photo by Matilda Jenkins
Guitarist, producer, composer & arranger Greg Sanders is an integral part of the UK’s alternative world & jazz scenes. Greg was a founding member of three influential underground world/jazz/fusion groups that formed studying at London's SOAS University from 2008 - 2011:
- alternative afrobeat / post-punk trio Ruby & The Vines with bassist & vocalist Binisa Bonner (Ata Kak) and drummer Ben Assiter (James Blake);
- London latin cult legends Wara (with Eliane Correa);
- and psychedelic jazz / live hip-hop collective FUR
Greg went on to create the jazz / world ensemble Teotima, releasing two critically acclaimed LPs on First Word Records (Counting The Ways, 2013 & Weightless, 2019).
As a collaborator, Greg is sought out for his deep musicality and versatility, and has performed and recorded with Senegalese kora master Kadialy Kouyate, Zambian singer-songwriter Namvula, Portuguese singer-songwriter singer Inês Loubet, jazz bass bandleader Jonny Wickham, Brazilian jazz artist BABO MORENO, Brazilian MPB party favourites Big Ben Jorge, as well as Samba Azul, Irini Arabatzi, Hannah Brine and others.
From 2016 - 2018, Greg completed an MA in Jazz Performance & Composition at London’s Royal Academy of Music, studying with UK jazz legends including Chris Montague, Mike Walker, Pete Churchill and Nick Smart.
Greg works closely with Congolese-Argentinian singer-songwriter Juanita Euka, and co-wrote, produced and arranged Juanita’s debut LP 'Mabanzo' (Strut Records, 2022), and is the musical director for live shows.
The trio LP Eight Songs (2022) (with Tom Herbert and George Bird) was Greg's first small-group jazz project as a leader.
In 2025, singer-songwriter Holly Holden released her LP ‘al andar’, to which Greg contributed multiple instrumental performances, as well as handling arrangements, production, and mixing.
2025 also saw the launch of Greg's instrumental jazz quartet Lophae (pronounced “lo-fi”), whose debut album ‘Perfect Strangers’ received rave reviews.
“I've always had a greedy appetite for a lot of different music, and the guitar is an instrument that is part of so many vast and completely distinct schools of playing – from the jazz guitarists like Charlie Christian, Jim Hall, Bill Frisell and Kurt Rosenwinkel (all of whom I adore), to Mande giants such as Djelimady Tounkara and Sekou 'Diamond Fingers' Diabate, Congolese legends such as Diblo Dibala, the guitarists of Fela Kuti's ensembles, alternative icons like Jonny Greenwood and Ed O'Brien of Radiohead, Samba & Bossa Nova geniuses like Joao Gilberto – all players whose music I've been completely obsessed with at some point and who have left a huge imprint on my conception of music and the guitar."
Greg was born and grew up in London with mixed Spanish & Eastern-European Jewish heritage.
London's unique status as a destination for musicians gave Greg the opportunity to see live music from all over the world performed by world-class musicians from a young age.
Formative musical experiences included seeing live jazz, salsa, samba, soukous, funk, soul, hip-hop, mbalax, chimurenga, rock, indie, and everything in between.
Greg suffers from the under-researched chronic illness M.E, and has to balance the demands of work and creativity against the limited capacity of his body & health. For this reason he is obliged to limit live performance work, but is keen to collaborate, whether as a producer, session player, arranger, co-writer remotely, or in-person, if it can be managed within the limited capacity imposed by M.E.
If you want to get in touch with Greg regarding collaborations, or anything else, please use the contact box below.