Nucleo Vega is an accomplished performer, educator, and author. He has a Masters in Jazz Performance from University of Maryland and his teachers include Mike Shepherd, Steve Fydik, Sean Rickman, Jeff Ballard, Dave Throckmorton, Robert Miller, Ron Barnett, and Chuck Redd.
Shortly after graduating college, Nuc was awarded the First Year Educator of the Year award in Howard County, Maryland. He went on to publish his first book at the age of 27: Mel Bay's Understanding Groove for Drum Set, which was featured in Modern Drummer, Jazz Times, Drum Magazine, and Drummer Magazine. Understanding Groove was a finalist for Best Drum Book of the Year by Drum! magazine. Mel Bay’s Paradiddles Redfined for Drum Set was recently featured in Modern Drummer April 2010 and received rave reviews. He currently writes for the drum e-zine Percussion Sessions and has been a guest speaker for Teach for America.
Currently, Nucleo is a band director and professional drummer in the Baltimore/DC area. He organizes and runs jazz services, playing material from John Coltrane's A Love Supreme album and tours with the award winning celtic/world ensemble, Harp 46, who has three albums in the top 10 of the World/New Age Billboards. Nuc performs with SAW-finalist jazz group Never in Denver, Eric Felten Jazz Orchestra, Mid-Atlantic Jazz Collegiate Orchestra, and members of D.C.’s military bands: Army Ambassadors, Navy Commodores, Army Blues, President's Marine Band, and Naval Academy Jazz Band. He has shared the stage with Grammy Award winning musicians Chris Vadala, Steve Wilson, Michael Bowie, Al Petteway, members of the Afro-Bop Alliance, and jazz greats Scott Wendholt , John Toomey, Mike Pope, Loston Harris, and James King. In the church circuit, Nucleo has shared the stage with Dove award winning musicians Nichole Nordeman, Vickie Winas, and David Crowder and Telly and Praise Award winning group, Enter the Worship Circle. Nucleo has performed in major venues such the Kennedy Center, Wolf Trap, Blues Alley, and the Verizon Center and performed in festivals such as the East Coast Jazz Festival, Northwest Folk Life Festival, W.C. Handy Jazz Festival, Emergent, Bumbershoot Festival, Fourth of July Celebrations on the Mall in D.C., and the S.A.W. Awards. Nucleo is available to do clinics and workshops. For more information, sound and video clips, visit his website: www.nucleovega.com.
UMCP Jazz Ensemble: A Joyful Noise (Clip) by NucVega
PRESS
"This book offers a thorough analysis of the groove concept in percussion accompaniment…" Understanding Groove for Drum Set- Modern Drummer Magazine
"Nucleo Vega show drummers how to achieve a deeper feel and more consistent groove...Understanding Groove for Drum Set is the book to buy-especially if you need a little help getting groovy." Understanding Groove for Drum Set-- Jazz Times Magazine
"Much of what he discusses is very relevant to groove…." Understanding Groove for Drum Set-Drummer Magazine, United Kingdom
Finalist for "Best Drum Book of the Year 2006" Understanding Groove for Drum Set--Drum Magazine
"It talks about something I and every musician can relate to: finding the groove. I think just the fact of your pointing out that cats can play quarter notes differently will help someone who is at the beginning of this long trip of learning. And talking about the emotion behind it, about being consistent, and finally about shape is very good too." Understanding Groove for Drum Set- Jeff Ballard
"The book is wonderful nucleo best wishes to you." Understanding Groove for Drum Set- Kenwood Dennard
"Passage, the sophomore offering from the trio HARP 46, proves that the praise I heaped on their debut CD was well-deserved. Harpist April Stace, percussionist Nucleo Vega and bassist Posido Vega play together with uncommon symmetry, infusing their music with both passion and an understated grace, even elegance. Passage contains moments of mirth and playfulness, but also beauty and warmth. Recordings like this are a joy to spin for my listeners and it's been in rotation on my show for three months running."—Bill Binkelman Host and Producer Wind and Wire KFAI-FM Minneapolis/St. Paul, MN
"Who would have thought that Celtic harp and jazz fusion shared such compatible vocabulary, such beautiful texture and color to make for such a mesmerizing album? It's not only incredibly refreshing to hear the harp collaborating in a genre outside its typical place but to hear such conversation and communication going on between the players, so perfectly blended with the warm and mellow ring of the harp, is exceptional. With a simple instrumentation of guitar, bass, and shuffley drums backing the harp, this album casts a soft mellow shadow over the heat of a hot summer day. A beautiful, moody, atmospheric gem."—CD Baby
