Something new and exciting will be going down at the Empire Hotel in Annandale on Sunday 30th October.
There will be plenty of seriously bent Balkan Gypsy-style brass-band music amongst the band’s unique mix of Sufi meditations, Afro-grooves and dance tunes of Middle-Eastern appearance.
Following their rapturously-received duo gig in Enmore in September, Kim Sanders and Bobby Singh will be doing something a little different with Kim Sanders & Friends at the Empire. This will be Bobby’s last gig in Sydney for a while, as he is returning to India to perform and study with his guru Aneesh Pradhan. They will be joined by Kim Sanders & Friends stalwart Llew Kiek, and tuba/sousophone-player Sam Golding, making his debut with the band.
There will be plenty of seriously bent Balkan Gypsy-style brass-band music amongst the band’s unique mix of Turkish Sufi meditations, Afro-grooves and dance tunes of Middle-Eastern apearance.
Since first travelling to the area in 1984, Kim has spent a lot of time in Turkey and the Balkans playing Romani (Gypsy) music. “Sometimes stereotypes are true – and it’s a good thing! Those guys can really play!” he says. “The best music comes after the gig, of course, when they let their hair down. They’ll party all night!”
World Music pioneer Kim Sanders has performed with Gypsy wedding bands in Macedonia, in mosquito-ridden nightclubs in Gambia, smoky tavernas in Greece, on National Radio in Bulgaria and at concert-halls and recording studios in Turkey, China and Indonesia. He has played with Zimbabwean mbira-player Stella Chiweshe, The Bisserov Sisters (Bulgaria), Zülfü Livaneli, Fatih Kisaparmak, Okay Temiz, Birol Topaloglu, the Istanbul State Modern Folk Music Ensemble (all Turkish), Oppie Andaresta and Setiawan Djodi (Indonesia) and many others. In Australia he has performed with musicians from every continent except Antarctica.
Bobby Singh’s talent was recognised at an early age by Pandit Nikhil Ghosh, and is now a “must see” performer on the world music circuit as well as the Indian Classical scene. He has performed with Ashok Roy, Slava Grigoriyan, Joseph Tawadross and many cross-cultural ensembles including Flamenco Dreaming, the Far Seas and The Bird. He currently works with Circle of Rhythm and Dha, amongst others.
Multi-instrumentalist Sam Golding (trumpet, tenor horn, trombone, sousaphone, flutes, ukelele) performs in many musical settings from Senegalese Mbalax through traditional music from the Balkans, jazz small groups, reggae and cabaret. He is currently working hard with the bands Darth Vegas, The Glorious Sousaphonics, The Fantastic Terrific Munkle, Tango Saloon and The Mango Balloon.
Another Australian World Music pioneer, Llew Kiek (bouzouki, bağlama, guitar, tambura, keyboards) has recorded 10 albums and performed in 20 countries with ARIA-winning folk-jazz group Mara! In Australia he has worked with The Bisserov Sisters, Tenzing Tsewang, Silvia Entcheva, Martenitsa, Nakisa, the Renaissance Players, Meryl Tankard Australian Dance Theatre and singers Jeannie Lewis and Margret RoadKnight.
Dedicated to the memory of Rom musician Destan Destanovski of Berovo, Macedonia
THE EMPIRE HOTEL
103a PARRAMATTA RD, ANNANDALE
7pm
SUNDAY OCTOBER 30th
$20/15 conc (Children welcome if accompanied by an adult)
Bistro food available