When: 7 p.m. Saturday April 18th, 2026
Where: Red Cat Jazz Cafe
When: 7 p.m. May 21st 2026
Where: Contemporary Arts Museum
Enjoy a breathtaking performance as Modern Jazz Masters present the music of Cannonball Adderley, featuring Grammy-winning alto saxophonist Mark Gross of the Duke Ellington Orchestra and acclaimed jazz vocalist Veronica Swift.
Together, they’ll revisit the iconic 1962 Nancy Wilson – Cannonball Adderley Capitol release, bringing new life to a timeless collaboration. Gross — a standout interpreter of Adderley’s sound — will be joined by members of the Duke Ellington Orchestra and Jazz at Lincoln Center as they explore Cannonball’s instrumental repertoire, rich with bebop energy and gospel soul.
Adding a visual dimension to the evening, artwork by renowned Texas painter John Alexander will be featured throughout the event. Alexander’s mystical, emotionally-charged depictions of Southeast Texas create a striking visual parallel to the improvisational depth and beauty of jazz.
This immersive experience bridges sound and vision, paying tribute to the Southern spirit and artistic legacy of Cannonball Adderley.
When: 8 p.m. Saturday Sept. 20th, 2025
Where: Miller Outdoor Theatre
Day 2 of the Houston Jazz Festival takes place in the vibrant, open-air setting of Axelrad Beer Garden, one of Houston’s most beloved cultural gathering spaces. This free event brings together world-class musicians and the city’s thriving jazz community for an unforgettable evening of live music under the stars.
The program begins at 7:30 PM with trumpeter Felix DeLeon leading a powerhouse group featuring Tito Hernandez, Ben Clifton, Gavin Moolchan, and Corey Dozer.
The evening continues with a performance by the Houston Jazz Collective, the performance ensemble of the Houston Jazz Collective non-profit organization. This special lineup includes:
Shelley Carroll – saxophone (Duke Ellington Orchestra, Lincoln Center Orchestra)
Andre Hayward – trombone (Lincoln Center Orchestra, Ellington Orchestra)
José-Miguel Yamal – keyboard (Latino Conjunto)
Tim Ruiz – bass (4-time Grammy winner, formerly with La Mafia)
Mark Simmons – drums (George Benson, George Duke, Al Jarreau)
Note: Day 1 of the Houston Jazz Festival will take place at Miller Outdoor Theatre. Day 2 at Axelrad is a separate free performance.
Come enjoy world-class jazz, refreshing drinks, and the warm community atmosphere that makes Axelrad a Houston favorite.
When: 7:30Â p.m. Sunday Sept. 21st 2025Â
Where: Axelrad
517 Alabama St, Houston, TX 77004
We launch the Houston Jazz Festival at Echoes, a cool Montrose hang that’s quickly become one of the city’s go-to spots for live music. With its laid-back vibe and commitment to showcasing local jazz and emerging talent, Echoes offers the perfect stage to kick off the weekend.
The night features Houston Ensemble — Cory Wilson (saxophone), Armov (guitar), Chad Wesselkamper (bass), and Richard Cholokian (drums) — bringing high-energy jazz fusion and fresh sounds to set the tone for the festival.
When: 8:30 p.m. Friday Sept. 20th, 2025Â
Where: Echoes
900 Richmond Ave. Ste A, Houston, TX 77006
After the main event at Miller Outdoor Theatre, the music continues late into the night at Echoes. This special after party features Jalen Baker (vibraphone), Marwan Ghonima (bass), and Gavin Moolchan (drums) — three standout voices from Houston’s next generation of jazz talent. Together, they’ll bring fresh energy, rich textures, and dynamic interplay to close out the festival’s biggest night
When: 10:30Â p.m. Saturday Sept. 21st 2025Â
Where: Echoes
900 Richmond Ave. Ste A, Houston, TX 77006
Jazz Masters perform from the Great America Country Music Songbook under the direction of Country Music Legend and five-time Grammy Winner Floyd Domino.
Music Director for Art Blakey and The Jazz Messengers and leader of The Charles Mingus Orchestra, five-time Grammy Winner Jazz Artist Frank “Kumba” Lacy is joined by fellow Texans and Stars of The Duke Ellington Orchestra and Jazz At Lincoln Center Shelley Carrol and Andre Hayward along with platinum recording artist Nellie McKay forca night of lovingly curated and orchestrated Country Music Masterpieces by GeorgecJones, Ray Price, Glen Campbell, Hank Williams, Charlie Pride, Gram Parsons, RandycTravis, George Straight and Johnny Cash.
Presented by The Houston Jazz Collective, set in the iconic Round Top Dance Hall andcin collaboration with The House of RMC, fashion designers Ricky Hodge, Cathy Mace and Stewart Colgate, The West Texas Music Jamboree is a multi-media Fine Arts presentation.
The West Texas Country Music Jamboree will be permanently and professionallycpreserved and archived.
Presented by T-Mobile
The Houston Jazz Collective presents The American Masters Series featuring Blue Note recording artist James Francies with Grammy-winning vocalist Bilal accompanied live by the work of acclaimed audiovisual artist Ben Heim.
