Black Cat's Upcoming Shows

Tickets: $20 , $30 , $40 , $50 (price includes $5.50 processing and ticketing fee) 7:00 show: Doors @ 6:00 9:15 show: Bar @ 6:00, Doors @ 8:30 Sundra Manning Pianist, Keyboardist, Hammond B3 Organ player, Composer and Producer. Respected for her wide-range musical versatility, She brings a funky, fresh and gritty approach to her playing that is unique and special. Sundra has recorded, written, and performed around the world with artist such as Larry Graham featuring Prince, Lalah Hathaway, Raphael Saadiq, Peter Tork of the Monkeys, Bobby Womack, Ledisi, Michael Franti & Spearhead, Pete Escovedo, MC Hammer, Peabo Bryson, EnVogue, Avery Sunshine, Miko Marks, Black Women Rock among others. Sundra has produced and/or written songs for HBO films, Sony Pictures, Bose Corp., Warner Brothers Films, Potter Barn, Kohl’s. She is an active educator working with Living Jazz, JazzCamp West, Jam Camp West, 510akland, Jazz & Democracy, SFJazz and most recently a Blues Piano Instructor the Ryan Coogler / Warner Brothers 2025 Oscar nominated film Sinners. She performs concerts with her Hammond B3 Organ Jazz Quartet, produces, records music and is available for solo performances, Mighty Wurlitzer Pipe Organ Theatre Shows, Master Classes, accompaniment, private and corporate events, touring, songwriting collaborations, film scoring, studio recording and music production. Band Lineup: Sundra Manning, piano Howard Wiley, saxophone Ron Belcher, bass Aaron Green, drums 

Tickets: $20 , $40 , $50 , $60 (price includes $5.50 processing and ticketing fee) 7:00 show: Doors @ 6:00 9:30 show: Bar @ 6:00, Doors @ 8:45 The NYC-based “Alex Weitz Group” are known for their strong group dynamic, exciting interpretations of standards, and captivating memorable original compositions blending straight ahead jazz with modern, classical, and contemporary influences. Across the span of over a decade they have recorded five albums, including their recent release “Rule of Thirds” on Outside in Music as well as “Live at the Black Cat”. For this residency they will be focusing on new music from their upcoming album due in late 2026. Bandleader Alex Weitz won second place in the Michael Brecker International Saxophone Competition, has won two ASCAP Herb Alpert Composer Awards, and was a recent finalist in the DCJazzPrix. Alex has performed at esteemed venues and jazz festivals around the world including Dizzy's Club, Tucson Jazz Festival, Red Sea Jazz Festival, Monterey Jazz Festival, Smalls Jazz Club, Birdland Jazz Club, Kennedy Center Millennium Stage, Jazz Standard, South Beach Jazz Festival, Telluride Jazz Festival, and the Jazz Showcase. “It is impossible not to be knocked out by the sheer creative firepower of Alex Weitz.” - The Jazz Word Band Lineup: Alex Weitz - tenor saxophone Tal Cohen - piano Ben Tiberio - bass Michael Piolet - drums 

Tickets: $20 , $40 , $50 , $60 (price includes $5.50 processing and ticketing fee) 7:00 show: Doors @ 6:00 9:30 show: Bar @ 6:00, Doors @ 8:45 The NYC-based “Alex Weitz Group” are known for their strong group dynamic, exciting interpretations of standards, and captivating memorable original compositions blending straight ahead jazz with modern, classical, and contemporary influences. Across the span of over a decade they have recorded five albums, including their recent release “Rule of Thirds” on Outside in Music as well as “Live at the Black Cat”. For this residency they will be focusing on new music from their upcoming album due in late 2026. Bandleader Alex Weitz won second place in the Michael Brecker International Saxophone Competition, has won two ASCAP Herb Alpert Composer Awards, and was a recent finalist in the DCJazzPrix. Alex has performed at esteemed venues and jazz festivals around the world including Dizzy's Club, Tucson Jazz Festival, Red Sea Jazz Festival, Monterey Jazz Festival, Smalls Jazz Club, Birdland Jazz Club, Kennedy Center Millennium Stage, Jazz Standard, South Beach Jazz Festival, Telluride Jazz Festival, and the Jazz Showcase. “It is impossible not to be knocked out by the sheer creative firepower of Alex Weitz.” - The Jazz Word Band Lineup: Alex Weitz - tenor saxophone Tal Cohen - piano Ben Tiberio - bass Michael Piolet - drums 

