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.

1. ¡Baila! Dance Like No One’s Watching
2. As I Travel
3. I Know You Can Fly
4. Tomorrows II
5. Alegria
6. Disturbios
7. Isabel: The Enchanting Nature of You
8. Dear Mayra
9. Beautiful Ladies

The new recording opens on the fervently joyful ¡Baila! Dance Like No One’s Watching and then we get the luxurious, titular As I Travel, the subtle dance floor swirl of I Know You Can Fly and the shimmering Tomorrows II.

Along next are the quietly furtive melodies that thread through Alegria and the late night glistening of Disturbios, which are in turn backed by the gloriously sumptuous Isabel: The Enchanting Nature of You, the album rounding out on the breezy Dear Mayra, coming to a late night, sunset rhythmical hipsway of a climax on Beautiful Ladies.

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.”

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