Victor Atkins
November 9, 20207:30pm 301 Main StreetNorth Little Rock, AR 72114
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BIO
Victor “Red” Atkins is known for being a “powerful and unconventional” piano player. Victor is a native of Selma, Alabama and currently lives in New Orleans, Louisiana. Atkins had an early start with jazz as his father loved Charlie Parker. At home he learned how to appreciate music and develop an ear for more complex music.
He began his professional career on Delfeayo Marsalis’ “Pontius Pilate’s Decision” record. After recording he moved on to be a professional pianist alongside many notable musicians such as Elvin Jones, Mark Whitfield, Nnenna Freelon, Joshua Redman, Wynton Marsalis, and Leroy Jones. Subsequently he returned to school to finish his Masters at the Manhattan school of Music. He was inducted into the Alabama Jazz Hall of Fame in 1998. Atkins is well-known for his work with Grammy-winning, New Orleans-based Los Hombres Calientes as well as his re-working of Duke Ellington’s “Such Sweet Thunder,” a tribute to William Shakespeare.
Not only is Victor Atkins a professional musician but also a tenured professor at the University of New Orleans, where he teaches theory, composition, jazz keyboard, and applied piano. He also works with the New Orleans Jazz Orchestra on compositions, and has played with them numerous times. Victor Atkins credits Donald Brown as his mentor. His studies with him had the largest impact, and it is when he developed a sincere appreciation for jazz.