Saxophonist Victor Goines doesn't take his concert time lightly.  Ultimately, it means more than merely playing notes and looking good.  When you're the lead reedman for the acclaimed Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra, with celebrated trumpeter Wynton Marsalis, the task translates to defining musical and cultural dimensions for global audiences always on demand.  Such is the case this week as the 15-member big band plays Michigan State University's Wharton Center on Thursday (Sept 22) and Traverse City's Opera House on Friday (Sept 23), the opening leg of a 13-city fall U.S. tour.

"I feel our band aims to capture the essence of jazz swing and present the music through a collection of various composers.  Going into a university setting like this gives us a chance to extend the music for students and the public fans, alike.  Audiences expect to hear our performances to be first-rate and we have to be equal to the challenge," says Goines, by phone from his New Orleans home, prepping for the current JLCO tour.

Concert-goers should also enjoy another band celebration this time out -- trumpeter Marsalis turns 50 on October 18.  In true JLCO fashion, their performance pays homage to a few Marsalis charts plus traditional modern jazz legends like Herbie Hancock, Thelonious Monk, and Joe Henderson.  Beyond these decorated composers, Goines says the challenge for new material isn't difficult as jazz history affords a rich, time-honored songbook. 

"We're looking for fresh ways to present a stimulating jazz history experience.  You know, the complete book of Fletcher Henderson hasn't been finished.  The complete book of Duke Ellington or Dizzy Gillespie hasn't been finished.  So, there's an abundant mix of arrangements and tunes for a band like ours to cover.  Many bandleaders (like Henderson) have provided a rich tapestry for us to interpret and present," Goines says.

Goines is equally excited about the JLCO commitment to education as he is their performing mission.  The group travels to junior highs and high schools and works with students in music programs. A band member may give a master class or  a pre-concert lecture that allows the community to get to know the band.  In East Lansing, says Goines, trumpeter Marcus Printup will address a special lecture audience during a Preview Dinner ahead of showtime.

When the JLCO lands a Michigan booking, notably one in Detroit or East Lansing, the homecoming appeal factor rises up, Goines warmly intones. Detroit bassist Rodney Whitaker, MSU's College of Music jazz studies director, formerly held the bass chair for JCLO and remains a band member.  Current drummer Ali Jackson is another Detroit export.  The band's arrival to MSU reconnects Whitaker's artistic ties to trumpeter Marsalis, as the two have toured and recorded extensively since the late 1990s.

Goines' respect is noticeably appreciable for Marsalis, a 9-time Grammy winner and recipient of the Pulitzer Prize for the recording 'Blood on the Fields', carrying forth with every concert outing and thanks to vivid personal history, a joyous boyhood connection made famous as the two grew up together in New Orleans. Goines adds further, "Wynton truly is a remarkable musician, no question.  Equally impressive is that he's a genuine people person and an extraordinary educator.  He's someone who cares about what audiences think and what students take away from the music.  His passion for excellence is something the entire band holds high with every performance."

Jazz at Lincoln Center, the world headquarters for JLCO, is the world's largest non-profit arts organization dedicated to jazz while advancing a planned vision for developing the art of jazz year-round for audiences of all ages.  Among its activities are national and international tours, residencies, education and broadcast events, yearly hall of fame inductions, weekly national radio and television programs, recordings, publications, an annual high school jazz band competition and festival, a band director academy, jazz appreciation curriculum for students, music publishing, children's concerts, lectures, adult education courses, student and educator workshops and interactive websites (jalc.org).


Career Profile
Victor Goines has been a member of the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra and the Wynton Marsalis Septet since 1993, touring throughout the world and recording over twenty-one releases, including Marsalis' Pulitzer Prize-winning recording 'Blood on the Fields', and the soundtracks for Ken Burns' acclaimed documentaries, including 'JAZZ' (1999) and 'The War' (2007).  As a leader, Goines has seven recordings including his latest releases, Pastels of Ballads and Blues (2007) and Love Dance (2007), from Criss Cross Records.  A gifted composer, Goines has more than 50 original works to his credit.  In 2000, he was commissioned by Juilliard's Dance Division to compose a musical work in celebration of their 50th Anniversary.  In 2008, Performance Music at the University of Scranton commissioned him to compose two separate pieces for their choir and concert band.  Additional commissions have come from Jazz at Lincoln Center.

Goines has recorded and/or performed with many noted jazz and popular artists including Ahmad Jamal; Ruth Brown; Dee Dee Bridgewater; Ray Charles; Bob Dylan; Dizzy Gillespie; Lenny Kravitz; Branford Marsalis; Ellis Marsalis; Dianne Reeves; Willie Nelson; Marcus Roberts; Diana Ross; Stevie Wonder; and a host of others.

Currently, he is the director of Jazz Studies/professor of music at Northwestern University.  Prior to that appointment he was, for seven years, the artistic director of the jazz program at The Juilliard School, and a faculty member teaching saxophone and clarinet.  He has also served on the faculties of Florida A&M University; the University of New Orleans; Loyola University in New Orleans; and Xavier University.

He received a Bachelor of Music degree from Loyola University in New Orleans in 1984, and a Master of Music degree from Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond in 1990.