With a title like "Christmas In Jazz", you might be expecting...well, I don't know what you might be expecting because I'm just a guy on your computer. But you should know that Jazz is the name of the South Texas club owned by Doc Watkins (Jazz TX, to be precise), opened in 2016. Doc Watkins, himself, is a pianist and bandleader whose own music ranges from Classical to Western Swing to Mariachi. And, yes, Jazz. Often Big Band Jazz (told you he was a bandleader). The one thing that ties all of Doc's music together is that it's all seasoned with the flavor of Texas. So, when Doc Watkins, for example, takes a run at Vince Guaraldi's "Linus & Lucy", the result is big, bold and as distinctive as Texas BBQ.
Doc's father was a Jazz musician, but his own training was Classical and his own taste in music was all over the map. Graduating from college, he soon discovered that...well...there just aren't a lot of gigs for a Classical pianist. So he, um, improvised...began playing for tips at an Italian restaurant (Billy Joel would be proud). His music started to bring people in and that led to regular gigs at The Landing, Jim Cullum's San Antonio Jazz club. Doc also quickly discovered that he would get frustrated when he wasn't playing regularly. "When I’m not performing a lot," he says, "I really start to miss it! It’s something I need to do regularly, to have an audience to play for. It never wears me out, either. It gives me energy." And, though he was having no trouble getting gigs at that point, it was part of the thought process in opening his own Jazz club, Jazz TX. Watkins currently does about 200 shows a year.
Doc Watkins also knows that authenticity is essential. You don't win a legion of fans by trying to be something you're not. And so his music, and the music presented at Jazz TX, embraces the flavor and heritage of Texas. He opens nearly every show with "Home In San Antone" and you're likely to hear original arrangements of the songs of Texas favorites like Willie Nelson and Bob Wills, as well.
While we don't have any clips (or even a full track list) from "Christmas In Jazz" as yet, we do know that it will feature a 25 piece Big Band (and strings), so we can surmise that the clip of "Linus & Lucy" from an earlier holiday performance isn't too far off the mark. The program will also include classics such as "White Christmas" and "Silver Bells". And, other than Doc himself, the vocalist we know will be on hand is Austin's Meg Bodi of the Honky Tonk band Fingerpistol. "Christmas In Jazz" officially releases on November 23 and is available for pre-order direct from Doc Watkins (free shipping, btw).
There are videos of Doc performing "Winter Wonderland" and "My Favorite Things" on YouTube, if you'd like to check out his spin on those chestnuts. FWIW, Doc's holiday shows also routinely feature classics like "O Holy Night" and Duke Ellington's "Dance of the Sugar Rum Cherry". But, even though it isn't a Christmas song, I thought you might want to hear Meg Bodi and Doc Watkins together. So here they are from the 2017 album "Jazz TX" with "Your Cheatin' Heart".
Doc's father was a Jazz musician, but his own training was Classical and his own taste in music was all over the map. Graduating from college, he soon discovered that...well...there just aren't a lot of gigs for a Classical pianist. So he, um, improvised...began playing for tips at an Italian restaurant (Billy Joel would be proud). His music started to bring people in and that led to regular gigs at The Landing, Jim Cullum's San Antonio Jazz club. Doc also quickly discovered that he would get frustrated when he wasn't playing regularly. "When I’m not performing a lot," he says, "I really start to miss it! It’s something I need to do regularly, to have an audience to play for. It never wears me out, either. It gives me energy." And, though he was having no trouble getting gigs at that point, it was part of the thought process in opening his own Jazz club, Jazz TX. Watkins currently does about 200 shows a year.
Doc Watkins also knows that authenticity is essential. You don't win a legion of fans by trying to be something you're not. And so his music, and the music presented at Jazz TX, embraces the flavor and heritage of Texas. He opens nearly every show with "Home In San Antone" and you're likely to hear original arrangements of the songs of Texas favorites like Willie Nelson and Bob Wills, as well.
While we don't have any clips (or even a full track list) from "Christmas In Jazz" as yet, we do know that it will feature a 25 piece Big Band (and strings), so we can surmise that the clip of "Linus & Lucy" from an earlier holiday performance isn't too far off the mark. The program will also include classics such as "White Christmas" and "Silver Bells". And, other than Doc himself, the vocalist we know will be on hand is Austin's Meg Bodi of the Honky Tonk band Fingerpistol. "Christmas In Jazz" officially releases on November 23 and is available for pre-order direct from Doc Watkins (free shipping, btw).
There are videos of Doc performing "Winter Wonderland" and "My Favorite Things" on YouTube, if you'd like to check out his spin on those chestnuts. FWIW, Doc's holiday shows also routinely feature classics like "O Holy Night" and Duke Ellington's "Dance of the Sugar Rum Cherry". But, even though it isn't a Christmas song, I thought you might want to hear Meg Bodi and Doc Watkins together. So here they are from the 2017 album "Jazz TX" with "Your Cheatin' Heart".
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