OUR STORY
About Us
The Houston Jazz Collective is a 501(c) non profit 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)
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Shelley Carrol
Saxophonist Shelley Carrol hails from a family of Houston gospel singers and musicians. He studied with Texas Tenor greats Arnett Cobb and Don Wilkerson. Carrol attended the High School for the Performing and Visual Arts (HSPVA) and was a standout in the city’s Summer Jazz Workshop Program. He has been a member of the Duke Ellington Orchestra, and has toured the U.S. and over 30 foreign countries. He has performed or recorded with Sheryl Crow, Maureen McGovern, Tony Bennet, Nancy Wilson, Joe Williams, Roger Waters and a host of others. Carrol just completed a tour of Asia and the US with The Duke Ellington Orchestra, culminating in a week-long engagement at the Blue Note in New York City. He currently tours with Kool and the Gang.
Andre Hayward
Andre Hayward is a gifted trombonist with the sound and clarity reminiscent of the late J.J. Johnson. Born in Houston in 1973, Hayward’s first exposure to music was through his parents, Melvin and Barbara Hayward. He began playing trombone and tuba at the age of 11. He attended HSPVA, and continued to hone his skills with Houston’s legendary educator Conrad O. Johnson. He has recorded or performed with Betty Carter, Joe Williams, John Lewis, Kirk Whalum, The Duke Ellington Orchestra and many others. Hayward toured as lead trombonist with The Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra and the Duke Ellington Orchestra. visit AndreHayward.com
Joseph Peine
A CPA with a wealth of industry and nonprofit experience. He currently serves on the Board of Directors as the Audit Chair of the Boys and Girls Harbor and is proud to say has become accredited by the COA and received the highest 4 star rating by Charity Navigator during his tenure there. In addition he worked at a stagehand to support his college education. He worked for the Houston Grand Opera, The Houston Symphony, The Houston Ballet and many rock and roll touring acts including The Rolling Stones, Earth Wind and Fire, Willy Nelson and many more. That experience gives him unique insight into the business and operational side of the music business. visit merrylanerecords.com
Tim Ruiz
Tim Ruiz is a first generation Mexican-American musician born and living in Houston, Tx. He is the bassist for the Grammy Award-winning band, La Mafia. Ruiz has toured the world and has played for large audiences and at prominent venues, including Madison Square Garden.Working with the finest musicians at his home studio, many of the musicians he works with have played with popular artists such as Jason Mraz, Stevie Wonder, Sheryl Crow, The Duke Ellington Orchestra, Al Jarreau, George Duke, Beyonce Knowles & Santana. visit TimRuizMusic.com
Brian Perez
Perez holds D.M.A. in saxophone performance from the University of Maryland College Park in 2014. He graduated with honors with a Master of Music in Jazz Pedagogy from the University of Miami, holds a Bachelor of Music in Jazz Studies from the University of Minnesota Duluth, and has studied at the L’Aula Conservatori del Musica in Barcelona, Spain. Perez’s teaching career has includes 10 years as Assistant Professor of Saxophone and Director of Jazz Ensembles at the University of Maryland Eastern Shore (UMES). Here he also established a program in Jazz and Popular Music and served for two years as Department Coordinator. Past positions include Salisbury University, Miami Dade Community College, and has served as guest clinician for Monterey Jazz Festival’s Next Generation Jazz Festival, Essentially Ellington, University of Miami Young Musician’s Camp, the Head of the Lakes Jazz Festival, as well as others.
As a seasoned musician of jazz, classical & pop styles, he has toured the nation as a woodwind performer for musical theater companies, performed with orchestras and wind ensembles, given solo concert recitals and has performed across the globe with his jazz quartet. His Quartet has performed nationally and internationally including Barcelona & Madrid Spain, Manizales Colombia & Caracas Venezuela. His performing and compositional style is fresh and diverse, rooted in tradition and his music moves toward a cross-pollination of styles and the deterioration of concrete definitions of genres and his compositional & performance style reflects these elements of his environment.