Houston Jazz Collective

501.C.3 Arts Organization

The Houston Jazz Collective is an organization that prides itself on showcasing the rich legacy of Jazz in Houston. We strive to accomplish this by producing and hosting cultural, jazz and tribute related events.
 Past events have featured critically acclaimed Houston based or native Houston musicians that have gone on to achieve great international notoriety. Some of these people have included but are not limited to Frank Lacy, Kirk Whalum, Billy Harper, Bob Dorough and Chris Dave. Some
of the past events produced have been “The Cobb 100” which featured Shelley Carrol and Kirk Whalum paying tribute to the late great saxophonist Arnett Cobb.

One of our initial events was held at the House of Blues in tribute to Sebastian Whittaker. This event featured the Conrad Johnson Orchestra, The Houston Jazz Orchestra, The HSPVA combo, Sput Searight (Snarky Puppy, Ghost-Note), and drummer extraordinaire Chris Dave (D’Angelo, Mint Condition, Robert Glasper). Our next event will take place on August 1st 2019 the at the Contemporary Arts Museum of Houston titled “The Don Wilkerson Tribute Featuring Shelley Carrol and The Houston Jazz Collective”, it will be followed by The 2019 Houston Jazz Festival at the Miller Outdoor Theater on September 21st 2019.

The organization’s mission also extends itself to an educational outreach program titled “The Houston Center for After School Jazz Programs”. The program reaches through the community by exposing the youth to the arts through not only jazz but through a curriculum that reaches them by giving them an understanding of what music and jazz is in it’s raw form. In our vision
we are cultivating stronger expanded minds as well as creating a lasting impression that will hopefully leave a beautiful culturally rich memory that they will learn from and remember throughout their lifetime. The curriculum strives to establish common themes between all
genres of music, races and cultures. We are proud to say that not long before his passing we were honored that have the legendary Bob Dorough (Miles Davis, co-writer “Schoolhouse Rock!”) become one of the mentors of one of these special programs.

Though the Houston Jazz Collective is aproducer of events and educational outreach programs, it is also known as a jazz band or stated another way, “a collective”. The collective is comprised of well known, as well as local musicians or any musicians that believe in our greater vision. Past configurations of the The Houston Jazz Collective as a jazz performance group have included Bobby Sparks (Dallas-based organist side-man for Prince, Tower of Power, Marcus Miller, D’Angelo), Mark Simmons (George Duke, Al Jarreau, Kenny Garret), & Andre Hayward (Wynton Marsalis, Roy Hargrove, Chick Corea)