Sam Wilkes
(solo and with strings)

LA-based bass player. Multi-instrumentalist who also plays guitar, keyboards, and percussion. In addition to his solo work, he is also a producer and composer, and his musical style ranges from an eclectic mix of ambient and psychedelic in his solo work to funk, R&B, and indie rock in his multiple projects.

One of his earliest activities was as a session man in the indie rock duo Pratley with James Watson, in the unit Scully Pockets, which played jaunty funk versions of pop songs, in the work of R&B legend Chaka Khan, and in Jacob Collier's live band. He has also been active in the LA improvised music scene, participating in Sam Gendell's works and Lewis Cole's side project Knower, and has become well-known in Japan.

With Sam Gendell, he released "Music for Saxofone and Bass Guitar" under the duo's name in 2018, Wilkes' first leader album "WILKES" (2018), a live album "Live On The Green" (2019), and "Music for Saxofone and Bass Guitar" consisting of songs not recorded on the previous album. In June 2022, Wilkes and Sam Gendel toured Japan in Tokyo, Nagoya, and Osaka under the duo name "FESTIVAL FRUZINHO2022".

For "FESTIVAL de FRUE 2022," Wilkes performed as the Sam Wilkes Quintet featuring Chris Fishman, Craig Weinrib, Dylan Day, & Thom Gil, which he organized for the Japanese audience. As bandleader, Wilkes led an elite group of musicians to create a superbly crafted ambient fusion sound, and many people were impressed by his abilities as a bassist and improviser.

For "FESTIVAL de FRUE 2023," he is scheduled to come to Kakegawa with a "FRUE premium" stage performance that is completely different from that of Sam Wilkes and Jacob Mann, who will visit Japan immediately before him. The band will perform a string set on the occasion of the release of their latest album "DRIVING," which has been described as an "indie rock album" that sets itself apart from Wilkes' previous works.

text by Hideki Hayasaka