UT freshman Ben Goodman performs original jazz across Austin, books Cactus Cafe shows

February 12, 2026

Ben Goodman, a University of Texas freshman, has turned his interest in jazz into regular performances across Austin. He plays on busy downtown corners and on campus stages, blending street busking with scheduled venue appearances.

Goodman grew up in Austin and attended the Liberal Arts and Science Academy for high school, where he started performing live. He began on classical clarinet in middle school, later taking up the alto saxophone and gravitating toward jazz as a form of personal expression.

While in high school Goodman often played outdoors with friends, inviting passersby to listen as city traffic passed by. Those informal sessions and exposure to Austin's live music scene helped shape his approach to collaborative jazz performance.

Now enrolled at the Butler School of Music, Goodman is receiving formal training and artistic guidance. He has worked with Diego Rivera, the director of jazz studies, and says the program has helped him refine technique and build musical connections.

Goodman posts upcoming shows and music clips on Instagram, and he has started performing original jazz compositions at the Cactus Cafe in the Texas Union. The venue's general manager, Ryan Doubrava, a UT alumnus, noted that booking performers involves careful selection, and he highlighted Goodman for bringing original material as a student.

Doubrava says original student composition is uncommon, and with relatively few dedicated jazz clubs in Austin, he sees promise in younger musicians who reach out to venue operators. He credited personal connections for opening his own exposure to the broader jazz scene.

Roommate Knox Wright, a freshman studying radio-television-film, attends many of Goodman's shows and says the performances stand out because of his personality on stage. Wright described Goodman as charismatic and playful, traits that create a distinctive atmosphere for audiences.

Goodman is working on new pieces and plans to continue performing in a mix of expected and unexpected spaces around the city. He encourages fellow students to support local musicians by attending live shows and helping grow Austin's jazz audience.