While I wouldn’t call it a “series” just yet, I wanted to restart the posts that I began a while back profiling new recording projects by local jazz musicians (the last one was in 2023) and decided to do it with an exciting young jazz musician and composer on the Rochester scene, Jacobo Vega-Albela. Based in Rochester, Jacobo Vega-Albela is a jazz drummer and composer focused on bringing more life to the music—whether through original compositions, creative intrepretations of standards, or seeking out collaborators who will help him create a fresh and interesting musical chemistry. Vega-Albela’s multi-disciplinary background has included degrees in Classical Percussion (B.M., New Mexico State University) and Jazz Studies and Contemporary Media (M.M., Eastman School of Music) and has led him to work with a variety of different groups ranging from the Western New York Big Band to the Las Cruces Symphony Orchestra. Jacobo was a 2023 participant in Betty Carter’s Jazz Ahead, and has performed at a number of jazz festivals including Rochester International Jazz Festival, the Burlington Discover Jazz Festival, and the Las Cruces Juneteenth Jazz Festival. He performs regularly throughout Upstate New York at venues including Pausa Art House, The Trestle, and The Little Theatre Cafe. Find out more about Jacobo on his website.
The 2025 release of Vega-Albela’s debut album Un-Belonging on Brooklyn-based record label 577 Records this year marked a turning point for Jacobo and he believes it has helped to solidify his standing as a composer, performer, and bandleader. The release tour for the project also brought Jacobo more exposure beyond the Rochester area, allowing him expand his audience by sharing his music at venues in New York City, Connecticut, and New Jersey. Joining Vega-Albela on the Un-Belonging project are fellow Eastman alums Adam Aronesty (tenor saxophone), Jordan Lerner (alto and tenor saxophone), Leon Hsu (piano), and Zach Walgren (bass), who might be familiar to those of you who are out hearing live jazz around Rochester in recent years. To tease out a bit more about the project and the music on it, I asked Jacobo Vega-Albela a few questions and his answers are set out below:
What was your inspiration in recording this album at this point in your musical journey and is there a central theme or concept tying it together?
I was inspired to do this album when I realized the depth of musical chemistry the members of the group had developed. A few of my bandmates were planning to leave the area and I realized this might have been my last chance to document the band the way I wanted to.
What are the influences behind the music on the album?
Un-Belonging is a living document of the many highs and lows I’ve experienced since moving across the country to pursue my dream of being a jazz performer and composer. The works featured on this album reflect my love for contemporary jazz; my fascination with the post-bop music of the 60’s and 70’s; the influence of the classic rock, indie, and Latin music I grew up listening to; and my background in and admiration for 20th century classical music. The mixture of trio, quartet, and quintet settings allowed me to express a broad range of feelings and colors all while working with some of my closest friends and musical collaborators.
For listeners new to your music, what would you want them to know going into this album—and what do you hope they take away from the experience? What about this new album that make you most proud?
The album is mostly made up of my original compositions so it is an offering of my voice as a drummer and a composer. I hope everyone finds something they like, and that maybe they find something that challenges them.
How did the group come together for this project and how was the collaborative process in recording it?
We all met during our time together at Eastman, but we started to collaborate very frequently after we all graduated. We worked together to flesh out some of the arrangements on the record, and I value a democratic process in rehearsals where I welcome input from everyone involved. We spent two days at GCR Audio in Buffalo – one day dedicated to the trio tracks and another dedicated to the ones involving the saxophones. Everybody brought something unique and contributed part of their vision to this project which helped to make it so special.
Can you walk through one or two of your favorite tracks on the album—what makes them special to you, either musically or emotionally? If it’s OK with you and if the track is available for streaming let me know and provide a link (if on Bandcamp or similar, where they can also buy the album, that would be best).
The two tracks I chose as singles were To Hope and Plonqs. To Hope shows off the sound of the rhythm section—it is a trio number, and the composition is wistful and harmonically dense but hopefully still pretty and relatable. Plonqs is an abstract sound-painting that evokes the nature of droplets falling into a pool of water. I think we achieved some great musical interaction in the solos on that track, and it is also the most complicated long-form composition on the album.
Whether you’re new to Jacobo Vega-Albela’s music or have heard him play live around Rochester, his debut Un-Belonging offers a great introduction to his artistic vision. It is adventurous, contemporary jazz that has been shaped by diverse influences. Give those ears a stretch and check it out, share it with others, and if you can, support Jacobo and the release by purchasing a copy. You can check out these tracks and others, as well as purchase Un-Belonging on the 577 Records website. You can also listen to the recording on most streamers through Jacobo’s Linktr.ee.
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