Mike Greenblatt, Aquarian Weekly
As the fourth installment of his esteemed “Istanbul Sessions,” Solar Plexus (Nublu Music) by Ilhan Ersahin, is one of the most adventurous, satisfying, eclectic, cinematic, far-out CDs of 2018. A fascinating individual — saxophonist, keyboardist, composer, arranger and the head of New York City’s hip room on Avenue C called Nublu — this guy’s music traverses all known boundaries. His quartet is augmented by an octet of players that create swirling motifs of outer and inner space on 10 tracks of pure controlled bedlam best played LOUD. Producer Dave Harrington plays guitar, pedal steel, organ, synthesizer and his various electronic blips and bleeps. Add three trumpets and four percussionists and you’ve got a Euro-styled stew of scintillating proportions. Get Down!