Kim with Glen Doyle, Solo International Ethnic Music Festival, Indonesia, 2008

One time cane-cutter, meatworks labourer and documentary film researcher, World Music pioneer Kim Sanders has steamed up the coast of Sumatra in a tramp steamer full of rubber, survived border crossings with Georgian gun runners and been arrested for spying by a Macedonian Brezhnev lookalike. He has played on national radio in Bulgaria and national TV in Indonesia, with Gypsy wedding bands in Macedonia, in mosquito-ridden clubs in Gambia, tavernas in Greece, tea-houses in China and concert-halls from the Ataturk Cultural Centre in Istanbul to the Sydney Opera House.

With Gypsy wedding band, Berovo, Macedonia, 1984

In ’84/5 Kim spent eighteen months studying and performing in the Balkans, Turkey and Gambia and Senegal in West Africa where he played with the Libidorr Band. In ’93/4 he returned to Turkey and the Balkans and performed with Turkish/Greek group Phanari tis Anatolis (aka Bosphoros or Anadolu Fener), Zimbabwean mbira-player Stella Chiweshe and musicians from the Filip Koutev (Bulgarian State) Ensemble. He performed solo on Radio Sofia and recorded with Phanari tis Anatolis and Turkish singer Oguz Yilmaz.

With Sawung Jabo's Bayang-Bayang, Jogjakarta, Indonesia, 1996

In ’96 he toured Indonesia with Sawung Jabo’s innovative music/dance production Bayang-Bayang and returned to Indonesia in 00 and 03 with Indonesian-World group GengGong, in 05 and 07 with Trio Dingo and in 06, 07 and 08 as soloist. He has recorded in Indonesia with GengGong and singers Setiawan Djodi and Oppie Andaresta.

In ’00/01 Kim returned to Turkey to continue his studies in Turkish Classical, Sufi, Gypsy and folk music. He performed with Laz musician Birol Topaloglu and with the Turkish Ministry for Culture’s Istanbul State Modern Folk Music Ensemble. He was the subject of a short documentary on Turkish television. He returned to Turkey in 07/08 and studied with ney master Ahmet Kaya and Gypsy clarinetist Selim Sesler. Amongst others he performed with percussionist Okay Temiz and with the Turkish incarnation of Kim Sanders & Friends.

With Tianchuang at Jintai Museum, Beijing, 2004

In 04 he performed in Beijing as a soloist and worked with pioneering Chinese World-Jazz ensemble Tianchuang.

In Australia Kim was co-leader (with Linsey Pollak) of Australia’s first World-Jazz band (Rabadaki, 79) and has since played with musicians from every continent except Antarctica (including Flamenco Dreaming, Nakisa, Okapi Guitar Band, Seaweed & Wire, Chichitote, Davood Tabrizi, Descendance and Balcano). He performed with Zülfü Livaneli and Fatih Kisaparmak (Turkey), Bahar (Iran) and the Bisserov Sisters (Bulgaria) on their Australian tours.

With Birol Topaloglu, Istanbul 2008

In the 90s he lead legendary “Gypsy-Afro- World” band Brassov and worked with Bulgarian folk singer Silvia Entcheva in the Silvia Entcheva Trio.  He also performed in Australia with GengGong and led various ensembles featuring musicians including Indian tabla master Bobby Singh, Macedonian clarinettist Bobby Dimitrievski, Greek singer/bouzouki-player George Doukas and jazz masters Sandy Evans and Toby Hall.

Wedding in The Gambia with Bas Jobarteh, 1985

Kim plays Macedonian, Turkish and Bulgarian gaidas (bagpipes), aardvark (Australian-Turkish- Bulgarian bass bagpipe); Bulgarian and Turkish kavals (long wooden flutes), saluang (Sumatran flute), furulya (Hungarian flute) and ney (Dervish flute); mey, duduk, guanzi (Turkish, Armenian, Chinese double reed instruments); zurna (Turkish/Balkan shawm); tenor sax; tin whistle; davul (dauli, tapan)(drum) and small percussion. He also arranges ensembles for special events, and composes music for films and stage productions.

Kim also teaches gaida, kaval, mey, ney, duduk and theory.

With Madurese group Semut Merah, East Jave Persussion Festival, 2008

“Masterly control of subtlety…very soulful playing” – Diaspora Worldbeat Magazine

“Sanders’ skills as an instrumentalist are impressive… (As a composer, his work is) new and genuinely exciting” – Chris Williams, fROOTS Magazine (UK)

“I will never view animals in quite the same way after seeing Sanders’ inflated menagerie of bagpipes. But it was the saxophone that most warmed the blood: a big, braying honking beast of a thing that could unexpectedly whisper sweet nothings in your ear” – John Shand, Sydney Morning Herald

Recording with Phanari tis Anatolis, Istanbul 1993

“Virtually a force unto himself in world music scenes” – Drum Media

“…the magical voice of Kim Sanders’ saxophone” – Yogja Pos, Indonesia

“There are no more than a few Australian musicians who have made certain types of folk music their stamping-ground. Multi-instrumentalist Kim Sanders is one” – Australian Financial Review

