Victor Atkins
Jazz Piano

Contact Information:
    E-mail: vatkins@uno.edu
    Office Number: (504)280-7462

Victor “Red” Atkins' style of piano has been described as "infectious, unconventional, tasteful, and powerful" all at the same time. Hailing from Selma, Alabama, he began playing with Delfeayo Marsalis in 1989 and was an integral part of the seminal work “Pontius Pilate’s Decision.” After receiving a B.A. from Berklee College of Music in Boston and an M.F.A. from the Manhattan School of Music, Victor has toured and performed with an impressive list of artists including Elvin Jones, Freddie Hubbard, Aaron Neville, Nnenna Freelon, Brian Blade, Lalah Hathaway, and Nicholas Payton.

In addition to being a part of the Jazz Studies faculty at the University of New Orleans, he still travels extensively with Irvin Mayfield and the New Orleans Jazz Orchestra.  Some of his most creative work was produced during his time with the New Orleans based Los Hombres Calientes, which produced an innovative brand of Latin jazz that can be heard on their Volumes 1-5.  In every musical situation, Victor executes improvisational passages with great dexterity,combined with superior creative artistry.  As guitarist Mark Whitfield stated, "Red plays with a great sense of time and rhythm, a great sense of fire and energy, and a lot of soul and spirit." -Delfeayo Marsalis