As the cool air above Town Lake flows across the pedestrian bridge, the smooth and deep notes of jazz are carried to the ears of the surrounding observers by the subtle wind. Passersby walk along the pavement and stop for a moment to watch and listen, allowing the blend of music to wash over them for at least a moment in the music-loving culture of Austin, Texas according to the Austin City Council. First titled “the Live Music Capital of the World” by its City Council in the late 1900s, Austin is known for its live music performances nurtured by its music-loving culture such as those performed by the Riverside Jazz Collective.

The Riverside Jazz Collective started their band as a group of friends from LASA looking for a more professional experience in music. According to senior Ben Goodman, the band’s alto saxophone player, this venture led them to new realizations they hadn’t expected before putting themselves out into the world of busking and playing at venues throughout the city.  

“Near the beginning of the year, a few of my friends, and I decided we wanted to get some experience playing in public, get our name out there,” Goodman said. “We started in Zilker Park, but we realized you’re not supposed to put out a tip jar there, so we decided to start busking on the pedestrian bridge over Town Lake. We started to get a regular group together and get in the habit of playing pretty much every weekend.” 

As more of these performances occurred, the Collective’s members’ frequent practice sessions built trust between them, and according to trumpet player, senior Kirby Barnhill, this has aided in their playing skills. As they became used to playing together, their ability to work together was strengthened as band members and music lovers.

“We trust each other as musicians, [making] the music-making a lot easier,” Barnhill said. “We all are motivated to practice and prepare when we’re not together performing, so we all knew what we were doing despite having not played together very much. Over time, we’ve gotten more comfortable having fun in our playing, so it’s more relaxed and easy than it ever has been.” 

While playing together resulted in many collective breakthroughs for the group as a whole, according to Barnhill, this experience has affected the group members positively as individuals as well, according to sophomore Brooks Bears. Bears is a guitar and chordal instrument player of the Collective, and he spoke about his perspective on playing intuitively especially when comping, which is when he plays an accompanying part in the song. For Bears, it means expressing who he is as a person through music even in a group environment. 

“[My friend] was talking about how you can hear someone’s personality when they play, and I think that’s true,” Bears said. “ You hear what they’ve been practicing, and how they shape or phrase their notes is unique only to them. I love improvising with the rhythm section. When I’m comping it forces me to find my space between the pulse of the bass and the drums, while also being creative harmonically. When I’m soloing, I have to try and create a conversation between my phrasing, rhythms, and whatever else everyone is playing.”

Barnhill also discusses the importance of preparing for performances. As performances take both physical and mental energy to pull off well, Barnhill focuses on both physical and cognitive preparation he takes to perform well in front of a crowd.

“Practice-wise, I start with listening to the song, then learn the chords and try to either play them on piano or improvise over a backing track so I can hear them in my head,” Barnhill said. “I’ll then try to play both the melody and improvisation from memory while listening to a backing track to kind of simulate how I play in the band. I prepare mentally by playing casually [when] I go to the Monday Jam session at the Elephant Room and busk with the band every few weeks. Playing in front of people helps me to be sure of myself and not worry about the eyes on me, so I can focus on my playing.”

According to Goodman, this comfortable feeling of playing even while in front of a large crowd grows from the confidence that comes with performing with friends and taking the risk of exposing his music to others in a public way. While playing privately feels safe, playing in front of crowds along with his friends led him to memories filled with this joy due to him taking a chance on a new experience. 

“My main takeaway, I would say, is to always put yourself out there,” Goodman said. “You never know what will happen. If you never try anything new, go out of your comfort zone, you might not get the opportunities you want. That’s especially evident to me cause of my experiences with the band. It truly does just feel like we’re just hanging out every time we perform, and that’s something very special to me—getting to play great music with great people.”