Vincent Herring

Biography

Vincent Dwayne Herring was born November 19, 1964 in Hopkinsville, Kentucky. His parents divorced, and he and his mother moved to California. When he was 11, he started playing saxophone in school bands and studying privately at Dean Frederick's School of Music in Vallejo, California. At age 16, he entered California State University, Chico on a music scholarship.

A year later, Herring auditioned for the United States Military Academy band, Jazz Knights, playing lead alto sax. He moved to West Point and served one enlisted tour. In 1982 he moved to New York City.

Since first touring Europe and the United States with Lionel Hampton's big band, Herring has worked with Nat Adderley, Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers, the Horace Silver Quintet, Jack DeJohnette's Special Edition, Larry Coryell, Cedar Walton, Freddie Hubbard, Dizzy Gillespie, the Mingus Big Band, Nancy Wilson, the Roy Hargrove Big Band, Arthur Taylor, Billy Taylor, Carla Bley, and the Phil Woods Sax Machine (a band augmenting Woods' regular quintet to an octet with three additional alto saxophonists).

Herring has appeared as a special guest soloist with Wynton Marsalis at Lincoln Center as well as with John Faddis and The Carnegie Hall Big Band. Herring plays with the Cannonball Legacy Band in festivals and clubs.

Herring has taken bands to Japan and Europe on several occasions and has appeared in nearly every major jazz festival in the world. He is also involved in jazz education, giving clinics throughout Europe and the United States. Herring has recorded over fifteen albums as a leader and over 200 as a sideman.

As leader

As sideman