Mark Sanders

Since the mid-’90s, Mark Sanders has been one of the most active percussionists on England’s jazz scene, “jazz” encompassing everything from free improv to Jah Wobble’s dub excursions. Resolutely a sideman, Sanders is gifted with a superior technique paired by acute listening abilities. Add to these flexibility and a lot of enthusiasm and its easy to understand why he became the favorite drummer of so many artists. Despite his impressive discography (appearances on over 50 titles), Sanders has yet to make his first record billed to his name. Sanders began to impose himself on the London scene around 1995. Steve Beresford, Simon H. Fell, Georg Graewe, and Evan Parker were among the first to put his talent to the test on a regular basis. The latter in particular has made the drummer part of many of his projects, including a trio with bassist John Edwards (documented on The Two Seasons, 2000). The first occurrence of the Edwards-Sanders free improv rhythm section was Veryan Weston’s idea (Mercury Concert, 1999) and the two have kept working together. Paul Rogers is another regular partner. The drummer also performs and records with Paul Dunmall’s quartet and appears in the projects of Elton Dean, Gail Brand (the group Lunge), Dudu Pukwana, and the Chris Batchelor/Steve Buckley quartet. He is also a member of the London Improvisers Orchestra. But his most high-profile engagement came from Jah Wobble to participate in his world-dub project that included Bill Laswell and musicians from Laos. That tour took him around the world and introduced his playing to a different audience. He also appeared on a couple of tracks by singer David Sylvian. ~ François Couture