Sam Gendel & Sam Wilkes

Californian underground duo of saxophone and bass guitar reunites.

Before Sam Gendel became a recognized saxophone innovator and Sam Wilkes a respected bass guitarist, they formed a duo that performed in restaurants in Los Angeles. Their wondrous improvisations sounded like a mix of instrumental hip-hop productions and worn-out funk and jazz records. Thanks to the label Leaving Records, they celebrated success with their live recordings and were even heard in the Netflix series Malcolm & Marie. Now the duo finally returns to the stage.

Gendel and Wilkes both played with KNOWER, the group with drum virtuoso Louis Cole. As a duo, they broke through with the live album Music for Saxophone & Bass Guitar (2018). After that, both went their own way as solo artists. Gendel released albums on Leaving and Nonesuch and collaborated with, among others, Ry Cooder, Perfume Genius, and Vampire Weekend. Wilkes played with artists such as Chaka Khan, Rufus Wainwright, and Jacob Collier. In 2024, the duo released a new collection of live recordings under the title The Doober.

Sam Gendel saxophone, Sam Wilkes bass guitar