Tickets: $20 , $30 , $40 , $50 (price includes $5.50 processing and ticketing fee) 7:00 show: Doors @ 6:00 9:15 show: Bar @ 6:00, Doors @ 8:30 The NYC-based “Alex Weitz Group” are known for their strong group dynamic, exciting interpretations of standards, and captivating memorable original compositions blending straight ahead jazz with modern, classical, and contemporary influences. Across the span of over a decade they have recorded five albums, including their recent release “Rule of Thirds” on Outside in Music as well as “Live at the Black Cat”. For this residency they will be focusing on new music from their upcoming album due in late 2026. Bandleader Alex Weitz won second place in the Michael Brecker International Saxophone Competition, has won two ASCAP Herb Alpert Composer Awards, and was a recent finalist in the DCJazzPrix. Alex has performed at esteemed venues and jazz festivals around the world including Dizzy's Club, Tucson Jazz Festival, Red Sea Jazz Festival, Monterey Jazz Festival, Smalls Jazz Club, Birdland Jazz Club, Kennedy Center Millennium Stage, Jazz Standard, South Beach Jazz Festival, Telluride Jazz Festival, and the Jazz Showcase. “It is impossible not to be knocked out by the sheer creative firepower of Alex Weitz.” - The Jazz Word Band Lineup: Alex Weitz - tenor saxophone Tal Cohen - piano Ben Tiberio - bass Michael Piolet - drums 

Tickets: $15.50 - $25.50 7:00 show: Doors @ 6:00 Midweek just got a whole lot deeper. JaZzLine INSTITUTE presents The Soul Sessions: an electrifying live music series bringing the Bay Area’s finest to the stage at Black Cat every Wednesday night, March through May. Experience world-class musicianship up close in an intimate setting where jazz, soul, gospel, funk, and R&B collide. Seats are limited. The vibe is undeniable. Make your reservations now while supplies last. The $10 cash tickets are available at the door based on availability. Tarus Mateen is one of the more sought-after acoustic and electric bassists on the jazz scene. He has also made his mark with a variety of R&B and hip-hop artists, as both a bassist and a producer. A graduate of Atlanta’s Morehouse College, Mateen worked for several years down South. Relocating to New York in 1988, he scored the dream gig of many young jazz musicians: a spot in Betty Carter’s band. He also worked with trumpeter/film composer Terence Blanchard on the score for the Spike Lee film Malcolm X, as well as the Malcolm X Jazz Suite. Mateen’s R&B and hip-hop credits include such notable acts as Monica, Outkast, Goodie Mob, the Roots, Fugees, De La Soul, and Fishbone. On the jazz side, he performs and records most regularly with pianist Jason Moran & The Bandwagon. He also works with vocalist Faye Carol, pianist Marc Cary, vibraphonist Stefon Harris, as well as the New Directions band, which includes Harris, Greg Osby, Jason Moran, and Mark Shim. The Soul Sessions at Black Cat Where groove meets spirit. Where legends and rising stars share one stage. Where Wednesday nights feel like church for music lovers. Supported by a Culture Forward grant from The Svane Family Foundation Band Lineup: Tarus Mateen, bass Marvin 'Smitty' Smith, drums Joe Warner, piano 

Tickets: $20 , $30 , $40 , $50 (price includes $5.50 processing and ticketing fee) 7:00 show: Doors @ 6:00 9:15 show: Bar @ 6:00, Doors @ 8:30 San Francisco-based bassist, trombonist, composer, and arranger Leela Paymai (ZHENIIA) grew up steeped in the sounds of Persian Pop music—Googoosh, Marjan, Dariush—before landing in the Bay Area and diving headfirst into the tangled, boundary-less world of modern jazz. What emerged is ZHENIIA: a genre-blurring, emotionally charged project that filters ancestral memory through a contemporary lens. ZHENIIA’s music is a collision of identities and histories, layered with microtonal scales, hip-hop rhythm, and psychedelic textures. Bass-driven and politically pointed, the songs reach across genre and geography, weaving oud melodies and Persian folk motifs through thick, improvisatory grooves. The band’s ever-shifting lineup reflects the fluidity of its sound—one show might feature electric violin, the next trombone—but there’s always a core of rhythm, synthesis, and soul. “I take a lot of inspiration from my grandparents and parents,” Paymai says, “who, despite surviving the Iranian revolution, always found time to make music. That spirit—of resilience, of beauty in chaos—fuels everything I do.” ZHENIIA premiered in February 2025 with a sold-out debut at San Jose Jazz’s New Works Festival, backed by a dynamic band of Bay Area collaborators including Chili Corder on oud, Julian Lopez on synths, and drummer Jaycie Grady. Press coverage quickly followed, with features in Mercury News, East Bay Times, and Mission Local. While no official releases have dropped yet, ZHENIIA is just beginning. These are songs for survival, movement, and deep feeling—music to grieve to, dream through, and rise with. Stay tuned. Band Lineup: Leela Paymai - bass Julian Lopez - piano Chili Corder - oud Allison Irvine - violin Rabiah Kabir - flute Jaycie Grady - drums