30 March – 1 April 2026
Incredibly excited to welcome the great drummer / percussionist / composer, Mark Sanders to OTO for a three-day residency. Despite being responsible for a huge number of highlights at OTO over the years, this is the first time that we've devoted a residency to Mark's work and its long overdue! We're looking forward to hosting him for three nights alongside a stacked line-up of phenomenal improvisers.
"I'm knocked out to be asked to present three days of music at Oto, its always a joy to play at the club, I've played concerts here with so many fantastic and legendary players since the club's inception.
It's truly a daunting prospect to choose who to play with as I'm very fortunate to have many colleagues here and from other countries, so it was very difficult to leave out so many friends.
So I decided to base this residency around new line ups that have only recently played once or twice, but not in London.
Many, many thanks to all the Oto staff and I look forward to presenting these line ups to the wonderful Oto audiences." – Mark Sanders
Mark has worked with many greats of the British, European and American free jazz improvised music scene including Roscoe Mitchell, Roswell Rudd, Evan Parker, John Butcher, Henry Grimes, Elaine Mitchener, Wadada Leo Smith, Myra Melford, Charles Gayle , Sirone and William Parker
He has also played with Jah Wobble, Harold Budd, Bill Laswell, Christian Marclay, International Contemporary Ensemble, Ilan Volkov and The BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra.
He is a member of many working groups including duos with Nicole Mitchell and Rhodri Davies, Neil Charles' 'Dark Days' with Cleveland Watkiss & Pat Thomas, 'Last Dream of the Morning' with John Butcher & John Edwards, 'Shifa' with Rachel Musson and Pat Thomas and 'Sarost' with Larry Stabbins & Paul Rogers.
As an educator he has taught improvisation at many universities around the country as a lecturer and guest tutor.
Mark has played concerts and festivals around the world and appears on over 220 CD and Vinyl releases.
Mark was a recipient of the Paul Hamlyn Award for Artists 2024
"Drop the needle on the first track — or any track for that matter — and the first thing one is bound to notice is the amazing percussion skills of Mark Sanders" – Peter Thelen... Exposé
"Mark is just incredible and immensely diverse, he is at the center of "Kwingyaw" and it is difficult to tell what he is doing to get some of these sounds." – Bruce L Gallenter, Downtown Music Gallery, NY
