Life took a dramatic turn for Jacques Gauthe upon encountering jazz icon Sidney Bechet in 1950. The veteran New Orleans saxophonist and clarinetist served as both guide and companion to the inquisitive French adolescent, fielding endless inquiries from the young mind and welcoming frequent, almost daily visits to his Paris residence while fostering the teenager’s developing artistry. That path eventually carried Gauthe nearly twenty years later to Bechet’s beloved Louisiana birthplace, where the musician established roots and remained an enduring presence in the local jazz community for many years afterward.
Born in Gascony, France, in 1939, Gauthe displayed an early musical inclination at age five, pursuing piano instruction alongside solfeggio studies. As World War II concluded during his childhood, radio broadcasts introduced him to jazz, the style that would define his professional path. He took up the clarinet at eleven and first experienced Bechet’s artistry live while visiting relatives in Paris. Soon after that concert, at fourteen, Gauthe launched his career as a working musician, collaborating with figures such as Mezz Mezzrow, Albert Nicholas, Memphis Slim, and Benny Waters. From 1953 onward he led ensembles, and at eighteen he joined the Old Time Jazz Band of Toulouse for national tours that featured Nicholas, Lucky Thompson, and Don Byass; the group earned first prize at the San Sebastian Jazz Festival and performed repeatedly at Paris’ Jazz Band Ball over several seasons.
Gauthe departed both his ensemble and France in 1968 to settle in New Orleans. The skills Bechet had cultivated quickly secured the newcomer a place among the city’s jazz players, beginning with membership in the Kid Thomas Band and regular appearances at Preservation Hall. He later founded the Creole Rice Jazz Band while also performing with the Razzberry Ragtimers, the Louisiana Repertory Jazz Band, and the Classic Jazz Orchestra. Among his recordings stands a 1997 tribute to his mentor, Echoes of Sidney Bechet, released to mark the centennial of the jazz master’s birth.
