On the Road, In the Kitchen: Ilhan Ersahin

Wax Poetic, a hip-hop jazz group, is the brainchild of saxophone great Ilhan Ersahin. The “project” began in 1997 in New York City club Save The Robots. The energetic music is made with turntables, samplers, vocals, spoken word, trombones, trumpets, percussion and saxophones. Arts Editor Kari Wethington recently spoke with Ersahin from a tour date in Chicago. 

Kari Wethington: I know that Wax Poetic has seen a lot of changes in its lineup of its musicians. What is it like now? 

Ilhan Ersahin: Right now we have five people in the band. Before,o Wax Poetic was more like a project, but now we’re actually more like a band so that we can tour. We have five people, sometimes six. 

KW: Was Wax Poetic something that just fell together or did you have a definite idea in mind for creating that type of group before it actually happened? 

IE: I kind of had a vision of where I wanted the music to go and what I wanted it to sound like. So I tried to pick the right musicians to add to the creativity.

KW: Do you ever get overwhelmed or feel that maybe Wax Poetic is taking up too much time that you’d like to be spending on solo work or vice versa?

IE: Wax Poetic definitely takes most of my time. I also like my jazz and doing DJ-style projects on the side. I’m interested in electronic and groove on the side but I also like stuff like free jazz and ethnic inspired stuff. 

KW: Where’s your favorite place to play live music? I read somewhere that New York City was crucial to the music of Wax Poetic, with its mix of hip-hop and different musical styles. Is there something about NYC that makes it better for performing your kind of music? 

IE: I think it’s more like depending on the night, depending on the crowd. We have some really good shows on the road. It’s exciting just traveling around to different places. This will be my first time in Ohio. 

KW: Have you always known that you were going to devote your life to music? 

IE: No, I didn’t. I was always open. Sometimes it’s the most wonderful thing to be on the road and play music — it definitely has its rewards. But it’s also hard to keep up with that lifestyle. We’re on Atlantic Records and they basically haven’t done much for us. Our records are more underground/independent and we don’t really fit into that popular sound that they go for. They have like two or three artists who bring in most of their money, and it’s hard for a lot of bands to get started and get recognized. It’s also time consuming to deal with a big record label. 

KW: You were born in Turkey. Do you feel your Turkish roots influence the music you are making here? What are the differences between music in Turkey and in America?

IE: I was actually raised in Sweden but I spent a lot of time in Turkey. I’m influenced more by the impressions of that area, and not so much Turkish music itself. It’s more like the vibe I get from those musicians that I play with in Turkey. They’re both big places and they both have critical audiences. We have a big audience in Turkey and in New York we’re starting to get a growing audience, too. It’s always exciting to get to travel and play music in new places — for the other musicians, too.

KW: How much formal training did you have on saxophone? Do you think jazz has been a natural link to the music you’re making now with Wax Poetic — the more technology based, electronic/trip-hop stuff?

IE: I started playing when I was 15 years old, which was older than a lot of musicians started. When I was 15 I was already listening to rap, reggae, ska and some punk, so I was always influenced by many different types of music. Wax Poetic reminds me of those influences, because of its mixture of style. Some electronica and some jazz has the same kind of thinking behind it, but not all. That’s what’s exciting about it, you don’t necessarily have to stick to that traditional mind frame of standard jazz. 


KW: How do you think your live performances differ from your recordings? Can the full effect be attained in the studio?

IE: There’s a really big difference. We’re actually debating that question for our next record. The record right now is very much a studio recording. In the studio you can be very creative as well as getting all the loops and beats perfect. Both sides are very interesting. 

KW: What do you think about popular music right now? How do you feel about these super-groups that are taking over the world? 

IE: It seems like it’s always been like that. The good music has been more independent, more underground. You still have bands like Radiohead that are very popular but very interesting. The state of music today, there’s a lot of interesting mixtures with DJs and acoustic and Middle Eastern flavor. There’s a lot of different genres. With the big pop thing going on it’s a little scary. It kinda reflects the society, unfortunately.