On a busy street corner in downtown Austin, a young saxophonist plays for anyone who will listen. From the honks of passing cars to campus stages, jazz performance freshman Ben Goodman turned his love of music into a life shaped by jazz.
Born and raised in the Live Music Capital of the World, Austin’s music scene shaped Goodman’s path to becoming a jazz musician, along with his formal training. He began performing live in high school, attending the Liberal Arts and Science Academy. Goodman said he picked up the alto saxophone after playing classical clarinet since middle school.
“I tried playing the saxophone, and I just got more and more enamored with playing jazz and expressing myself in that avenue,” Goodman said.
Through performing on the streets with his friends as a high school student and attending live music sessions, Goodman became drawn to the shared nature of jazz.
“I would go out with my friends … and play on the street just for people to hear,” Goodman said.
At the Butler School of Music, he’s found both technical training and artistic support, refining his skills as a musician with help from the director of jazz studies, Diego Rivera.
“I made some great connections,” Goodman said. “You need other people to play jazz.”
Goodman shares his upcoming performances around the city through his Instagram, including original jazz tunes at the Cactus Cafe in the Texas Union. Ryan Doubrava, the general manager of the Cactus Cafe and UT alumnus, said picking live performers can be complicated, but when searching for more jazz performers, Goodman landed on his radar.
“What sold (Goodman) was that he had original jazz music as a student,” Doubrava said. “As a jazz performer, that’s really rare. It’s hard to compose jazz songs. For a lot of people’s early careers, they’ll just do covers and riffs.”
Doubrava’s friend introduced him to a larger scene of jazz in his late 20s. With a limited number of jazz clubs in Austin, Doubrava said he sees hope in young performers that reach out to him.
“I’m trying to get out there and get more people listening to jazz,” Goodman said. “You might see me in some places you don’t expect, trying to build the people who come out and enjoy music.”
Knox Wright, Goodman’s roommate and radio-television-film freshman, frequently attends Goodman’s live performances. Wright said the show captures the audience’s attention due to Goodman’s magnetic personality.
“(Goodman) is so charismatic, so himself and kind of a goofball,” Wright said. “It definitely (creates) this unique dynamic to the shows.”
For Goodman, jazz is not only a form of self-expression but a way to connect people. As he works on new compositions and plans future shows, whether it be at the Cactus Cafe or other venues in Austin, Goodman hopes fellow students attend local shows.
“Come out (for) your local musicians,” Goodman said. “Get out there.”
