge Roeder
(drums: Dave King)

This is a complete transcription of the album version of “Word for Word”. This tune is a quick and harmonically simple Jazz waltz that displays, especially, the trio’s rhythmic elegance. It lends itself to the rhythmic play on subdividing the downbeats into 2, 3, or 4, which is made the more deep by Dave King’s playfully frantic ghost notes. Enjoy!

Check out the interview by Don Was, the president of the record label Blue Note Records, where they discuss the history of the song and the several attempts to find a place for it.

Also, check out the Julian Lage Instagram channel where he presents the tunes:

“ It’s a song that has been in the works for years. The main musical theme of this song comes from an unreleased tune originally titled “Runabout” that I wrote for our 2018 album ‘Modern Lore.’ I’ve been tweaking this tune since then, and as we started touring the music from ‘Squint’ last year, it became clear that this song, with a few edits and additions, was a member of the current constellation of songs for ‘View With A Room,’ specifically because of how it features the interplay within the trio. I’m thrilled with how it turned out with @jorge_roeder on bass and Dave King (@googlebully) on drums. ”
– Julian Lage (Instagram post, 14 July 2022)