Before a show, after a show or between Winter Fest shows, Mama Kin is the perfect place to have some delicious food, a great artisanal cocktail and a great “hang.” We’ve worked with Mama Kin and Jazz in the Neighborhood to provide great music each Thursday (Free) and Friday (just $10) during Winter Fest.  Tonight’s band is the Jim Witzel Organ Quintet with Erik Jekabson on trumpet, Jason Lewis on drums, Dann Zinn on sax and Brian Ho on organ. The band is on 6–9pm and is followed by a Tony Peebles-led jazz jam until 12:15am, so bring your instrument and join in! You might even be sharing the stage with some Ukrainian artists.

The Jim Witzel Organ Quintet showcases an ensemble of Bay Area jazz veterans that will evoke the fiery, melodic soul jazz and jazz funk sounds of the 1960s and 1970s that prominently featured the iconic B-3 organ. 

Jim Witzel grew up in the North Bay town of San Rafael and began learning guitar at age twelve. He explored various styles (folk, pop, rock and blues) and began studying jazz guitar in high-school with well-known Bay Area teacher and performer Dave Smith. Jim works as both a leader and sideman with such Bay Area musicians as Adam Shulman, Akira Tana, John Worley, Matt Clark, Lorca Hart, Dann Zinn, Wil Blades, Andrew Speight, Jason Lewis, Brian Ho and others. He’s currently Professor of Jazz Guitar Studies at both San Francisco State and Santa Clara Universities.

Erik Jekabson is a freelance trumpet player, composer, arranger and educator who lives in the San Francisco Bay Area.  He leads three of his own groups, the Erik Jekabson Sextet, the String-tet and the Electric Squeezebox Orchestra, which have played the Monterey Jazz Festival, the Stanford Jazz Workshop, the DeYoung Museum, SFJAZZ Center, Kuumbwa Jazz, California Jazz Conservatory and San Jose Jazz Summer Fest. He’s spent time on the road with Illinois Jacquet, John Mayer, Galactic, and the Howard Fishman Quartet, and has performed at such notable venues as the Algonquin Room in NYC, and The Tonight Show with Jay Leno and Late Night with David Letterman. 

As a world-class saxophonist/flutist, Dann Zinn is renowned for being a passionate soloist and composer/arranger. He’s been hailed over the years as “inventive,” “distinctive,” and for “creating a stunning and emotional listening experience.” Dann’s resume includes working with Allison Miller, Derrick Hodge, Geoffrey Keezer, Joe Henderson, Taylor Eigsti, Terri Lyne Carrington, Jeff Tain Watts, Freddie Hubbard, Chuck Findley and many others. His impressive discography includes five albums as bandleader, and over 100 appearances as a featured soloist and sideman on albums with prominent musicians.

Named “one of the region’s most promising young jazz organists” by the San Jose Mercury News, organist Brian Ho stays rooted in the tradition of classic Hammond Organists such as Jimmy Smith, Shirley Scott, and Jack Mc Duff while integrating additional influences that give him a modern take on jazz organ. Brian has shared the stage with Calvin Keys, Akira Tana, Leon Joyce, Tony Peebles, Clifford Brown III, Rick Vandivier, Ken Okada, and many more.

Jason Lewis graduated from the classical percussion program at San Jose State University, under the direction of Tony Cirone of the San Francisco Symphony, with a BA in music. He’s toured and recorded with Bozz Scaggs, Michael Brook, Djeivan Gasparayan, Ann Dyer and Taylor Eigsti. Jason has played with a variety of talented musicians, including Gary Burton, James Moody, Paul McCandles, Larry Coryell, Regina Carter, John Handy, Kurt Elling and many more.  

The SoFA entertainment district’s newest venue, Mama Kin offers the perfect trifecta of food, drinks & live entertainment in the former Cafe Stritch space, a storied location for live jazz. Enjoy a full bar and cuisine that’s a fusion of American classics and modern Mexican culinary flourishes. Leave boring behind with a selection of offerings that rises to the level of Mama Kin’s diverse musical performances in San Jose’s most interesting business district, where creativity and social life thrive.