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Ray Vega

A native of the South Bronx, RAY VEGA is a veteran of the bands of Tito Puente, Ray Barretto, Mongo Santamaria, Mario Bauza, Luis "Perico" Ortiz, Hector LaVoe, Johnny Pacheco, Larry Harlow, Pete "El Conde" Rodriguez and Louie Ramirez to name a few. Ray has performed and/or recorded with Joe Henderson, Lionel Hampton, Mel Torme, Paquito D’Rivera, Arturo Sandoval, Israel Lopez "Cachao", The Chico O’Farrill Afro-Cuban Jazz Orchestra, The Lincoln Center Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra, Paul Simon, Yomo Toro, Eddie Palmieri, La Orquesta Sinfonica De Simon Bolivar, The Duke Ellington Orchestra, The Vanguard Jazz Orchestra, Bebo Valdez, and Celia Cruz.

Ray has now established himself as one of the innovators of the New York Jazz and Latin music scenes. A multi-talented trumpeter, percussionist, composer, and arranger, he presents Jazz from a refreshingly original and contemporary perspective. His two recordings onthe Concord Picante label, his self-titled debut "Ray Vega", and "Boperation", along with his 1st release on the Palmetto label "Pa'lante"have been well received by critics, audiences and musicians alike. Vega's 2nd Palmetto CD "Squeeze, Squeeze" has also received critical acclaim including Four Stars in Down Beat Magazine.

Vega grew up immersed in the heart of two vibrant New York City music scenes: Jazz and Salsa. In addition to learning about these two musical styles with some of the great legends, he received his formal training studying trumpet with Sydney Baker, Henry Nowak, Mike Lawrence, Stan Shafran, Laurie Frink, Richard Brezowski and Jerry Gonzalez. He studied Jazz harmony and improvisation with Susan Winder, Bobby Rogovin and Lonnie Hillyer. Vega studied Afro-Caribbean percussion with Luis Bauzo. Ray Vega is a graduate of the legendary High School of Music and Art.

Ray Vega’s sextet presents fiery Latin Jazz from a Nuyorican perspective, while his quartet focuses on straight ahead swinging Jazz. He co-leads AmbosMundosUSA with soprano Sharon Spinetti. This project presents a fusion of Classical repertoire with the sounds of Jazz and world music. Ray’s newest project is Ray Vega y La Nueva Era. This group showcases the new talent coming onto the Jazz/Salsa/Latin Jazz scene(s).

A much in-demand musician, he has performed with Mongo Santamaria with whom he recorded numerous CD's, Mario Bauza's Afro Cuban Jazz Orchestra, including their first-ever European tour, and Ray Barretto and the New World Spirit. Vega was privileged to record three projects with this landmark group including the Grammy nominated "Taboo" and "Contact". It was during his time with Barretto that Vega was called upon to join the Tito Puente Latin Jazz Orchestra as lead trumpeter.

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Album Review

Ray Vega & Thomas Marriott East West Trumpet Summit: Coast to Coast

Read "Coast to Coast" reviewed by Jack Bowers


Coast to Coast is the third East West Trumpet Summit recorded by Ray Vega and Thomas Marriott in a musical partnership that has spanned nearly three decades. The years have been kind, and when it comes to playing persuasive jazz, neither Vega nor Marriott appears to have lost a step. Marriott, a native of Seattle, and Vega, New York-born and bred, first met in 1995, and the mutual admiration and respect was immediate. Their first two albums as co-leaders were ...

10
Album Review

Ray Vega & Thomas Marriott East West Trumpet Summit: Coast to Coast

Read "Coast to Coast" reviewed by Paul Rauch


For some people, the whole notion of an east-west summit of anything in jazz brings up the perceived differences over time between American west coast jazz and its east coast counterpart. The basic premise is that jazz on the American west coast is a cousin to the cool jazz movement, a calmer, less soulful part of the tradition that relies more on composition and arrangement than the playing of individual improvisers. East coast jazz is seen more as hard driving, ...

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Album Review

Ray Vega / Thomas Marriott: East-West Trumpet Summit

Read "East-West Trumpet Summit" reviewed by John Barron


East-West Trumpet Summit is a rollicking showcase for longtime friends Ray Vega and Thomas Marriott. Vega, a New York native and the elder of the two, has served for many years as a mentor to Seattle's Marriott. The two first met when Marriott was a student at the University of Washington in Seattle, and Vega was in town touring with the late Tito Puente. Friends ever since, the two trumpeters share an affinity for hard-blowing, grounded-in-bebop jazz. New York pianist ...

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Live Review

Ray Vega Quintet at the KC Jazz Club

Read "Ray Vega Quintet at the KC Jazz Club" reviewed by Matt Merewitz


It's usually a bad thing to review a musician's live show and not own at least one of his records. Especially when his discography as a sideman is easily accessible in most record shops. Unfortunately, I do admit this was the case for myself in going to review Ray Vega's Latin Jazz Quintet at the Kennedy Center's KC Jazz Club. Luckily the following day, his publicist sent me his most recent record on Palmetto Records, and since the show I ...

