Sam Gendel and Sam Wilkes met at USC in Los Angeles and clicked immediately. Today they are two of the most prominent musicians on the red-hot LA scene. Their sound moves between lounge jazz, experimental minimalism, R&B, and Dilla-inspired beat structures. You’ve heard their music in the works of artists like Mk.gee, Moses Sumney, and Mach-Hommy – here you’ll hear them in a deeply attuned duo format.
Their first collaborative album, Music for Saxofone & Bass Guitar (2018), was recorded live at two LA restaurants in Laurel Canyon and Silver Lake, background noise and all, straight to cassette. It has been described as an underground milestone in the jazz world and a “future classic” by In Sheep’s Clothing.
On their latest duo record, The Doober (2024), they interpret songs by artists including Joni Mitchell, Judee Sill, and Sheryl Crow through their singular filter of electronic, floating, free-spirited jazz. Outside the duo, Gendel has co-written with Vampire Weekend and played alongside Laurie Anderson and Blake Mills, while Wilkes has collaborated with Chaka Khan, Dijon, and Dean Blunt. In duo format, their own ideas and chemistry take centre stage – saxophone and bass given room to breathe.
LINEUP
Sam Gendel – saxophone
Sam Wilkes – bass
