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Sam Gendel
“Sam Gendel plays like a student at the altar of spiritual jazz," says Pitchfork. "His songs are just a little too psychedelic to sit in the contemporary jazz section, but his music is as studied and controlled as his counterparts in post-bop." "In the spirit of Miles Davis or late-career John Coltrane," says Fader, "Gendel aspires to a transcendent form of jazz." KCRW says: "Sam Gendel makes poetry in musical motion [and] speaks to our time and beyond."
Sam Gendel is a musician and producer living in Los Angeles, CA. He is most known for his work with the saxophone, though he is proficient on multiple instruments. His work is diverse and includes significant collaborations with a wide range of artists including Ry Cooder, Blake Mills, Sam Amidon, Perfume Genius, Moses Sumney, Knower, Vampire Weekend, and inc. no world. Gendel’s previous discography includes the critically praised Music for Saxofone & Bass Guitar with bassist Sam Wilkes and 4444.
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Louis Cole: Quality Over Opinion
by Scott Lichtman
Louis Cole is a chameleonic genius--merging beats, samples and catchy tunes across styles ranging from metal-funk-fusion" to pastoral falsettos." His loose incorporation of jazz traits, including syncopation, funk keys and sophisticated horn arrangements, has yielded new validation with a Grammy 2024 Best Alternative Jazz Album nomination for Quality Over Opinion (originally released in 2022). Cole plays fluid keys, guitar, drums, sings and produces. There are twenty pieces on Quality Over Opinion. Practically every tune--the majority clock-in at under ...
read moreSam Gendel: Cookup
by Scott Gudell
Saxophonist Sam Gendel has sent out an invitation to an unusual sonic Cookup. So what is he serving? Who will be there? Will beat poets merge with experimental musicians in a smoky jazz grotto? Will it be a cryptic musical labyrinth or a collection of meandering songs? Is it a transcription of ancient African organic rhythms or something more modern? The answer is elusive and, by design, a moving target. There are bits and pieces of all the ...
read moreSam Gendel: Fresh Bread
by Emmanuel Di Tommaso
Dare vita a un disco di 52 tracce realizzate nel corso di otto anni, mettendo insieme registrazioni casalinghe e pezzi registrati dal vivo che attraversano vari generi e stili compositivi per oltre tre ore di musica. Potrebbe sembrare una follia nell'epoca della realtà istantanea in cui tutto accade ora e subito ed è destinato a durare pochi secondi o al massimo 280 caratteri. Se però in cabina di regia c'è un genio del calibro di Sam Gendel, l'operazione ...
read moreSam Gendel: Pass If Music
by Mark Sullivan
Los Angeles-based alto saxophonist Sam Gendel produced every sound on this album live, using only his saxophone. But you would be unlikely to think so after hearing it. Opening track Anemone Swerve" sounds like an outtake by trumpeter Jon Hassell--returning the favor for Hassell's reedy, somewhat saxophone-like trumpet sound. Gendel also favors the same sort of electronic processing, employing harmonizer, reverb and delay. East LA Haze Dream" has a base of an oscillating drone with heavy reverb. Gendel plays short ...
read moreMark Hanslip
saxophone, tenorMusic
Anywhere (featuring Meshell Ndegeocello)
From: CookupBy Sam Gendel