Chicago jazz scene welcomes a Texas newcomer

CHICAGO (WBBM NEWSRADIO) A Texas pianist who started a jazz club in a San Antonio basement is bringing a supper club to Lincoln Park.

Doc's Jazz Club is expected to open in March 2027 at NEWCITY, in the former Yard House space, according to a company announcement. It will be the third club from pianist and bandleader Brent "Doc" Watkins and his first in the Midwest, following Jazz, TX in San Antonio and Doc's in Houston. The club has not announced an exact opening date.

Doc's will pair live music with dinner, cocktails and service under one roof. Chef Matt Fanella will lead the culinary program, and Nick DeFina will serve as general manager, the club said.

"There's something powerful about sitting in a room with other people, listening to musicians who are creating something in real time," Watkins said. "You can't stream that feeling. You can't put it on a playlist. It happens because you're there."

Watkins is a working musician. According to the club, he performs more than 100 shows a year with his 11-piece orchestra and has released 10 albums. He played Carnegie Hall with his trio in 2014 and holds master's and doctoral degrees in music from the University of Texas. The "Doc" comes from the doctorate, he writes in his new memoir Jazz, TX: A Love Letter to Live Music, Community, and the Little Club That Could. Jazz, TX opened in San Antonio in 2016, recently marking its 10th anniversary. Watkins is also a co-founder of TurnTable, a ticketing and marketing platform for jazz clubs and cabaret-style venues.

Doc's will enter a city with established rooms, including the Green Mill in Uptown, Andy's Jazz Club and the Jazz Showcase, which dates to 1947.

"Chicago is one of the great music cities, and I have enormous respect for what jazz means here," Watkins said. "We're not coming to Chicago to tell Chicago what jazz is. We're coming because we love what Chicago already is, and we want to build a place that feels worthy of being part of that tradition."