Musician’s Tales

GENERAL FICTION

Pages: 182 Ratings:

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This book of short stories tells of experiences jazz musicians had during their lives, whether while living and playing in New York, traveling in the United States, or around the world so that people could hear their music and so the musician could make a living playing it.

They tell about the problems Black musicians and a white musician had playing in a Black-led band and of the dues several Black musicians had to pay playing in a white-led band, especially when traveling in parts of the United States in the nineteen sixties, none of which in either scenario were from anybody in those bands.

They also tell about the joys they had sharing the love they had for their music with audiences regardless of where they were playing and the appreciation they received from those audiences during their performances and sometimes afterwards.

Several of the stories that happened in New York also illustrate the hard work these musicians had to do and the sacrifice all of these musicians had to make, none of which could dent the joy they gained by playing this great music.

Vince was born in Connellsville, Pa. on November 18, 1937. When he was 3, 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 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 also played with Dizzy Gillespie, Sarah Vaughan, Tony Bennett, Ella Fitzgerald, and Illinois Jacquet. Moving to California, he worked with Bill Berry, Buddy Collette, Joe Henderson, and at CSU, Chico, where he earned a 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.