Victor Goines has played the clarinet since the age of eight and continued his studies with Carl Blouin, Sr., who intro- duced him to the saxophone at St. Augustine High School. In 1980, he entered Loyola University in New Orleans where he studied clarinet and saxophone, receiving a Bachelor of Music Education Degree in 1984.
As Mr. Goines’ interest in jazz increased, he contacted Ellis Marsalis in 1983 to take private lessons. Eight months later, Mr. Marsalis selected Mr. Goines to play saxophone as a member of his quartet. Mr. Goines left New Orleans in 1987 to pursue his graduate studies at Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond, Virginia, receiving his Master of Music Degree in 1990.
During time off, Mr. Goines traveled to New York City to perform. While living there, he worked with Ruth Brown, Li- onel Hampton, Bobby Watson, Jack McDuff, and others. He also joined the orchestra of the Broadway musical Black and Blue, where he played alto, tenor, and baritone saxophones, and clarinet. In 1991, after his return to New Orleans, Mr. Goines won both the New Orleans City-Wide Jazz Saxophone Competition and the Best of New Orleans Jazz competi- tion. Later that year he was selected to compete in the Thelonious Monk International Jazz Saxophone Competition, outperforming nearly 300 musicians from around the world to make it to the semifinals.
In 1993, Victor’s talent and musicianship led to membership in the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra and the Wynton Marsalis Septet, where he has since performed, touring throughout the world and recording over twenty-one releases including Wynton Marsalis’ Pulitzer Prize winning recording Blood on the Fields (Columbia Records, 1997) with Wynton Marsalis’ group accompanying the Alvin Ailey Dance Company at the debut of Mr. Marsalis’ piece Sweet Release and Jazz at Lincoln Center’s, Congo Square (JALC, 2007), the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra 1999 Grammys on They Came To Swing (Columbia Records, 1994) and Live In Swing City (Columbia Records, 1999), as well as the soundtracks for Ken Burns, acclaimed documentaries, JAZZ, 1999, Joe Cool’s Blues (Columbia Records, 1995), Smithsonian Jazz Master- works Orchestra on Big Band Treasures Live (Smithsonian Institution, 1996). In addition, Victor has recorded with Ellis Marsalis on The New Orleans Music: Vocal Jazz (Rounder Records, 1985), Marcus Roberts on Portraits In Blue (Sony Clas- sical, 1996 – nominated for 1996 Grammy – Best Large Ensemble Performance) and Swing Into Christmas (Columbia Records, 1995), Donald Harrison on Modern Brass Band, Damon Short on The Penguin Shuffle (Blue Room Records, 1986), Germaine Bazzle on Standing Ovation (AFO Records, 1993), Ruth Brown on Fine And Mellow (Fantasy Records, 1992), The George French Trio on See What I’m Sayin’ (Lou Nat Records), Joe Cool’s Blues (Sony Music, 1995), Marlon Jordan on Marlon’s Mode (Arabesque Records, 1997), Contemporary Arts Center Jazz Orchestra, conducted by David Torkanowsky, on Mood Indigo featuring Johnny Adams, Germaine Bazzle and George French (Rounder Records, 1997), Don Vappie and the Creole Jazz Serenaders on Creole Blues (Vappielle Records, 1997), Ruth Brown on R + B = Ruth Brown (Bullseye Blues, 1997), Jump Start And Jazz – Two Ballets by Wynton Marsalis (Sony Classical, 1997), Edward An- derson on Fertile Crescent (AFO Records, 1998), Irma Thomas, Marcia Ball and Tracy Nelson on Sing It! (Rounder Records, 1998), Live At The Village Vanguard (Columbia, 1999), Reeltime (Sony Music, 1999), Marsalis Plays Monk – Stan- dard Time, Vol. 4 (Sony Music, 1999), Mr. Jelly Lord – Standard Time, Vol. 6 (Columbia, 1999), The Marciac Suite (Co- lumbia, 2000), Selections From The Village Vanguard Box (Columbia, 2000), Here…Now (2001) Unforgivable Blackness: The Rise and Fall of Jack Johnson, (PBS, 2004), The War (Columbia, 2007), Standards and Ballads (EmArcy, 2008), Christmas Jazz Jam (Compass Production, 2009), Wynton Marsalis and Eric Clapton Play The Blues (Warner Bros. 2011), Selections From Swinging Into The 21st (Columbia/Legacy, 2011) and The Music of America (Masterworks, 2012).
