Born in Sweden in 1965, Ilhan Ersahin first picked the tenor saxophone at the age of 16 and started studying it when he was 19, wherefore the first seeds of a successful musical career were sown.

In his early 20's, Ersahin decides - with a clever career move - to continue his musical career in NYC and in order to strengthen his musical faculties he enrolls at the famous Berklee College of Music with a scholarship. "When it comes to music, it wouldn't be fair to compare NYC with any other city in the world." declares Ilhan. After his studies at Berklee, Ilhan started working with one of the masters of jazz, namely Joe Lovano. Sessions with Wallace Rooney, Jeff Williams, Cameron Brown, Victor Lewis, Eddie Henderson and Valery Ponomarev followed.

However, the first time he came across his own audience in Turkey was at the 4th International Akbank Jazz Festival in 1994. The highly acclaimed performances at the 3rd International Istanbul Jazz Festival and at the Cemal Resit Rey Concert Hall which featured Eddie Henderson, followed.
His debut album She Said produced by Pozitif Productions in Istanbul in 1995 comprises of nine original Ilhan Ersahin compositions and a popular folk song composed by legendary Asik Veysel.
He leaded jam sessions in the International Akbank Jazz Festival in 1997.
His second album Home was in the market in March 1998 recorded with his trio.