Donald Vega - LYDIALIEBMAN.COM

Play It Forward
Release Date: August 21, 2026
Label: Imagery Records

Grammy-nominated pianist and composer Donald Vega announces his latest album Play It Forward. Recorded at Power Station New England and produced by Donald Vega, Laura Vega and Ken Kitchings, Play It Forward features Vega’s Latin jazz sextet with percussionist Carly Maldonado, bassist Raul Reyes, drummer Pete Van Nostrand, trumpeter Brandon Lee, and saxophonist David DeJesus.

Composed and arranged entirely by Vega, Play It Forward was made possible by a Chamber Music America New Jazz Works commission, supported by the Doris Duke Foundation. The album celebrates mentorship and the ways musicians share stories, traditions and wisdom across generations. Vega wrote the music in gratitude to the teachers, elders and advocates who shaped his life, carrying their lessons forward through his own compositions.

Vega performs internationally as pianist for world-renowned bassist Ron Carter, who has called him “the next piano voice” in jazz, and teaches at The Juilliard School, where his own studies included work with piano great Kenny Barron. 2023’s As I Travel received a Grammy nomination for Best Latin Jazz Album, and Vega was named a 2023 Guggenheim Fellow in composition.

Vega began classical piano studies in his native Nicaragua, where he grew up amid civil war and political violence. His mother emigrated to the United States first; Vega joined her in 1989, arriving in Los Angeles at 15 as an undocumented immigrant and later receiving political asylum. After an apartment fire destroyed his piano, he drew a keyboard on paper and practiced on it, hearing the music in his mind.

Music gave Vega a way to communicate before he spoke much English. His mother found him a musical sanctuary at the Colburn School of Performing Arts. At Crenshaw High School, Iris Stevenson helped him enter local youth talent competitions; at The World Stage, drummer Billy Higgins helped him learn the language of jazz. Francisco Aguabella, Al McKibbon and others also took him under their wing.

When an immigration law later threatened his ability to remain in the United States, members of the jazz community wrote letters on his behalf; Quincy Jones was among them, and a lawyer agreed to take his case pro bono. Vega has called those supporters “angels.”

“The power of mentorship goes beyond developing musically,” Vega says. “It gave me community, a sense of belonging, and wisdom so much needed in my youth.”

Vega’s albums have been building toward this moment for decades. 2008’s Tomorrows introduced a pianist with a lyrical touch, a firm rhythmic center and a deep connection to drummer Lewis Nash. On 2012’s Spiritual Nature, released by Resonance Records, Vega expanded his palette with bassist Christian McBride, Nash and a larger cast, with jazz, Latin and classical elements already moving through his writing.

2015’s With Respect to Monty paid tribute to pianist Monty Alexander and showed how naturally Vega could honor a master through his own point of view. 2023’s As I Travel, featuring John Patitucci, Nash and Luisito Quintero, traced Vega’s path from Nicaragua to Los Angeles to New York through original music.

Play It Forward turns from that personal path toward the people who helped him find his footing. Vega writes from melody outward; he wants listeners to hum and sing his tunes, and his goal is music that can be enjoyed across generations. Around those melodies, he builds with Afro-Cuban rhythm, montuno figures, batá-inflected percussion, jazz harmony and classical form.

Before entering Power Station New England, the sextet spent eight months performing and refining the music, a rare stretch of time that let the pieces settle on the bandstand before they reached the studio. Vega handpicked the group for musicality and camaraderie.

He went to school with Van Nostrand, Lee and DeJesus, and they have known and played with one another for two decades. Reyes, the bassist, was Vega’s student at Juilliard, bringing the generational thread into the band itself. Maldonado and Vega have known each other for years and have become closer collaborators around this music.

The titles tell part of the story. “Para Aguabella” honors Francisco Aguabella; “McKibbon’s Bugalú” salutes Al McKibbon; “Smilin’ Billy” evokes Billy Higgins; and the closing “A Hymn for Iris” brings Iris Stevenson into the album’s circle.

Two live favorites from the project are “McKibbon’s Bugalú” and “Para Aguabella.” On “McKibbon’s Bugalú,” Reyes plays a melodic bassline written by Vega, and Lee delivers one of the album’s standout trumpet solos. On “Para Aguabella,” listen for Vega’s solo and Maldonado’s use of congas and batá around it.

“Playing with friends is a gift,” Vega says. “They come to every gig and session eager to play the music well and understand the vision behind it. I’m grateful for their positivity, collaboration and joyful spirit — I know you’ll hear it come through in the album.”

