As a Saxophonist, Maceo Parker, Kenny Garrett, Branford Marsalis, Grover Washington Jr., Eddie Harris, Bennie Maupin, John Coltrane and Cannonball Adderley have been the most influential for Sam.
Sam has absorbed many musical influences. His most elemental roots are “funk” (Parliament, James Brown, Prince and Earth Wind & Fire), “hip-hop” (Slum Village, Jurassic 5, A Tribe Called Quest, The Roots, DJ Quik, DJ Spinna and DJ Premier), “Jazz” (Herbie Hancock, Miles Davis, Grant Green, Jimmy Smith, Donald Byrd and Gary Bartz), “rock” (Led Zeppelin, Jimi Hendrix, The Allman Brothers and The Beatles) and he is continually intrigued by all of the sounds created worldwide.
"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 ..'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.
see you in Collinsville on Saturday! we're playin real early but if you show up around 2 and hear Sam Huff's in A minor, come rage it with us! or give us the signal and we'll modulate to Bb. can't wait to hear your set.
Sam Kininger :o) Been a minute, but wanted to come thru and show some love.... Keep doing ya thang... and don't let ANY body EVER tell you,"You Can't!"The mind is incredible. If you believe,you CAN achieve. Don't give up on your destiny, it NEVER gave up on you.
Are you still playing Berklee tonight ? I don't see it listed on their web site. I do however see the Asylum show tomorrow night. So, maybe I'll just plan on catching that.
Samuele de las Gret! Happy New Year, it's been too long, have fun in Florida and let me know when you're in the city! I'm in Switzerland with my folks and be hanging soon with Dave.....
Another great performance at the Highline last night. I wanted to meet you & Zwad but security kept us at bay. Neal, Alan & Nigel came out later to greet the folks. Have a great new year.
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