"Rising Composer and Drummer Jacobo Vega-Albela Translates His Emotional, Cross-Continental Journey into Captivating Record

When Jacobo Vega-Albela left New Mexico for upstate New York to pursue a lifelong dream of becoming a performer and composer, he knew it would change him forever. Ready to expand his potential, he soon found himself on a path that some only fantasize about. He has since transformed his extraordinary journey and its captivating highs and lows into his first album with 577 Records.

"Un-Belonging is a record underpinned by tremendous joy, optimism, and love for the world counterbalanced by a persistent, nagging feeling that I don't exactly fit in where I am," explains the rising composer. "A feeling that serves as a perpetual invitation to lean in, to try to accept change gracefully, and to move through my life as though I am the protagonist of my own story."

Recorded four years after he left the Southwest, the album offers nine tracks that will tug at your heartstrings. "To Hope" elegantly translates the raw excitement and spirited delight Jacobo brings to his beloved genre while the proceeding track, "Plonqs", seems to illuminate the beauty of exploration and change. Jacobo integrated trio, quartet, and quintet settings to capture the diverse feelings and colors he has experienced along this passion-driven adventure. He also used musical contributions from his closest friends and collaborators to define the sound of the album.

As an artist, Jacobo is inspired by the classic rock, indie, and Latin music from his youth, a healthy obsession with the post-bop sounds of the '60s and '70s, and an impressive background in 20th-century classical music. He has performed with the Las Cruces Symphony Orchestra, The Western New York Big Band, The Swooners, and more."-577 Recoreds

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, Vega-Albela is a jazz drummer and composer focused on bringing more life to the music — whether through original compositions, creative interpretations 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 the 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.

Un-Belonging Cover

The 2025 release of Vega-Albela's debut album Un-Belonging on Brooklyn-based record label 577 Records marked a turning point for Jacobo, helping to solidify his standing as a composer, performer, and bandleader. The release tour also brought him more exposure beyond the Rochester area, allowing him to 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), musicians familiar to those who follow live jazz in Rochester. To explore the project further, I asked Jacobo a few questions; his answers appear 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 60s and 70s; 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 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 makes 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?

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 strong introduction to his artistic vision. It is adventurous, contemporary jazz 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 explore the tracks and purchase Un-Belonging on the 577 Records website, and you can also stream the album on most platforms through Jacobo's Linktr.ee.