Photos: Juanga Lakunza Releases VISION Jazz Album with Jeff 'Tain' Watts

Trombonist, composer, and arranger Juanga Lakunza has brought together a lineup of New York jazz musicians for his new album, Vision, a project marking twenty years of artistic evolution. Based in New York, the Spanish-born bandleader delivers a project that weaves deep jazz traditions with avant-garde flair, European roots, and Afro-Cuban rhythms. Vision is available November 20, 2026.

To capture this music, Lakunza assembled a quintet at the historic East Side Sound Studio, featuring drummer Jeff 'Tain' Watts, pianist David Kikoski, bassist John Benitez, and tenor saxophonist Coleman Rose, with engineering by Marc Urselli, and mix and mastering by Duff Harris.

Vision hits the ground running at a breakneck pace with 'Fairview Street,' an agile post-bop swing driver that puts the band's immediate chemistry on display while letting each voice shine in its own right. Inspired directly by the traditional language of bebop yet adapted to become a thoroughly contemporary composition, the piece combines musical agility and constant interplay, serving as the perfect calling card for the project.

Next up is the evocative 'Urraul Alto,' a deeply introspective composition that evokes the nature, mountains, and serene valleys of northern Navarre in Spain, where Lakunza used to take walks. This composition is built upon a grounding, meditative ostinato that leads organically into a moving and expressive bass solo by John Benítez, before building dynamic layers of tension to reach a powerful emotional peak.

The frenetic energy, speed, hustle, and relentless tension of New York City explode in 'Asymmetric Symmetry,' a tour de force of modern virtuosity inspired by the modal power and harmonic language of McCoy Tyner. Opening with a direct dialogue between the drums and trombone, the track plunges into an interplay of asymmetric meters where sophistication and precision find their balance.

On 'En Algún Lugar,' the album's emotional counterpoint, this ballad connects directly with the rich history and tradition of the trombone sound in jazz, soaking in blues and gospel roots to showcase the warmth, breadth, and expressive voice of Lakunza's tone.

The album's second half pushes into bolder rhythmic territory. 'No Plastic!' delivers a contemporary, angular sound where the horn lines float over the rhythm section to create a constant sense of fluidity and freedom over a raw, unvarnished attitude – providing the ideal framework for Jeff 'Tain' Watts to deploy his signature vocabulary, tonal power, and polyrhythmic virtuosity. Meanwhile, 'Lur Berria' explores odd-meter grooves, marrying European lyricism with Basque-flavored melodies, allowing the band to flow, creating an effortless, immersive feel.

The dialogue between traditions reaches its pinnacle in 'Now & Now,' a modern Latin jazz piece where the rhythm section draws from the cadence of traditional Afro-Cuban guaguancó, soaring beneath an intricate, contemporary melody to foster a conversation between ancestral folklore and modern New York City improvisation.

The album closes with 'Equinox,' an explicit tribute to the legacy and music of John Coltrane marking his centennial. Lakunza gives this classic a deeply personal touch by reimagining the traditional minor blues over a 6/8 groove deeply steeped in Afro-Cuban folkloric rhythm and language, bringing the album to a close with a mystical, high-intensity finish.

About Juanga Lakunza

Lakunza is a two-time Grammy Award nominee – in 2022 for his participation in the album Imágenes Latinas by the Spanish Harlem Orchestra, and in 2025 as a member of The Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra on the album Dizzy, Chico & Chano, The Original Influencers, recorded live at The Town Hall in New York City alongside trumpeter Jon Faddis, saxophonist Donald Harrison, and percussionist Pedrito Martínez, among others.

Lakunza has appeared on numerous recordings across diverse musical styles. His discography began with his 2012 debut album co-led alongside his brother, saxophonist Oskar Lakunza, titled simply Lakunza Brothers. He has recorded on the last four studio albums by the Spanish Harlem Orchestra, as well as projects with Puerto Rican conga master Giovanni Hidalgo, the Latin Crossroads ensemble, among many others.

Lakunza has performed on major stages and premier international festivals, including the North Sea Jazz Festival, Chicago Jazz Festival, Donostia Jazzaldia, Seoul Jazz Festival, Penang Island Jazz Festival, and the Washington DC Jazz Festival, among others. He has also graced iconic venues and institutions such as Carnegie Hall, Jazz at Lincoln Center, The Town Hall, Dizzy's Club, Smalls Jazz Club, and The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. Throughout his career, he has shared the stage with leading figures in international music, including Wynton Marsalis, Gustavo Dudamel & The New York Philharmonic, Ravi Coltrane, Christian McBride, Carlos Vives, Willy Colón, Rubén Blades, La India, and many more.