SAM WILKES Schallplatten & CDs

Review: The Doober, the latest release in the Music for Saxofone and Bass Guitar series by jazz duo Sam Gendel and Sam Wilkes, offers a unique take on covers from artists like Joni Mitchell, Judee Sill, and Sheryl Crow. Recorded live, the album captures the spontaneity of their performances, highlighting Gendel's vibrant saxophone and Wilkes' energetic basslines. Eschewing traditional renditions, the duo emphasizes textural exploration, transforming tracks like 'Rugged Road' and 'The Circle Game' into playful, experimental pieces. Their chemistry is evident throughout, with standout moments including a jazz twist on Sheryl Crow's 'Tomorrow Never Dies' and a seamless blend of Miklos Rozsa's 'Love Theme' and Chris Isaak's 'Wicked Game.'

Review: The Doober, the latest instalment in the Music for Saxofone and Bass Guitar series by jazz duo Sam Gendel and Sam Wilkes, is a freewheeling listen through covers of songs by artists like Joni Mitchell, Judee Sill, and Sheryl Crow. Recorded live, the album captures the raw energy and spontaneity of their performances that feature Gendel's dynamic saxophone work and Wilkes' bouncing basslines. The duo's approach to covers is far from conventional, as they prioritise spacious textural exploration over faithful renditions. Tracks like 'Rugged Road' and 'The Circle Game' undergo radical transformations, evolving into wriggling, cartoonish masses and modal studies, respectively. Gendel and Wilkes playfully deconstruct each song, infusing them with their own cheeky sense of abandon. Despite their unconventional approach, the duo's chemistry shines through on every track, with each piece serving as a framed photo of outer space, presenting the infinite within a digestible container. The album's highlights include unexpected interpolations, such as a jazz rendition of Sheryl Crow's 'Tomorrow Never Dies' and a seamless transition from Miklos Rozsa's 'Love Theme (From Ben Hur)' into Chris Isaak's 'Wicked Game.'

Review: Back in 2018 Leaving Records first released this low key gem from Sam Gendel and Sam Wilkes, which blended the natural lull of live saxophone and bass guitar with considered FX processing to create some spellbinding grooves somewhere on the outer periphery of soul jazz. It's totally fresh, totally chill, and bursting with soul thanks to the impeccable playing from Gendel and Wilkes. It's gone through a number of iterations including previous tape issues and a white label private press run of 50, and now it's finally getting a repress so the latecomers can cop a wax edition and shirk the scalpers. Music this warm and fuzzy deserves to be heard on wax.

Review: Brooklyn producer, bandleader and DJ Toribio returns for the second 12" on his newly launched BDA Imprint. Going deeper into his lifelong jazz obsession, 'Bring Dat Jazz' does just that whilst gladly exhorting us to do the same. Spanning three impressively arranged originals on top of a wicked remix of Sam Wilkes and Jacob Mann's 'Dr. T' on the A2, the overall impression gained here is one of an artist's deepest possible immersion in not just jazz as a whole, but its wildest contemporary abstractions through styles like deep house, garage house and post-punk. 'Jazz Misconduct' conducts itself rascally enough, holding itself together by the thinnest house-swing string; then the B-siders 'Bumples' and 'My Humps' herald a brief rise in tempo, coming shortly before an unusual hip-funk dub flip: a leftfield turn through a subtle, misty piano and vocal tinkering with the end of a storied Black Eyed Peas song.

Review: Under the open skies of Southern California, with the San Bernardino Mountains in sight, Sam Wilkes, Craig Weinrib, and Dylan Day came together to craft this album in one seamless evening session. Wilkes' bass, Weinrib's drums, and Day's electric guitar unite to form an organic and unhurried collaboration. The trio's sound feels effortless yet focused, driven by the natural chemistry between them rather than stylistic constraints. Each note speaks to a deep mutual understanding, allowing the music to evolve naturally, guided by the landscape and the moment.