Vince Prudente

Vince Prudente (born November 18, 1937, Connellsville, Pennsylvania) is an American trombonist, pianist, arranger, composer, and music teacher. He has played with Duke Ellington, Lionel Hampton and Woody Herman.

In April 1972 Prudente joined the Duke Ellington band as a trombone player. He played on a number of Ellington recordings including Duke Ellington's Third Sacred Concert - The Majesty Of God, recorded in Westminster Abbey in 1973. He played on three songs on the Ellington Suites, recorded between 1959 and 1972, and released in 1987. He also played on "Mendoza" from the album Up In Duke's Workshop, recorded in 1972 and released in 1992. In 1973 he played on Duke Ellington in Sweden.

After Ellington's death in 1974, the Duke Ellington Orchestra continued to play and record under the leadership of Duke's son, Mercer Ellington. Prudente played on the Duke Ellington Orchestra's first album without Duke Ellington, Continuum, recorded in 1974 and 1975. Larry Ridley was also a member of the orchestra, and Prudente played with his jazz sextet in 1994 and 1995.

He has also played trombone on Phyllis Hyman's 1998 album, One On One. Prudente plays trombone with Jim Hobbs and The Fully Celebrated Orchestra's album, Lapis Exilis.

In 2004 Prudente took part in the Ellington Reunion Project, when 18 former members of Ellington's orchestra got together to perform two concerts.

Prudente is also a music teacher and has worked in a number of different universities, including NYU and Chico State, teaching trombone, improvisation, arranging and several other courses in jazz.

In 2007 Prudente made his first album, called "The Treatment" with his quartet, playing both trombone and piano.

On March 28, 2024 Austin Maccauley Publishers published Prudente's autobiographic memoirs, "The Essence and Duke Ellington." They are currently in the process of publishing his three books of fiction he has written beginning in 2016.