Ilhan Ersahin can be described as a saxophone instrumentalist, composer, producer, festival curator, proprietor of his own club and record label. Broad as that may sound, it does little to explain who Ersahin truly is and what defines him as a musician. Growing up in Stockholm of a Swedish mother and Turkish father before moving to NYC, he was steeped early on in the records his older siblings would bring home. From bands like Led Zeppelin and The Rolling Stones, to more heady compositions of Miles Davis, and select music from his father’s homeland. In his teens he discovered the worlds of ska, funk, punk and reggae on his own and eventually picked up a sax to begin a journey that would lead him deep into the realms of jazz greats like John Coltrane, Thelonious Monk and Miles Davis. Each step along the way informed all of his artistic endeavors that have come since. In 98 he formed Wax Poetic, which built on his jazz instincts and included a young Norah Jones. This marked the beginning of a new era for Ersahin -one that would find him on the forward cusp of new-century jazz, blending an eclectic mix of ingredients to create a bold new sound which is present until today. His collaborations with great musicians such as Erik Truffaz, Bugge Wesseltoft, U-Roy, Hüsnü Senlendirici gave birth to many projects out of NYC as well as in Istanbul and Sao Paulo. Another integral element of his process has been the now-famous club Nublu that he opened in the East Village, NYC, in 2002.

Ilhan Ersahin

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