The Wimp

Vince Prudente was born in Connellsville, PA, on November 18, 1937. When he was three years old, he heard Tommy Dorsey play the trombone and was thrilled. He earned a BS in music at Duquesne University and became a professional jazz musician. He joined Lionel Hampton in 1959 and toured and recorded with him. He moved to New York and worked, toured, and recorded with Woody Herman. He also worked with Kenny Dorham, Joe Henderson, and Frank Foster. At age 34, he joined Duke Ellington and toured and recorded with him until Duke's death. He continued with the orchestra led by Duke's son, Mercer, until 1976, then on and off until 1986, including on Broadway in 'Sophisticated Ladies'. He played with Dizzy Gillespie, Sarah Vaughan, Tony Bennett, Ella Fitzgerald, and Illinois Jacquet. Moving to California, he worked with Bill Berry, Buddy Collette, and Joe Henderson, and at CSU, Chico, where he earned an MA and started a trio/quartet playing trombone and piano. From 1994 through 2007, he taught jazz workshops at NYU while continuing to play and record his CD, 'The Treatment', with his group. He and his wife moved to France in 2012, and he began to write.