The Al Vega Trio regularly plays at many jazz spots around the Boston and New England areas.
AL VEGA, piano
At 88 years, Vega is more than a veteran. He has been playing classical piano since he was five. He was born in Worcester and moved to Chelsea at an early age, where he attended Chelsea High School. "I almost gave up music when I was in high school. I was too busy with sports," said Vega, "but that's when I formed my trio," which became an instant success. They started playing at high school functions and in ballrooms around Boston. Vega is now a master at piano and vibraphone, attributing his success to the inspiration of one of history's most significant jazz musicians, Thelonious Monk, whom Al used to watch in the 1950s at the Hi-Hat Club in Boston. Vega and his trio perform jazz standards and music from "The Great American Songbook". They have also been playing more Sinatra lately after noticing a recent increase in the popularity of his music. "The crowd keeps getting younger and younger," said Vega after a recent show at Lucky's Lounge, "and they all know his songs."
DAVE ZOX, bass
Currently, Dave Zox plays with some wonderful musicians in the New England area such as the legitimately legendary pianist and composer Joanne Brackeen (in her class at Berklee College of Music) Harvey Diamond, Garrison Fewell, Scott Goulding, Janine Graham, John Harrison, Charlie Jennison, Tony Lada, Joel Press, Gene Roma, Ray Santisi, Ben Schwendener, Johnny Souza, and the ‘unstoppable force-of-nature’ himself
Al Vega (eighty-six years young!!).
Dave has taught since 1989, first at Longy School of Music, subsequently at Walnut Hill School, currently at Phillips Academy in Andover, Massachusetts and privately in his own studio. This work includes private lessons on double bass and electric bass guitar, jazz improvisation and theory, and orchestral technique. He has organized and coached jazz ensembles, and taught a jazz theory class at Longy. To Dave’s credit he has developed a class, ’Practice, Practice-Techniques for Maximizing Musical Development’ which ran successfully at Longy.
RICK KLANE, drums
Rick Klane began his professional music career in Florida as a rock, jazz and show drummer, playing in clubs, on cruise ships and on the road with such notable bands as The Angels. Returning to his hometown of Boston, MA to attend Berklee College of Music, Rick also studied with legendary drummers Alan Dawson, Bob Gulloti and Gary Chaffee.
Since then, he has accumulated a diverse list of musical credits. He performed in the musical review "The All Night Strut" and behind such entertainers as Red Buttons, Frank Gorshin and Jerry Vale, as well as with The Boston Pops. He has recorded 10 CDs as a member of various jazz, fusion, folk, ethnic and rock music bands. He regularly plays with several jazz orchestras in Massachusetts and Rhode Island, sharing the stage with such artists as Arturo Sandaval, Ed Calle, Jon Faddis, Marvin Stamm, Slide Hampton, George Garzone, Bob Mintzer and Bill Watrous.