PRESS RELEASE: DOCFEST HOUSTON CONCERT ’24 – CELEBRATING TEN YEARS!
“Celebration” is this year’s buzzword for DocFest, not only because of the event’s decennial, but because alumni headliners are celebrating three eras of HSPVA jazz excellence:
from “The Trongone Era”:
MARK HOLDEN, composer/arranger(HSPVA ’74 – the *first* graduating class!)
Edward Trongone (1919-1987) was HSPVA’s founding Director of Jazz Studies, 1971-76
from “The Early Doc Era”:
WARREN SNEED, saxophonist (HSPVA ’78)
“Doc” = Dr. Robert Morgan, HSPVA Director of Jazz Studies, 1976-99
FLASH Warren Sneed announced January 22 that he will retire in June after serving 24 years wonderfully guiding a generation of HSPVA talent. Thus, his appearance as soloist/Hall of Fame inductee at DocFest ’24 will have added significance!
from “The Late Doc Era”:
WALTER SMITH III, saxophonist/composer (HSPVA ’98)
DocFest 2024
Saturday, March 23; 7:00 p.m.
Denney Theatre
Kinder High School for Performing and Visual Arts
790 Austin St.; Houston, Texas
Donna Franklin, KTSU-FM; emcee
Tickets available February 1 via docfestjazz.org
Mark Holden’s future success as composer/arranger was foretold by his ca. 40 charts written while a student at HSPVA. After high school, he attended Boston’s Berklee College of Music, where a high point was his founding of “The Berklee Fusion Faction,” a 40-piece student studio orchestra which featured his compositions.
Mark settled in Los Angles in 1992, founding the music production company, Musicomm, Inc., which remains very successful today. His countless credits include an original musical, Scrooge, commissioned by Houston’s Theatre Under the Stars, and public service announcements for Rice University and The Houston Chronicle. Mark’s TV scores have received several Emmy nominations and one win.
►DocFest has commissioned an original composition from Mark, to be premiered at DocFest by Kinder HSPVA Latin Jazz Combo, with the composer conducting.
Warren Sneed is an alumnus of the University of North Texas, including membership in UNT’s One O’Clock Lab Band (tenor sax), universally acknowledged as the foremost university jazz ensemble in the world. After graduating in 1983, he returned to Houston where he quickly became, and remains, the most in-demand freelance saxophonist/woodwind-doubler in the area. Among his performance credits are many appearances with the Houston Symphony Pops Orchestra.
Warren is equally-renowned in the area of jazz education, serving as Kinder HSPVA’s highly-successful Director of Jazz Studies, 2000-continuing. Prior to HSPVA, he taught at the University of Houston and Houston Community College.
The high point of Walter Smith III’s HSPVA career was no doubt being the only HSPVA jazz student (so far) designated as Presidential Scholar in the Arts (1998), which included a ceremony at the White House. He was also a member of the Texas high school All-State Jazz Ensemble (tenor sax) for his junior and senior years.
After ‘PVA, Walter attained degrees from the Berklee College of Music, Manhattan School of Music (master’s), and a Graduate Diploma from the Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz (U. of So. Cal.). He now resides in Boston where he is Chair of the Woodwinds Department at Berklee.
After several notable sideman recordings, Walter recorded his first album-as-leader (Casually Introducing…) in 2006, since headlining eight albums with the latest being Blue Note’s Return to Casual (2023). He has also recorded dozens of albums as featured sideman with artists ranging from Mose Allison to Terence Blanchard to Chief Xian aTunde Adjuah. He is internationally recognized as one of the saxophone leading lights of his generation.
And…most important…Walter is the only jazz musician to have been celebrated by Sergeant Fin Tutuola (aka Ice T) on Law and Order (!).
►During the concert, Holden, Sneed and Smith will be inducted into the HSPVA Jazz Hall of Fame (previous inductees may be seen at docfestjazz.org).
For more information visit our website at docfestjazz.org or call 832-784-1781.
DocFest Houston 2024 