Mr. Goines can be heard on the music score for the motion picture Undercover Blues, performed on the music scores for the motion pictures When Night Falls On Manhattan and Rosewood, as well as on music videos featuring Chick Corea, Garth Fagin, Bobby McFerrin, Wynton Marsalis, Marcus Roberts, and Linda Ronstadt, Eric Clapton, he also per- formed on the music scores for the television productions of Moonlight Over Miami and The Big Easy (USA Cable Net- work, 1996), appeared on the music video When Something’s Wrong With My Baby (Linda Ronstadt and Aaron Neville – 1990), and appeared and performed in the 1991 New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival (Various artists – 1991), The New Orleans Concert (Dianne Reeves – 1992), Accent On The Offbeat (Wynton Marsalis and the New York City Ballet – 1993), Citi Movements (Wynton Marsalis and Garth Fagin – 1994), The City of Jazz, Classical Jazz Series (Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra – 1994), In This House, On This Morning (Wynton Marsalis for Jazz Central BET Cable – 1994), Marsalis On Music (Wynton Marsalis with Seiji Ozawa – 1995), Sessions At West 54th Street: Performances Production of Swingin’ with Duke (1999), Congo Square (2008), Wynton Marsalis and Eric Clapton Play The Blues (Warner Bros. 2011). Mr. Goines also performed with the Wynton Marsalis Septet on the December 31, 1999 TODAY show.
Clarinetist, saxophonist and educator, Victor Goines is one of the most respected, and multi-faceted musicians in the jazz world today. He is also an acclaimed, sought after solo artist who leads his own quartet and quintet. As a band- leader, Mr. Goines has eight recordings to his credit, Genesis (AFO Records). 1992, Joe’s Blues, 1998 (Rosemary Joseph Records), To Those We Love So Dearly, 1999 (Rosemary Joseph Records), Sunrise to Midnight, 2000 (Rosemary Joseph Records), Pastels, Ballads & Blues, Love Dance (2007) New Adventures (2006), both from Criss Cross Records, including his latest release Twilight (2012) A gifted composer as well, Goines has more than 70 original works to his credit. In 2000, Mr. Goines was commissioned by Julliard’s Dance Division to compose a musical work in celebration of their 50th Anniversary. The composition Base Line was premiered in 2002 to support the original choreography by Juilliard alumni Robert Battle. Additional commissions have come from Jazz at Lincoln Center.
Adept in a bevy of instruments, Mr. Goines has also collaborated, recorded, and/or performed with many noted jazz and popular artists such as Terence Blanchard, Ruth Brown, Dee Dee Bridgewater, Ray Charles, Eric Clapton, Bo Diddley, Bob Dylan, Dizzy Gillespie, Freddie Green, Lionel Hampton, Freddie Hubbard, B.B. King, Lenny Kravitz, Branford Marsalis, Ellis Marsalis, James Moody, Willie Nelson, Dianne Reeves, Marcus Roberts, Diana Ross, The Four Tops, The Temptations, Stevie Wonder, Chick Corea, Ahmad Jamal, Jimmy Heath, Benny Golson, Joe Henderson, Shirley Horn, Na- talie Cole, Paul Simon and a host of other renowned musicians and ensembles.
Throughout his career, Goines has been deeply committed to the field of jazz education. In November 2007 he was named director of jazz studies and professor of music at Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois. Prior to that ap- pointment he was the artistic director of the jazz program at the Juilliard School for seven years, and a faculty mem- ber in jazz clarinet and saxophone. During his tenure at Juilliard, the department expanded from a collaborative program with Jazz at Lincoln Center to include a Bachelor of Music, Master of Music and Artist Diploma to its curricu- lum. He has also served on the faculties of Florida A & M University, the University of New Orleans, and Loyola Univer- sity in New Orleans, and serves as an education consultant to Jazz At Lincoln Center. He has also conducted clinics and workshops for the Greater New Orleans Suzuki Foundation, Cornell University, the Columbus Youth Jazz Ensemble, William Aberhart Music Association,Calgary, Alberta Canada and the Horns To Havana Project, Havana, Cuba and numer- ous performing arts centers while touring with Wynton Marsalis and the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra.
Victor Goines is a Buffet Crampon USA, Inc. and Vandoren Artist.