Sam Kininger

"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.

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 on Drums (as well as an assortment of other rotating musicians), has been blowing away audiences with their high-energy funk for about 3 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) and Berkfest (MA). 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.