With Stella Chiweshe, Istanbul 1994

“Kim Sanders was particularly effective on Turkish and Macedonian bagpipes, peeling off lines that were both inventive and convincingly idiomatic.” – John Clare, Sydney Morning Herald

“More, more, more!” – Kuranda Seyit, Australian Muslim News

Click here for a downloadable interview with Kim on the Jazz and Beyond Web site

and click here to hear Hans Stoeve of 2SER-FM talking with Kim

For links to videos, see “Links” page

For news on forthcoming gigs see “Gigs and News” page

Because of the spam deluge, “Comments” have been disabled for this website.  If you would like to comment on any aspect of Kim’s musical activities you can do so by email (kimzgaida@hotmail.com) or on the “Kim Sanders World Music” page on Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/pages/Kim-Sanders-World-Music/131697043563700?sk=info ).

Bent Grooves

Magical collective improvisation framed by lush melodies and anchored by hypnotic rhythms, drawing from the traditions of Turkish Sufi and folk music, Balkan Gypsy brass bands, West African grooves, Indian Classical music, flamenco, blues and jazz.

Featuring (in order of height):

• Sandy Evans: soprano and tenor saxes
• Carlos Villanueva: charango
• Bobby Singh: tabla
• Kim Sanders: ney, Turkish gaida, aardvark, kaval, mey, tenor sax, saluang
• George Doukas: bouzouki, Greek baglama
• Llew Kiek: Turkish baglama
• Steve Elphick: double bass

The CD was produced by Tony Gorman, engineered by Ross A’Hern and mastered by Paul Bryant. The project was assisted by the Australian Government through the Australia Council, its arts funding advisory body.

What the critics say about Bent grooves

“That asinine term ‘world music’ actually acquires some meaning when applied to the art of Kim Sanders. The Sydney multi-instrumentalist has stewed in musical melting pots from Indonesia to Gambia and is especially steeped in the sounds of Turkey and Eastern Europe. Having absorbed these traditions, he plays within or without them as suits his creative impulses.

Sanders’s long-term collaboration with tabla player Bobby Singh stretches the sonic world of Asia Minor eastward, towards the subcontinent, just as Steve Elphick’s bass and Sandy Evans’s saxophone bring jazzier sensibilities to bear. But Sanders never forces square pegs into round holes and his musical imagination unfolds with a marvellous fluidity, like a river being fed by many tributaries, with the main flow mingling beautiful, often melancholy melodies with evocative rhythms and exotic textures.

His own braying tenor saxophone, assorted wistful flutes and sometimes imperious bagpipes radiate a joy in having such open dialogues with his gifted collaborators; dialogues that have been superbly recorded.” – John Shand, Sydney Morning Herald

“What I wouldn’t give to have friends like these!…Bent Grooves is an instrumental CD, beautifully measured and layered” – Jaslyn Hall, ABC Limelight Magazine

“No ‘world fuzak’ here!” – Doug Spencer, Producer, The Weekend Planet, ABC Radio National

Click here for samples!

Trance’n'Dancin

Kim Sanders’  CD Trance’n'Dancin is an exploration of trance music, from the etherial flights of the ney flute used in the rituals of Turkey’s Mevlevi Dervishes to the hypnotic dance-rhythms of the Balkans. It also features the world’s first composition for Bulgarian bagpipe and Hammond organ.

Featuring Kim Sanders: Turkish ney (Sufi flute), kaval (Bulgarian wooden flute), Bulgarian and Turkish gaidas (bagpipes), aardvark (Turkish/Bulgarian/Australian hybrid bass bagpipe), mey (Turkish double reed), saluang (Sumatran flute) & Peter Kennard: dhaf, bendir, darabukka, megabukka, riq, zills, gong-on-a-mattress, wood-blocks, dried budgies, surdo, ride cymbal, harmonium, keyboards, chan, another cymbal

What the critics say about Trance’n'Dancin

“Sublime, haunting…The album is a beautifully shaped journey from the spacious taksims to fast and upbeat dance tunes… Sanders has spent years studying the music of Turkey and the Balkans and his passion and skill for this music are clearly evident in this superb album.” – Oonagh Sherrard for www.indie-cds.com

“There is a profound dignity about the expression of sadness in Turkish music. With neither histrionics nor sentimentality, the sadness is distilled into beauty. Kim Sanders has immersed himself in this culture for years and achieves an extraordinarily haunting sound on ney (Dervish flute) for the rubato improvisations on this haunting album. He is accompanied by Peter Kennard, whose realisatons of the slowest tempos in tricky time signatures is a marvel of meditative concentration and execution.” – John Shand, Sydney Morning Herald

“What stirs you throughout this album is the realisation that the breath is what brings you closer to God, that is the ‘ruh’ or the soul. Kim’s brand of music is based on the movement of breath and an inner connection to the mind and spirit. The album is a must for world music conoisseurs and anyone who enjoys the world of Islam.” – Kuranda Seyit, Australia Fair, Dec 05