"Many thanks for sending the promo copy of Harp46 ... I am very enthusiastic about it and plan to open my show tomorrow night with your music…The harp is strong and holds its own with the others, on an equal basis, the blend is captivating. If any one ever thought of the harp as a quiet instrument this will change their opinion forever!"—Kitty and Creek, Iridium Radio
"Joined by two accompanists (Nucleo Vega on percussion and Posido Vega on bass), harpist April Stace's debut album is a breath of fresh air in the sometimes murky smog of contemporary instrumental and new age music. Harp 46 is a first rate blend of acoustic harp with a rhythmic underpinning that never quite strays into overt jazz but yet injects enough life and variety into the music to make this CD an immediately accessible yet unique and fresh-sounding recording. Make no mistake about it - this is no Andreas Volleweider rehash. The production is polished, uncluttered and relatively minimal, with no pretentiousness or bombast anywhere on the album."What these three musicians have in mind is simple and unadorned fantastic music. From the opening bounce and cheer of Another Day, to the pensive and lovely melancholic solo harp tune, First Snow, to the surprisingly uptempo When It¹s Raining, (buoyed by great bass work and wonderful frame drum beats), to the progressive fusion of Chase, to the driving tempo of Blue Mountain, and ending with the gentle romantic strains of All Creatures, Stace, Vega and Vega weave, bob and float along assorted currents of music, performing all of it with style, talent, and innovation. Whether lively or sedate in tempo, happy or somber in mood, the three artists (and Stace in particular, who exhibits adroit skill in both the high-spirited and the low-key numbers) paint a sonic landscape that captivated me from the first listen. I’ve heard a fair number of harp recordings, but Harp 46 stands head and shoulders above the majority of them. Repeated playings, in particular, increased my enjoyment of this exceptional album. I sure hope Harp 46 is not the last we¹ve heard from Stace, Vega and Vega. The CD earns my highest recommendation as well as a place on my Best Recordings of 2003 list!"—Bill Binkelman, Wind and Wire
"With the lyrical harp playing of April Stace floating over a world-beat rhythm section provided by brothers Posido Vega (bass) and Nucleo Vega (djembe), Harp 46 plays unique, thoughtful and uplifting music..."The first thing you notice about Harp 46 is the unusual musical environment in which they place Stace's Celtic Harp. Posido and Nucleo Vega each bring a tremendous wealth of musical experiences to Harp 46, providing an energetic, yet smooth floor under Stace's melodic, minimalist playing."—Mike Buchman, Victory Review
"When I first opened Harp 46 into my CD player, my stereo wasn't filled with the usual sleepy harp music that I have come to expect from most harp CDs...The music made me want to move...Never having heard harp accompanied by hand drum, I was thrilled with the effect. Harp 46 is one of the most most enjoyable harp CDs that I have heard in a long time, and it has become my favorite." —Mary Ann Fricko, Folk Harp Journal
"...a strange combination, but an excellent one. April plays in a sweet style, with haunting melodies. The Celtic harp tends to have a more ascetic sound than classical models, since it is smaller and does not have pedals. This gives room for Posido to play complementary melodies and Nucleo to provide a number of interweaving rhythms. The tunes, mostly written by the group, have a primarily Celtic flavor, and the CD is meditative and relaxing. The bass and percussion are somewhat reserved so that they are no louder than Stace's harp, but all of the players are both accomplished and energetic. There is a new-age type of sound, but it never falls into the blandness or repetition that affects much of the genre. The best cuts are those like "Chase" and "Tell Me," which have a jazzier feel and more improvisation. Hopefully, this first Harp 46 release (Stace also has a solo CD) will lead to others that will feature more excursions into musical territory not normally explored by harp players."—Dave Howell, Rambles
"The music of Harp 46 is fresh, intriguing, soothing, stimulating, and like nothing you've ever heard - an unexpected blend of jazz rhythms and improvisation with classical and world-music instrumentation."—Brian McLaren, author, pastor
GAZETTE ARTICLE
Music is a family affair for this Greenbelt-based group
by Jordan Attebury | Staff Writer
