SAM GENDEL Vinyl & CDs

Review: .While Brazilian guitarist Fabiano Do Nascimento and American saxophonist Sam Gendel first met and played together at the dawn of the last decade - at a Los Angeles cafe both used to frequent, fact fans - it was only last year that they decided to collaborate on a release. The Room, the resultant album, was reportedly recorded in two days in a studio in the Californian countryside. It's an undeniably magical and sun-soaked affair, with Gendel teasing fluttering, flute-esque improvisations from his soprano saxophone while Do Nascimento delivers impeccable, finger-picking meditations on his seven-string acoustic guitar. The latter is undoubtedly a virtuoso with his own distinct style - a Brazilian take on classical guitar, incorporating nods to lesser-known regional music - but instinctively knows when to step back and allow Gendel the limelight. Impressive stuff all told.

Review: Brazilian guitarist Fabiano do Nascimento and American saxophonist Sam Gendel join forces for The Room: ten tracks of broken jazzdance instrumentals conjoined by an almost telepathic synergy between artists. Springboarding from an initial collaborative gig at a restaurant owned by Gendel's cousin, the duo was thus born as a before-you-know-it gestalt; and in so coming together as a studio project, the artists realised their mutually jazz-laden upbringings, discovering even that both saxophonists had first picked up the brass at exactly the same age; both shared a fascination with environmentalism and ecology; both were superfans of experimental musician Hermeto Pascoal; et cetera. A serendipitous match, then, the album is synchronous to match, balancing five tracks per side in a sublime homeo-ecstatic equilibrium. Recorded in two days in a basement studio in Pacific Palisades, each track its own dive into the rhythms and regions of a South America without borders.

Review: Experimental saxophonist Sam Gendel has been gifting us with reams of golden material in the past few years, from collaborative wonders to solo reflections, but this Fresh Bread will keep us chewing for days. Clearly Gendel can't help but make incredible music, and this collection is pulled from his personal archives of skits, sketches, unreleased pieces and more in between. It sounds shockingly complete for what is meant to be a gathering of offcuts, but the diaristic quality does feel like getting closer to the inner workings of the artist. If you appreciate beats, loops and experimental vignettes with an organic quality, you'll find a lot to enjoy in here.

Review: LA-based composer, producer, and multi-instrumentalist Sam Gendel's COOKUP is a new album of old material, kind of. It finds him laying down all new interpretations of r&b and soul hits that were first released between 1992 and 2004. It comes on Nonesuch Records and is another showcase of just why Gendel is at the heart of his native scene in Los Angeles. Across 12 glorious tunes his friends and collaborators Gabe Noel and Philippe Melanson help him rework material by greats like Beyonce, Genuwine, Erykah Badu, Soul II Soul and Boyz II Men. A fine collection.

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: 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.