Bobby Vince Paunetto papers, 1968-2007

Bobby “Vince” Paunetto ‘73 (June 22, 1944-August 10, 2010) was a vibraphonist and composer whose music fused salsa and jazz in innovative ways. Born and raised in the Bronx, Paunetto showed a predilection for music at an early age and was strongly influenced in his teens by vibraphonist Cal Tjader.

Paunetto composed his first piece, “Nuance,” in 1962 and released his first album, El Sonido Moderno, in 1964. After serving briefly in the U.S. army (1965-1967), Paunetto returned to New York and continued performing. Shortly thereafter, Paunetto attended Berklee College of Music from 1969-1973, where he studied closely with Gary Burton. Other influential teachers included John LaPorta, Herb Pomeroy, Paul Schmeling, Michael Rendish, and Alan Dawson.

Paunetto then released two subsequent albums: Paunetto’s Point (1974) and Commit to Memory (1976), the first of which was nominated for a Grammy in 1975. Just as his promising career as a composer and bandleader was on the rise, however, Paunetto was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis in 1977. Although this forced an end to his career as a performer, Paunetto was eventually able to return to composing, writing 300 works between 1985 and 1993 and releasing two final recordings: Composer in Public (1998) and Reconstituted (2001).