179
Album Review

Ray Vega: Squeeze Squeeze

Read "Squeeze Squeeze" reviewed by C. Michael Bailey


Ray Vega illustrates what is most attractive about Latin jazz—that is, its inextinguishable spirit and rhythm. And I mean rhythm. From the get-go, Squeeze Squeeze is a Latin love fest, replete with the complex percussion necessary to support the orgy of cross- and counter-rhythms generated by the “head" musicians. Right out of the chute, Mr. Vega crackles like a young Dizzy Gillespie on Wayne Shorter’s “Black Nile," spitting a blue flame of notes in his well-constructed solo. He can also ...

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Album Review

Ray Vega: Squeeze Squeeze

Read "Squeeze Squeeze" reviewed by Norman Weinstein


Trumpeter Ray Vega is a triumphant example of a musician liberated rather than straightjacketed by his Latin jazz expertise. Years of playing in bands as notable as Tito Puente's and Mongo Santamaria's clearly have reaped rewards in terms of his bright, rhythmically punchy, powerhouse delivery. Vega's own description of his current style as “Latin Bop" accurately describes his second disc as a leader on Palmetto. The bow to bop is made perfectly clear by his covers of Wayne ...

174
Album Review

Ray Vega: Boperation

Read "Boperation" reviewed by Jack Bowers


On Boperation, his second release for Concord Picante, Ray Vega pays homage to the pantheon of legendary bop trumpeters from Diz to Brownie, Fats to Miles — and does so with an invigorating Latin twist. In most cases, the songs chosen were not only played by the trumpeters in question but written by them as well. The exceptions are Benny Golson’s “Whisper Not” (for Art Farmer), Gigi Gryce’s “Social Call” (for Donald Byrd) and the standard “Tangerine” (for Chet Baker ...

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Website

All About Jazz Top 10 Songs: June 2023

All About Jazz Top 10 Songs: June 2023

Source: All About Jazz

All About Jazz features a free song every day spanning all genres of jazz, and of the tracks featured in June, these ten represent our reader's favorites as indicated by total listens. Musicians and record labels can submit full length MP3s for consideration here. Enjoy! Top Tracks The Upside of Lonely Brian Nova From: The Upside Of Lonely 04:34 One Day at a Time Ray Vega From: East West Trumpet ...

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Performance / Tour

Jazz This Week: Ray Vega, Chris Botti, "Soundart" with Troupe, Bell and Bluiett, Craig Pomranz, Todd Clouser, and More

Jazz This Week: Ray Vega, Chris Botti, "Soundart" with Troupe, Bell and Bluiett, Craig Pomranz, Todd Clouser, and More

Source: St. Louis Jazz Notes by Dean Minderman

This week's noteworthy jazz and creative music performances in St. Louis include visits from two traveling trumpeters, and two shows featuring St. Louis expats coming home. Let's go to the highlights... Tonight, trumpet player Ray Vega (pictured) brings his Latin jazz-meets-hard bop quintet to town to open a four-night engagement at Jazz at the Bistro, continuing through Saturday. For more about Vega and some video clips of him in action, see this post from last week. On Thursday evening, the ...

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Video / DVD

STLJN Saturday Video Showcase: Four from Ray Vega

STLJN Saturday Video Showcase: Four from Ray Vega

Source: St. Louis Jazz Notes by Dean Minderman

This week, we've got some video clips featuring trumpet player Ray Vega, who will be in St. Louis next week to play Wednesday, February 16 through Saturday, February 19 at Jazz at the Bistro. Vega grew up in the South Bronx, and has an extensive resume as a gigging musician in NYC playing both salsa and jazz. He's worked with top Latin performers including Tito Puente, Ray Barretto, Mongo Santamaria, Mario Bauza and ...

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Performance / Tour

Ray Vega and Thomas Marriott at the New Orleans Friday Night

Ray Vega and Thomas Marriott at the New Orleans Friday Night

Source: Seattle Jazz Scene

New York trumpeter Ray Vega will be in Seattle this weekend so the East-West Trumpet Summit will take the stage at The New Orleans this Friday.

Earlier this year Vega and Thomas Marriott's CD reached #1 on the JazzWeek National Airplay Chart and continues to have a strong presence across the country, currently holding the #14 spot for all of 2010.

Marriott's regular Friday quartet will back up the dueling trumpets, Rick Mandyck on piano, Phil Sparks on bass and ...

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Video / DVD

Ray Vega and Thomas Marriott Talk About New CD

Ray Vega and Thomas Marriott Talk About New CD

Source: Seattle Jazz Scene


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Radio

Thomas Marriott and Ray Vega Reaches #1 on JazzWeek

Thomas Marriott and Ray Vega Reaches #1 on JazzWeek

Source: Seattle Jazz Scene

Thomas Marriott and Ray Vegas new CD, East-West Trumpet Summit, just reached the #1 spot on JazzWeek's National Airplay Chart. This is the first Origin title to reach the top spot. Earlier this year Hadley Calimans Straight Ahead (which also features Thomas Marriott) spent two weeks at #2.

