Sam Kininger Bio
"A saxophone legend, Berklee alum, and all-around funk genius, Sam Kininger is building his fan-base and repertoire simultaneously at clubs across the country. Kininger has been in legendary funk/soul groups since the beginning, including, but not limited to Lettuce, Soulive and the Brotherhood of Groove. He has also performed with larger pop acts including Dave Matthews and Wyclef Jean.
As a solo artist Sam Kininger has developed a distinctive, organic sound on the saxophone that is strongly expressive. He consistently demonstrates his technical dexterity and rhythmic precision while maintaining an honest and innovative exploration of musical improvisation.
His debut album includes completely original instrumental funk/jazz compositions. The grooves are intense and the solos are aggressively rhythmic and deeply soulful. Loaded with guest musicians, Sam Kininger's album features some of the most talented musicians on the scene, including Eric Krasno (guitar) and Neal Evans (organ) from Soulive, the legendary Fred Wesley (trombone) from George Clinton's Parliament and James Brown's JB's, and Adam Deitch (drums), a member of guitar legend John Scofield's band.
Sam Kininger's original funk band, which also features Amy Bowles on Key's, Aaron Bellamy on Bass and Nikki Glaspie (who just completed a world tour with Beyonce) on Drums (as well as an assortment of other rotating musicians), has been blowing away audiences with their high-energy funk for about 4 years now, and their musical evolution and popularity is exponentially growing with each show. They have performed at many festivals throughout the country, including The New Orleans Jazz Festival (LA), The North Beach Jazz Festival (CA), Camp Creek (NY), Berkfest (MA) and Sunset Jazz (St. Croix, VI). They have also had successful shows in clubs such as The Blue Note (NYC), The Mercury Lounge (NYC), The Elbow Room (CA), Tipitina's (LA) and many others.
Don't be surprised if some heavyweight players make sit-in appearances, and be less surprised if you find yourself dancing like a maniac. This is a must-see show, so grab your friends and make it a night out of dancing,
drinking and funking.
Sam Kininger has recently completed the recording his sophomore album, "Anthem", which is scheduled to be released March 5, 2008 on the BMG-Japan label.
SOULIVE - Sam was also a member of the internationally renowned Blue Note recording group Soulive, who has successfully toured the world and achieved outstanding record sales. During the summer of 1999, Soulive cut their first LP, "Turn It Out," for Velour. It featured guests John Scofield and Oteil Burbridge (Allman Brothers). Then, in 2001, Soulive released their sophomore album, "Doin' Something," featuring legendary performer and arranger Fred Wesley on trombone. In February 2001, Soulive toured Japan, followed by a month long European summer tour that included stops in France, England, Spain, Switzerland, Italy, Belgium and the Netherlands. They band also did a run of stadium shows opening for the Dave Matthews Band.
Update: On Friday, February 18, 2008, Sam performed with Soulive at the Brooklyn Academy of Music. This performance was quickly followed up with a performance the following night at the State Theater in Ithaca, NY. Unanimously happy with how these shows turned out, Sam will again perform with Soulive for a number of shows in the upcoming months.
LETTUCE – With their Velour Recordings release, Outta Here, Lettuce combines the grittiness of the Meters with the harmonic textures of Herbie Hancock. The band consists of Sam Kininger, Eric Krasno, Neal Evans, Adam Deitch, Adam Smirnoff, Erick Coomes, and Ryan Zoidis. On their album, Lettuce is joined by some of their heroes including guitar great John Scofield, trombone legend Fred Wesley and Tonni Smith (Jamaica Funk). Lettuce has successfully toured across the US as well as Japan, where they released a live album, "Live In Tokyo".
In February, 2007 Lettuce returned to the studio to record a new album, titled "Rage!", which is scheduled to be released April 22, 2008. The band will then reform for a series of shows in May.
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Sam Kininger Band @ Revolution Hall - 2/23/08 - "10 Hours Late"
Sam Kininger Band @ Revolution Hall - 2/23/08 - "Time To Be Out"
Sam Kininger Band @ Revolution Hall - 2/23/08 - "NY No. 1"
Soulive (featuring Sam Kininger):
