“The sweet-tart, imploring tone that Ikechi Onyenaka favors on alto saxophone may remind you of a few predecessors in the realm of contemporary jazz. He was set on his path by one in particular: Grover Washington, Jr., who like him is considered a product of Philadelphia, with a style that alchemizes elements of soul, jazz, pop, and R&B.”

“There is nothing like starting a Friday morning with a cup of coffee cooling in your hand, awaiting the world premiere of Ikechi Onyenaka’s music video for his brand new single, City Dreams. In its introduction, ambient stardust scatters across the keyboard, accompanying quiet interjections from each instrumentalist, that swell and transform into the first climactic statement of the nine minute musical journey.”

“Ikechi recorded saxophone on one of my tracks a few years back and absolutely killed it. He was able to match the vibe perfectly and improvise a great performance for me to weave into the song effortlessly.”

“With his latest release, Ikechi Onyenaka set fire to solitude and gave it rhythm in On My Own, a sax-driven exploration of self-sufficiency that drifts between melancholy and defiance. From the opening bars, the keys and synths pulse with funk, opening out into spacey textures that feel like the soundscape of isolation itself. Over that polished, strident, yet euphonically smooth backdrop, Onyenaka lets his sax glide and cry as though it has absorbed the entire spectrum of human emotion. Each phrase arrives as a proclamation, a reminder that resilience can still be coaxed from desolate silence.”