A former member of the Duke Ellington Orchestra, world-class jazz musician Vincent York has played with the most prominent jazz artists and bands both locally and internationally. Born in Jacksonville, FL and raised in Vero Beach, FL, York has been playing alto saxophone since he was 12 years old. Currently, with more than 55 years of musical experience, York is focusing on his solo career once again and making his debut at the Blue Llama Jazz Club.
York developed his alto saxophone technique from Donald Sinta and was also mentored by Alvin Batiste, where he served as an assistant to Batiste as he was opening the New Orleans Center for the Creative Arts....
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A former member of the Duke Ellington Orchestra, world-class jazz musician Vincent York has played with the most prominent jazz artists and bands both locally and internationally. Born in Jacksonville, FL and raised in Vero Beach, FL, York has been playing alto saxophone since he was 12 years old. Currently, with more than 55 years of musical experience, York is focusing on his solo career once again and making his debut at the Blue Llama Jazz Club.
York developed his alto saxophone technique from Donald Sinta and was also mentored by Alvin Batiste, where he served as an assistant to Batiste as he was opening the New Orleans Center for the Creative Arts.
York has toured and played in hundreds of venues around the world. He has made appearances everywhere from the local Detroit Jazz Festival to the top jazz festivals in countries such as Finland, Holland, Switzerland, Germany, and Japan. His album, Blending Forces, featuring Marcus Belgrave is also internationally recognized and is still listened to today.
York’s ability to perform as a soloist in bands or accompanying artists has allowed him to perform with a variety of artists such as Mulgrew Miller, Marcus Belgrave, Louis Smith, Lester Bowie, Freddie Hubbard, Sean Jones, the Ray Charles Orchestra, Cab Calloway, Ella Fitzgerald, Sarah Vaughan, Nancy Wilson, Rosemary Clooney, Pearl Bailey, Aretha Franklin and Martha Reeves, as musical director.
York is committed to the future of Jazz and has mentored artists such as Herlan Riley, James Carter and Rodney Whitaker. For the past 25 years, York has also served as the Founder and Artistic Director for Vincent York’s Jazzistry, which is an educational program that uses live performance to teach children and adults the story of jazz and its role in American History.
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