Live At Jazz TX

“A trio can be a chamber ensemble, but it can also be a big band,” muses pianist Tamir Hendelman between tunes at Jazz, TX. “You have rhythm, you have harmony, you have melody.”

What else could you need?

This summer, we’re back at it with another season of jazz and blues from the heart of the Pearl Brewery. “Live At Jazz, TX” brings you hot sets from regional and national talent like Marcia Ball, Herlin Riley, and San Antonio’s own Doc Watkins, owner and proprietor of the titular club.

The first episode features Doc Watkins in a trio setting with bassist Mike Porter and drummer Brandon Guerra, and the swing is in full effect. As Watkins says, the three get along so well because they know when to bring the energy, and when to relax.

Aaron Prado was born to be a jazz musician. Seriously. His father George Prado, of the long-running Regency Jazz Band in San Antonio, gave his son the middle name Ellington. While still in the crib, his parents played recordings of classic jazz records by Keith Jarrett and John Coltrane to the newborn baby.

To listen to Johnny P and the Wise Guys is to be transported back in time to smoke-filled rooms at the casinos of old in the 1960s. Vocalist Johnny Panzarella has been fronting his band since 2007. Growing up in New York, Panzarella was turned on to singers like Frank Sinatra, Tony Bennett, and Dean Martin. “It was all around the house, and it rubs off on you. It sticks with you. I always latched on to jazz-oriented music and the standards.”

Despite being from San Antonio, Rick Barroso is steeped in the sounds of the Mississippi Delta. The electricity’s there—but you can hear the roots and soul of the music from his harmonica, and the almost folksy tinge to some of the arrangements.

In this episode of “Live At Jazz, TX,” you’ll hear his take on several Robert Johnson tunes, some original Texas blues, and a stomping version of “My Babe,” originally written by Willie Dixon for Little Walter.