Music has been a part of Joe Goldberg’s life since the beginning. Growing up in a musical household enamored with blues and swing, some of Joe’s first memories are of his mother singing jazz standards while his father accompanied on guitar. It was out of these memories that his interest in the art form would emerge and his journey would find its beginning.
After playing and performing with the concert jazz band throughout high school, Joe went on to attend Florida State University in Tallahassee, Florida. While pursuing his Bachelor’s degree in music, Joe explored his passion for science and math, earning minors in both physics and mathematics. It was also here that he would meet his eventual mentor, renowned pianist Marcus Roberts.
While studying under Roberts, Joe sharpened his skills on the alto saxophone while adding clarinet to his repertoire. In 2012, after performing the music of Jelly Roll Morton with Roberts at the Lincoln Center in New York, Joe became a full-time member of Roberts’ group, The Modern Jazz Generation. Joe has performed with the group both live and on record, including the critically acclaimed 2013 album Romance, Swing, and the Blues.
From 2013-2020 Joe resided in New Orleans, Louisiana, where he had the chance to learn from and work with some of the best musicians in the city such as, Jason Marsalis, Wess “Warm Daddy” Anderson, Shannon Powell, Herlin Riley, Topsy Chapman, Lars Edegrin, Steve Pistorious . Joe regularly performs with his quartet and with his 7 piece swing band Joe Goldberg & the Function.
