The Austin High Gang

Following the lead of legends such as Bix Beiderbecke, King Oliver, Earl Hines, and Jimmy Noone, Chicago's Austin High Gang (So named because some of them attended the same high school) of young white players made jazz in the spirit of their idols. Members of the high school clan included drummers Gene Krupa and Dave Tough, clarinetist/violinist Frankie Teschemacher, cornetist Jimmy McPartland - and a young clarinetist named Benny Goodman whose fame would surpass them all.

Dedicated and enthusiastic, the Austin High Gang checked out their African American counterparts in clubs and late-night jams, looking up to them as mentors. Some of these white jazzmen also looked up to the white New Orleans Rhythm Kings - who had in turn been inspired by King Oliver and his bands.

Eventually, the Gang split over philosophy. Should the music be made by small groups in basic 1-2-1-2 rhythms, or larger ensembles that could explore more complex rhythms and arrangements? Some small bands stayed with the simple rhythms of early New Orleans, while early big bands moved toward rhythmic variety, complex chord changes, and intricate arrangements.

Austin High Gang figures such as Tough, Krupa, and Goodman were among those who opted for the new swing style pioneered by African American musicians including Noone, Hines, arranger/saxophonist Don Redman, and drummer/band leader Ben Pollock.

Members of the Gang

The list of guys who were a part of the Austin High Gang:

• Benny Goodman. Like riverboat pianists Jess Stacy and Joe Sullivan, Goodman was a young jazz player with extensive musical raining. He studied classical clarinet as a boy, and listened to leading New Orleans clarinetists as he developed a jazz style of his own. Goodman played in Ben Pollock's band in Chicago, and later led legendary big bands of his own



• Pee Wee Russell. A fresh voice on clarinet, and a veteran of early Southwestern jazz bands, Russell was a prime Chicago - style jazz player, but he also fit in effectively with younger bebop and avant garde jazz players such as bassist Charlie Haden and pianist Steve Kuhn during the 1960s.



• Jack Teagarden.On his horn and as a singer, Teagarden was a swing era master with roots in blues. He led a big band during the early 1940s, but his larger legacy is as a durable swing trombonist in bands including Louis Armstrong's all-star ensembles of the 1950s.



• Drummers Dave Tough and Gene Krupa, saxophonist Bud Freeman, and guitarist/session organizer Eddie Condon.This group of guys all took to jazz first as teenage fans, and then as musicians. Krupa brought drums into the spotlight as a star of Benny Goodman's 1930s band, and later bands of his won. Tough was a less famous but well-respected swing drummer in the big bands of Tommy Dorsey and Benny Goodman, and adapted to bebop with Woody Herman in the 1940s.
The copyright of the article The Austin High Gang in Jazz is owned by Agha Yasir. Permission to republish The Austin High Gang in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.

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