“A major part of this album is a modern interpretation of Traditional Mevlevi (Whirling Dervish) and Balkan dance music. Yet it loses none of the meditative and languid qualities of the original trance music…The real beauty of the album is the way that the bulk of the tracks achieve the near impossible feat of exuding a sound that is elegiac but at the same time spirited. The hauntingly beautiful “Gidemem Siraza Ben” is almost heartrending in this technically masterful and emotionally uplifting intertwining of the plaintive with the exuberant… Multi- instrumentalist Kim Sanders achieves total command over all his instruments and together with Peter Kennard has produced a masterful album which is an ideal vehicle for a breakthrough to a wider audience.” – Dush Perera, Jazz’n'Blues www.corporatenews.com.au

“This is an energetic and distinctive blend of virtuoso playing from multi-instrumentalist Kim Sanders, masterfully accompanied by Peter Kennard’s magic trunk of percussion… Trance’nDancin features several different fascinating musical styles – Sufi meditations, Turkish lullabies, trance music, folk tunes- as well as an enigmatic track, “Solitary Circumambulation”, which Sanders claims is the world’s first composition for gaida (Balkan bagpipes) and Hammond organ. Sanders is a relentless champion of world music and this CD celebrates the freshness and sheer excitement of the Balkan and Turkish traditions with added new twists and a funky rhythm section to create a joyful session of music for listening or dancing” – Jas Hall, ABC Limelight Magazine

You Can’t Get There From Here

Kim Sanders and Friends’ ARIA-nominated CD You Can’t Get There From Here showcases traditional pieces from the Balkans and Middle-East and original pieces including “Hepimiz Deliyiz” (“We’re All Crazy”), first performed at the Ataturk Cultural Centre with the Istanbul State Modern Folk Music Ensemble, 2001. Demented Gypsy-style collective improvisation, Indo-Turkish grooves and more…

Kim Sanders: ney, kaval, mey, duduk, saluang, Bulgarian and Turkish gaidas, aardvark, tenor sax, gong Bobby Singh: tablas Sabahattin Akdagcik: baglama, oud, yayli tambur Steve Elphick: double bass Peter Kennard: percussion and Epizo Bangoura: djembe, balafon.

What the critics say about You Can’t Get There From Here

This is a dream of an album, full of emotion and skill – Carina Prange, Jazz Dimensions (Germany)

I was immediately conquered by the beauty of the arrangements, the high degree of musicianship and the perfect selection of the tunes featured there – Massimo Ferro, Radio Voce Spazio (Italy)

A gem …Great sounds, textures, clever improvisation over tricky rhythms, an album for conoisseurs – Dieter Bajzek, Folk Alliance Australia

A beautifully-balanced mixture of traditional and contemporary sounds from Turkey, West Africa, India and the Balkans …A fantastic array of moods and charms – K S Seyit, Australian Muslim News

Plenty of beautiful, breathcatching moments – Craig N. Pearce, Drum Media

You are sure to want to linger in this musical mystery land – Bernard Zuel, Sydney Morning Herald

Deliciously eclectic! – Doug Spencer, Producer, The Planet, ABC Radio National

Buying Kim’s CDs

Bent Grooves, Trance’n'Dancin and You Can’t Get There From Here are available directly from Kim at kimzgaida@hotmail.com or from:

• Indie-CD’s www.indie-cds.com
• Trad & Now www.duckscrossing.org/tradshop
• Birdland (Sydney city) www.birdland.com.au
• Lamdha Books (Wentworth Falls, NSW) www.lamdhabooks.com.au
• Mara! Music www.maramusic.com

“Saba Nefes II” is included in the compilation “Groove Medicine – Groove Music” from Music Mosaic.  Individual tracks or full album downloadable online – http://www.music-mosaic.com/ecom/groove-music-medicine.php

You Can’t Get There From Here , Trance’n'Dancin and Bent Grooves are now available online from iHear Music. You can download single tracks or whole albums.  iHear Music supports Australian musicians – support them if you can!

From the Archives:

Unfortunately Brassov’s World-Gypsy-Jazz CD “Chronic Rhythmosis” and  Indonesian World Fusion band GengGong’s “Not Just Music” are sold out and no longer available, but “Chronic Rhythmosis” is now also available online through iHear Music.

There are still a few copies available of pioneering Australian World Music group Nakisa’s Camels in the City CD and Nakisa’s first album Insallah (LP/cassette  format only)

Kim has also recorded with:

Phanari tis Anatolis,  Oppie Andaresta, Oguz Yilmaz,  Setiawan Djody, Silvia Entcheva Trio, Flamenco Dreaming, Indiajiva, Tansey’s Fancy, Seaweed and Wire, Chichitote, Caiseal Mor, Rick-e-Dee, Bob Wheatley, Sabahattin Akdagcik’s SASOM, David Hobson, Blair Greenberg, Roger Mason, Rabadaki, Tony Lewis/Aboriginal and Islander Dance Theatre, Turkish Art Music Ensemble, Global Roots, ABC Childrens’ series “0-9″  and others…