Doc’s Houston Makes Montrose Debut

Brent “Doc” Watkins makes his living in music. Specifically, jazz music that he plays on the piano. But on the phone from his homebase of San Antonio, right now he’s thinking more about words. And specifically, one hoary, trope-laden phrase.

“They say ‘You can’t have your cake and eat it too.’ And at some point, early on for me, I just thought that doesn’t make any sense. You can have a piece of cake and eat it. It’s just an odd saying. Like you have to choose one or the other,” he offers.

“But sometimes, if you’re really smart and strategic about it—and stubborn as hell—you can have your cake and eat it too!”

That’s exactly what Watkins hopes to do when he and a coterie of hospitality and musical partners open his new namesake supper and music club, Doc’s Houston, at 1201 Westheimer on November 15.

And that’s a true blue, old school-style supper club. Not just a live music venue that serves food, or a restaurant that happens to have a stage for performers. But a real synthesis in an 11,000-square foot venue on two levels with seating for 400 and boasting a full kitchen with a chef and sommelier, and even an 18-foot video wall.

A decade ago, Doc Watkins (the nickname stemming from his degree in Musical Arts from UT-Austin) opened the club Jazz, TX in the city’s Pearl District. It’s been highly successful, serving dinners while regularly booking a stream of local, regional, and national talent. He had always had an eye on opening up another venue to hopefully create a sort of mini circuit for, and Houston seemed like just the right place.

“That was an obvious choice. Austin is closer, but they already have so many music venues and jazz clubs. Houston is only a three-hour drive away, and we wanted to do something there for a while,” Watkins says. “Building a [concert] circuit has always been a part of the vision, and Houston made the most sense. It just took us a decade to pull it off!”

He’s also cognizant that while Houston has a jazz history with big names (see Arnett Cobb, Illinois Jacquet, the Crusaders, Hubert and Ronnie Laws and, more recently, Robert Glasper and Jason Moran), jazz clubs seem to have a less permanent foothold.

“Businesses of all types come and go, and there are some jazz institutions in New York and Chicago and Washington, D.C. But for some reason, Texas doesn’t have that,” Watkins says.

And indeed, formerly familiar Houston jazz venues like Cezanne, Sambuca, and the Red Kat Jazz Café are gone, while Scott Gertner’s Rhythm Room continues despite the death of its namesake earlier this year, and there’s the Empire State Jazz Café.

The Art Deco-drenched physical space of Doc’s Houston, of course, has its own storied story from its beginnings as the Tower Theatre 1936. Over the years it’s also been home to a video store and two chef-driven restaurants. Watkins’ own interest is historical, as the old Tower hosted shows by his favorite comedian (Steve Martin) and his favorite jazz singer (Ella Fitzgerald).

This leads to a down-the-rabbit-hole conversation about Martin’s career, with Watkins openly wishing for a time machine to have been at that white suit/arrow-through-the-head Martin show in 1979, or one of Ella’s string of dates in 1980.

“Just the Montrose neighborhood is great. Tons of character, history, a great food culture and a destination for people. It’s just a cool, eclectic, funky neighborhood,” Watkins says. “I wouldn’t want to do this in a strip mall!”

The area has also seen a bit of a commercial resurgence with the opening of Nando’s Peri-Peri, Mala Sichuan, Black Swan Yoga, and the forthcoming 1111 Cocktail Lounge.

Even a brief perusal of Doc’s Houston website shows live music bookings of several different genres throughout the end of the year from performers like Charly Siaba, Jayln Baker, Ki’ora Michelle, Graeme Francis, David Caceres, and Patricia Vonne. Watkins himself will also grace the stage regularly, including two shows next month with an orchestra celebrating “The Music of A Charlie Brown Christmas.”

But if Watkins had a shiny lamp he could rub, who would be his dream booking?

“Oh gosh. Willie Nelson!” he laughs. “I’ve never met him and I’m sad about that, but I hope that I do. I love him so much. People say he’s not jazz but look at the Stardust album. And Miles Davis even wrote a song called ‘Willie Nelson.’ He’s my favorite artist of all time.”

Finally, with the opening of Doc’s Houston, Watkins knows he’ll be spending a lot of time traveling back and forth between the Alamo City and the Bayou City. So we have to ask: What is his preferred mode of transportation?

“Well, I drive. I don’t like to fly. And it’s good if I can make it in two hours and 45 minutes, so long as you leave Montrose before 4 pm and 3:30 on a Friday,” he says—before taking another rub on that magic lamp for an additional wish.

“I have an old 1976 Westfalia VW Bus. And I’d really like to drive it out there to Houston. But the problem is there’s parts of I-10 with no shoulder, so there’s no safety net. And that bus breaks down at least once a quarter!”

For more information on Doc’s Houston, visit DocsJazzClub.com

This article appears in Jan 1 – Dec 31, 2025.

Related