Embark on a transcendental journey, “….an immersive, multidimensional experience ….. step into (a) world of sounds, textures (and spectacular visual artwork)…”
“a pianist with liquid dynamism in his touch.” The New York Times
“…the pianist doesn’t so much compose music as conjure fascinating nebulae of sound.” DownBeat
An artist with perfect pitch and the ability to see colors, Mr. Francies has performed and/or recorded with Childish Gambino, Pat Metheny, Drake, Mark Ronson, The Roots, YEBBA, Chris Potter, Common, Eric Harland, Marcus Miller, DJ Dahi, NAS and Ms. Lauryn Hill. Mr. Francies’ regular rock-solid trio including Burniss Travis and Jeremy Dutton welcome special guest and frequent collaborator, the great jazz artist and vocalist Bilal.
Visual artist Ben Heim’s works have been featured in galleries and public spaces across the world including at OXO Tower Wharf Gallery (London), Times Square, IRCAM’s 2017 Vertigo Conference (Paris), Olsen Gruin Gallery (NYC), Galleri Image (Denmark), and HARPA Concert Hall (Reykjavik) and festivals including Splice Festival (UK), Tallinn Music Week (Estonia), Vivid Sydney (Australia), Digital Art Month (NYC) and the Reykjavik Winter Lights Festival (Iceland) and with the London Contemporary Orchestra at the Barbican.
The Houston Jazz Collective is an organization that prides itself on showcasing the rich legacy of Jazz in Houston. They 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.
All performances at Miller Outdoor Theatre are FREE!
In the fall of 2020 The Houston Jazz Festival at Miller Outdoor Theater partnered with the Art Blakey Estate, and live streamed “Message from Bu’ featuring “Bu’s Jazz Messengers” and celebrated his 101th birthday October 25th 2020.
The premier combination of the Messengers was directed by four time Grammy winner Frank Lacy, and featured saxophonist Bobby Watson, trumpeter Valerie Ponomarev and legendary bassist Curtis Lundy.
CSS (Carrol-Simmons-Sparks) also performed that night. This quartet was led by Houston native Shelley Carrol, long time veteran of Jazz at Lincoln Center and The Duke Ellington Orchestra and iincluded Bobby Sparks, Mark Simmons as well as bassist Jay McK. The set design featured works by master Artist Jesse Lott.
In the fall of 2019 The Houston Jazz Festival showcased the legend Hubert Laws and the Houston Jazz Collective band featuring Bobby Sparks, Shelley Carrol, Andre Hayward, & Mark Simmons. The event was held at The Miller Outdoor Theater on Saturday, Sept. 21st.
The festival was a 2-day event. On Saturday, September 21st 2019 the opening night was held at the Miller Outdoor Theater at nightfall. The second day was a day/night event at Axelrad on Sunday, Sept. 22nd 2019. Doc Loc and the Swangers, Kim Prevost & Bill Solley and many other artists took part in the memorable outdoor event.
Festival events are hosted by Houston Jazz Collective a non-profit 501 (c) organization. Your donations are what help make these events happen. Please enjoy and share this video that showcases some highlights from the 2019 Houston Jazz Festival.
Contemporary Arts Museum Houston Jazz Collective Tribute to the Dirty South Performance.
The Dirty South makes visible the roots of Southern hip hop culture and reveals how the aesthetic traditions of the African American South have shaped visual art and musical expression over the last 100 years. The Houston Jazz Collective was asked to produce a musical tibute to the Dirty South and it’s respective exhibit. Featuring works by W.C. Handy early blues, New Olreans own Professor Longhair and Houston’s own Johnny Guitar Watson.
Mike Norton’s lifelong friend, Steve Haas of Haas Toyota Houston, has partnered with The Houston Jazz Collective, Cannonball Instruments, and Anthropos Arts to donate 20 guitars/amps and 20 brand new Cannonball horns to student musicians in need within Austin. Students from Austin and Manor ISD, KIPP and IDEA schools, and partner nonprofits Austin Soundwaves, Kids In a New Groove, and Beyond the Grade will be presented with their instruments during the instrument drive at Antone’s.
In the Spirit of Jazz, our mission is to enrich, entertain and expand the community for Jazz through Performance, Education and Advocacy.
Want to join us in making a difference? Our current focus is delivering a great Houston Jazz Festival this Fall 2019 at The Miller Outdoor Theater. Any donation will help make an impact!
When we give cheerfully and accept gratefully, everyone is blessed.
– Maya Angelou
The Houston Jazz Collective is an non-profit organization that is a producer of events and educational outreach programs. It is also the name of the performing entity, a “jazz band”, “a collective”. The collective is comprised of well known, as well as local musicians or any musicians that believe in our greater vision.
In this line-up The Houston Jazz Collective features Shelley Carrol, Andre Hayward, Bobby Sparks and Mark Simmons:
Here is sample of a Houston Jazz Collective’s All Star Tribute performance playing Houston Saxophonist legend Arnett Cobb’s most famous tune “Smooth Sailing” for the Houston Public Media’s Skyline Sessions filmed at the University of Houston Studios.
The organization’s mission also extends to an education program. The educational outreach program is Jazz Musicology. It has several programs one of which is “The Houston Center for After School Jazz Programs”. In this video you will see Bob Dorough, Andre Hayward & Shelley Carrol mentoring & entertaining the youth at the Boys and Girl Harbor a charitable facility for abused, abandoned, neglected children ages (5-18).Â
We will keep you informed about all of our happenings, upcoming shows and events!