Born in 1980 in Düsseldorf as the son of an Irish mother and a German father, Torsten Goods grew up in Erlangen after the family moved there. Thanks to his mother’s well-stocked record collection – featuring not only greats like Duke Ellington and Oscar Peterson but also a lot of Irish music – he gained early access to jazz. However, his initial steps as a guitarist were naturally influenced by pop and rock, typical for his age. His formal education began when Goods was 14 years old. He found his mentor, Peter O’Mara, who guided him into the world of improvised music. At the age of 17, his talent and ambition were unmistakable, quickly leading him to master classes with the greats of the field. During his school years, he attended workshops with Jim Hall and John Scofield in New York, and received instruction from the virtuoso of “Gypsy Guitar,” Bireli Lagrene, in Strasbourg, who significantly influenced his development.