You can hear samples and buy East-West Trumpet Summit at Origin Records website.

JAZZWEEK TOP 10:

1 RAY VEGA & THOMAS MARRIOTT East-West Trumpet Summit (Origin) 2 TROMBONE SHORTY Backatown ...

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Performance / Tour

East/West Trumpet Summit: Ray Vega Meets Thomas Marriott

East/West Trumpet Summit: Ray Vega Meets Thomas Marriott

Source: Seattle Jazz Scene


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Education

Ray Vega Joins UVM Faculty, Helps Build Burlington's Reputation as 'Jazz Capital of New England'

Ray Vega Joins UVM Faculty, Helps Build Burlington's Reputation as 'Jazz Capital of New England'

Source: All About Jazz

Ray Vega is multi-tasking. He sat for a chat Wednesday in the University of Vermont Recital Hall, in the same building where the newest faculty member in UVM's jazz-studies program is rushing to set up his new office in time for Tuesday's start of the school year. While in the Recital Hall he fielded a few calls on his cell phone -- two from his wife, Miriam, about work a contractor is doing on the home they're trying to sell ...

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Performance / Tour

Ray Vega Latin Jazz Quintet Perform at Louis Armstrong House Museum

Ray Vega Latin Jazz Quintet Perform at Louis Armstrong House Museum

Source: All About Jazz

Ray Vega Latin Jazz Quintet to Perform July 8 at Free Jazzmobile Concert at Louis Armstrong House Museum

Louis Armstrong was famous for practicing trumpet on his balcony to the delight of his neighbors in the decidedly working-class neighborhood of Corona, Queens. Continuing the tradition, the Louis Armstrong House Museum is pleased to present Ray Vega and his Latin Jazz Quintet on Tuesday, July 8 for the seventh edition of Jazzmobile at LAHM. Organized for the benefit of our neighbors ...

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Performance / Tour

Ray Vega Latin Jazz Quintet to Perform July 8 at Free Jazzmobile Concert at Louis Armstrong House Museum

Ray Vega Latin Jazz Quintet to Perform July 8 at Free Jazzmobile Concert at Louis Armstrong House Museum

Source: All About Jazz

FLUSHING, NY -- Louis Armstrong was famous for practicing trumpet on his balcony to the delight of his neighbors in the decidedly working-class neighborhood of Corona, Queens. Continuing the tradition, the Louis Armstrong House Museum is pleased to present Ray Vega and his Latin Jazz Quintet on Tuesday, July 8 for the seventh edition of Jazzmobile at LAHM. Organized for the benefit of our neighbors and the general public, the event will run from 6 pm to 8 pm outside ...

Nice group, nice groove, and really good trumpet playing. Here's one of the wings of New York Latin jazz, firmly in the modernist jazz tradition. Vega, a trumpeter, plays a tune each by Wayne Shorter and by McCoy Tyner, and his own compositions. It could almost be a session on Blue Note from 1961, and that's praise. The sextet takes off over a percussion base of Wilson "Chembo" Corniel on percussion and Adam Weber on drums; the soloists, including Bobby Porcelli on alto saxophone and Igor Atalita on piano, sound more than comfortable. Recommended."

Peter Watrous - Descarga.com

"The mantle of Jazz Messengers-tinged Latin jazz has been at least partly assumed by trumpeter"percussionist Ray Vega’s sextet, with Squeeze, Squeeze a prime example of exciting, creative improvising and danceable polyrhythms that are seemingly inexhaustible."

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Primary Instrument

Trumpet

Willing to teach

Advanced only

Credentials/Background

Ray is currently a lecturer at the music conservatory at SUNY Purchase. Along with conducting The Purchase Latin Jazz Orchestra and The Purchase Jazz Lab Band, Ray coaches a small Jazz combo, teaches jazz trumpet and Jazz history. At Purchase, Vega joins a stellar faculty that includes Jon Faddis, Hal Galper, John Abercrombie, Charles Blenzig, Todd Coolman, Graham Ashton, Randy Johnston, Javon Jackson, Dena Derose, Richie Morales, Doug Munro, John Riley, Jim Pugh, John Clark and Jim Rotondi

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Photos

Music

Recordings: As Leader | As Sideperson

Coast to Coast

Origin Records
2023

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East West Trumpet...

Origin Records
2023

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East-West Trumpet...

Origin Records
2010

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Squeeze Squeeze

Palmetto Records
2004

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Boperation

Concord Music Group
2000

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Boperation

Concord Music Group
1999

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One Day at a Time

From: East West Trumpet Summit: Coast...
By Ray Vega

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