
Photo courtesy of the artist
Pianist Victor Gould is quickly establishing himself as a musical force to be reckoned with, making waves in New York’s renowned jazz scene and across the globe. Gould holds degrees from Berklee College of Music and the Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz in addition to a long list of honorary awards. He has since spent considerable time as a member of the Donald Harrison Quartet and has performed with the likes of Esperanza Spalding, Terence Blanchard, Branford Marsalis, Nicholas Payton, Ralph Peterson and many others. Now a New York resident, Gould finds himself a member of the Wallace Roney Quintet and will begin recording his debut album in March 2014.
Not a stranger to The Jazz Gallery, Victor has graced our stage with the likes of Godwin Louis and Kyle Poole . On Thursday, January 30th, 2014 as part of the Gallery’s “Thursday Night Debut Series”, we’ll present Victor Gould as a leader of his own trio, supported by Ben Williams on bass and John Davis on drums in addition to a special guest. Victor will be presenting some compositions he has prepared for the upcoming album. He was kind enough to sit down with us this January in a Brooklyn coffee house and share a bit about himself.
The Jazz Gallery: You grew up in Los Angeles – how did you get involved in music and what kind of opportunities did you take hold of in your youth? Is there a memorable musical experience you had during that period?
Victor Gould: I started most of my jazz studies at The Colburn School in downtown Los Angeles through an after-school program—there they did private lessons and ensembles. I also studied with a great Israeli pianist named Tamir Hendelman starting when I was 12 years old. Also, the high school I went to—L.A. County High School for the Arts—had a great jazz program led by Jason Goldman and that was a great opportunity to be a part of. My father plays jazz flute and he just wanted someone to play with I guess. He got me into the piano when I was about four years old.
TJG: Who have been your primary mentors and what has been most valuable about these relationships?
VG: So I guess my definition of a mentor is a teacher that goes out of their way doing things outside of music, like meeting for lunch—something that’s extra, beyond the call of duty. Donald Harrison has definitely been a great mentor to me. He gave me some of my first experiences on the road. I was part of his band for three years. I first met him and started playing with him when I was 17 years old in Boston, attending the Berklee College of Music. I traveled around the world with him and he taught me a lot. He was really patient with me at a young age and I really appreciate that.
Ralph Peterson (I played in his band and he took a lot of time with me) really went out of his way to mention my name a lot and tried to help me every way he could. I recorded an album with him called The Duality Perspective. Wallace Roney has been a big mentor to me. I’m in his band right now so I definitely consider him a mentor as well. Terri Lyne Carrington (I played with her a group a bit), she’s invited me over to her house for parties, given me a lot of advice, contributed in terms of recommendation letters and things like that. I recorded something with her that was never released. It was supposed to be a project she was going to do for Herbie Hancock. Overall, she’s been a big help and a lot of inspiration. I got to spend a lot of time with pianist Danilo Perez, both in the classroom and out. He’s been a great help. (more…)