As I Travel
Release Date: October 27, 2023
Label: Imagery Records and Tiger Turn

GRAMMY NOMINEE

Acclaimed pianist and composer Donald Vega is a luminary whose accolades are rivaled only by the scope of his vision. From studying firsthand under jazz legends such as John Clayton, Billy Higgins, and Kenny Barron, being a staple member of the legendary Ron Carter Golden Striker Trio, and most recently being selected as a Guggenheim Fellow, Vega has had an impressive and wide-ranging career which has pushed him steadily into the upper echelons of the jazz landscape. A native of Nicaragua, Vega emigrated to the United States at age 14 and has been shaped powerfully by the people and experiences who have walked with him from his childhood through to the musician and person he is today. As I Travel, set to be Vega’s fourth album as a bandleader, is a programmatic, autobiographical suite of compositions inspired by his voyage - both geographically as an immigrant and intangibly as he has been molded through the lives of others. Featuring an all-star roster of Lewis Nash (drums), John Patitucci (bass), and Luisito Quintero (percussion), As I Travel highlights the interactive and interconnected nature of what it means to learn and grow as a human being.

The story behind As I Travel began long before the album was even conceived as an idea. At age 14, Vega - led by his mother who had previously begun the process of moving to America to pave a way for her family - fled from the civil war in Nicaragua and emigrated to the United States. “This album is an American story,” Vega says. “The topic of immigration has been debated in the United States since its founding. No matter what side you land on, each immigrant’s story is unique, full of hope and often heartbreak.”

For his first couple years in America, Vega spoke little to no English and his primary form of cross-cultural communication was music. This multi-layered dependence and joyous release that Vega found in music led him to dig in to his passion for the discipline and art form even more, ultimately enabling him to study at the Manhattan School of Music and The Juilliard School. As his prowess in the craft developed, Vega began to recognize within himself a distinct ability to convey stories through music. Now, as an established musician and inimitable creative force in his own right, Vega seeks to tell his personal story - and in so doing, the stories of so many others - through music. “There are thousands of immigration stories just like mine that don’t get told,” Vega explains. “I’m fortunate enough to be able to share my story through music.”

The album’s title, and the title track from which its name stems, succinctly summarizes the unifying theme present throughout the album. The name As I Travel is a reference to the distinct physical distance from Nicaragua, to Los Angeles where Vega’s family settled, and finally to New York where Vega studied and settled on his own. Simultaneously, this title is a nod to Vega’s personal development of head and heart, with lessons learned through both seasons of wonder and tribulation. “Through moving countries and ultimately attending some of the best universities in the world, I learned a lot about myself, my character, and my passion for music,” Vega says. “Adversity also taught me to have compassion for those around me, the importance of hearing everyone’s story, and recognizing and celebrating their uniqueness.”

Musically, Vega puts storytelling at the forefront of his compositions. Whether through pleasing melodies or idyllic harmonies, Vega infuses his time on the bandstand into every note and rest he performs. More than mere pitch and rhythm, Vega carries with him the compassion and kindness carried from his wealth of varied experiences in each performance. “My music comes from a place of love… This album is a celebration of friends and family and all the experiences and memories that make us who we are,” Vega says. “I hope [listeners] feel all those things and bring that level of love and compassion back to their own families and lives. Wouldn’t that be great?”

As I Travel begins vibrantly with a track entitled “Baila! Dance Like No One’s Watching”. As the name suggests, the piece is a jubilant statement that reflects the culture and outlook of Vega’s homeland. “In Nicaragua, there is so much poverty, and yet the people are known for their joy,” Vega says. “They take time to celebrate every moment and ‘Dance Like No One’s Watching’.” As a father, Vega sees this same unconquerable spirit of happiness in his son, and this piece is equally dedicated to and inspired by his son and his homeland. The album continues with a retelling of one of Vega’s oldest and dearest compositions, “Tomorrows”. Originally the title track from his 2008 debut album, “Tomorrows” is a tale of hope and optimism for the future, inspired by the hope and optimism of his own story - even if sometimes the optimism is created in the embellishment. “The story gets told a lot that I came to this country at the age of 14 on the 4th of July. The truth is, I don’t recall the exact date or year,” Vega admits. “...but it’s a nice idea isn’t it? That America was celebrating another year at the same time I was crossing the border to start a new chapter in my life.” As the album nears its close, listeners are presented with a driving, beautiful work entitled “Dear Mayra,” Vega’s tribute to his mother. Vega’s mother was in many ways his beacon growing up. From paving the way to America for her family, to always ensuring Vega had everything he needed to pursue music, she is a steadfast, “positive force of nature” in the composer’s life. “You’ll notice there are many sections where this song does not let up,” Vega says. “It drives you forward no matter what - just like every mom does all over the world.”

An album with such a high-caliber vision requires a band of equal caliber to pull it off, and Vega assembled a perfect (and star-studded) cast for the task. As I Travel boasts the presence of Lewis Nash on drums, John Patitucci on bass, and Luisito Quintero on percussion. In addition to the wealth of experience and unparalleled accolades of such a crew, Vega specifically praises the band’s versatility. With a body of work that regularly and seamlessly flows between Latin and Swing idioms, such a level of musicianship and interconnected trust was a prerequisite for success. “[The band] 100% brought their experience and musicality to the table in the recording and As I Travel is better because of it,” says Vega.

With As I Travel, Vega presents an artistic statement that stands as a profound monument to the human spirit. Uniquely creative yet universally appealing, Vega blends with seemingly effortless command a myriad of traditions into a brilliantly unified whole that bespeaks a story worth telling and a tale worth hearing.