Everett Advocate Person of the year – Al Vega
December 31, 2008

Al Vega (Aram Vagramian) was born in Worcester in 1921, and his family moved to Chelsea

shortly thereafter. He started playing the piano when he was five years old, and he quickly

found that music would compete for his time and attention with his love of baseball. This is a

competition that has lasted to this day.

Vega started performing popular and jazz music professionally with area big bands while in

high school. After graduating from Chelsea High School in 1939, he attended Northeastern

University for a year, primarily to play baseball. He then transferred to New England

Conservatory of Music for serious studies while he continued to gig throughout New England.

Vega was drafted into the Army in 1942, and, while stationed at Camp Lee in Virginia, he

met his wife-to-be, Martha. He and Martha were married in 1945, and, after his release from

the service in 1946, they settled down on Foster St. in Everett where Al still resides today.

His wife of 55 years Martha died in 2000.

He started coaching Little League when his son Alan started playing baseball. He followed

Alan on to the Babe Ruth League, and, after his son’s playing days were over, he decided

to stay on. (He’s entering 53rd year of coaching in 2009) His teams have won numerous city

championships, Everett Mayor Carlo DeMaria, Alderman Mike Marchese and Everett High

School athletic director & football/basketball coach John Dibiaso played on Vega’s team for

three years.

At the Everett Babe Ruth League 2008 awards banquet, Phillies manager Al Vega took

home top honors for the season. Vega was presented with the league championship trophy

and was informed that the Board of Directors had dedicated the award in his honor naming

it the “Vega Cup”. This presentation prompted a standing ovation in honor of the longest

standing member in Everett Babe Ruth. Al joined EBR back in 1962 and has dedicated a

great portion of his life to the players of EBR. His unselfish dedication and commitment to

the league and its players is without parallel.

The history of the New England jazz scene is neatly summarized in the person of Al Vega. Al

has been gigging in the Boston area since 1938 and after seventy years of experience

working the nightclubs of New England he’s still one of the area’s foremost jazz and popular

music artists. The Boston Media refers to Al as “Boston’s Living Legend of Jazz”. He’s worked

opposite virtually every name in American jazz - to mention a few: Dizzy Gillespie, Betty

Carter, Lester Young, Stan Getz, and Billy Holiday. He’s shared with them Boston’s legendary

jazz rooms: The HiHat, Storyville, The Ken Club, and The Jazz Workshop.

Al Vega, who is a master at piano and vibraphone, continues be one of the busiest musicians

in New England and has certainly found the recipe for success in the music business. Along

with his current trio which includes Dave Zox on bass and Rick Klane on drums, Vega and

vocalist Adam Herbert pay weekly live homage to Old Blue Eyes at Lucky’s Lounge Sinatra

Sundays at 355A Congress Street.

The Al Vega Trio also perform regularly on Fridays at Johnnies On The Side, 138 Portland

St., near Boston Garden where he can be found delivering loads of keyboard pyrotechnics

and infectious charm, while playing jazz standards and music from “The Great American

Songbook.” . On Friday, February 20, Al will tickle the ivories for Ron Della Chiesa’s birthday

bash, which will feature several area vocalists and musicians.

Al Vega, with his daughter Dianne on vocals, wowed the crowd on the April 2008 seven

night Sinatra Tribute Cruise to the Southeastern Caribbean, featuring Master of Ceremonies

Ron Della Chiesa, the host of 99.1 WPLM FM’s Strictly Sinatra Saturday & MusicAmerica

Sunday.

Della Chiesa says, “Al reminds me of vintage wine. He gets better as time goes by. On

behalf of the thousands of delighted music lovers who have enjoyed this unique individual’s

gifts through the years, we say, “Thank You Al, you’re the greatest!”

If that’s not enough to keep an 87-year-old busy, Vega maintains a steady stream of students

and provides basic and advanced voice and piano instruction at his home studio in Everett.

His CD 80 over 88 can be purchased online or at his gigs. A link to more information on

Vega’s CD and his performance schedule can be found at AlVegaTrio.com.

If you want a truly fascinating experience, attend an Al Vega gig and introduce yourself to

the man himself. He is a walking encyclopedia of the history of jazz in New England!