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Sly5thAve

Texas-born, Brooklyn-based saxophonist, composer, and arranger Sylvester Uzoma Onyejiaka II, aka Sly5thAve, is a gifted performer known for his soulful original songs and for crafting sophisticated jazz- and classical-influenced instrumental covers of pop and R&B songs. He debuted as a leader in 2013 with Akuma, a jazz-centric exploration of his Nigerian roots. Starting with 2017's The Invisible Man: An Orchestral Tribute to Dr. Dre, he has recorded extensively for the Tru Thoughts label. He released What It Is, Agua de Jamaica (with pianist Roberto Verástegui), and Somebody's Gotta Do It (with JSWISS) through 2022, and in 2024 issued Liberation, on which he mixed improvisation and orchestration with hip-hop production sensibilities. In addition to his tenor and baritone saxes, Onyejiaka plays flute, bass clarinet, and keyboards, and programs drums. His extensive collaborative work includes two years in Prince's New Power Generation. Born in Austin, Texas to a Nigerian father and a Detroit-born mother, Sly5thAve grew up listening to a vibrant array of sounds, including West African music, jazz, and classic soul. Picking up the saxophone at age 11, he developed quickly and eventually added drums and piano to his repertoire. After high school, he honed his skills studying music at the University of North Texas, where he played in various ensembles including the prestigious One O'Clock Lab Band. Upon graduating, he relocated to the East Coast, where he found work with such luminaries as James Carter, Wynton Marsalis, Maceo Parker, Gladys Knight, and others. During this period, he also mentored with arranger, trumpeter, and songwriter Philip Lassiter (a longtime collaborator with Fred Hammond and Kirk Franklin). It was while working with Lassiter that he caught the attention of Prince, who eventually brought him on board as a member of his New Power Generation horn section. As a solo artist, Sly5thAve debuted in 2014 with Akuma. He then formed the ClubCasa Chamber Orchestra with other Brooklyn musicians doing jazz-oriented reworkings of songs by Drake, Kendrick Lamar, Rihanna, and others. In 2017, he delivered the hip-hop-influenced The Invisible Man: An Orchestral Tribute to Dr. Dre, his first album for Tru Thoughts. Onyejiaka spent the better part of the next three years performing the album on a global scale. He then wrote and recorded with Thalma de Freitas, Denitia, and Marlon Craft among a cast of singers and rappers to create What It Is, his third album, released in 2020. Two years later, he and pianist Roberto Verástegui put together Agua de Jamaica. Liberation arrived in 2024 as Onyejiaka's third true solo album, though it involved the efforts of roughly two-dozen instrumentalists and vocalists. Verástegui, drummer Robert "Sput" Searight, and bassist MonoNeon were among the players.
© Matt Collar & Andy Kellman /TiVo
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Discography

39 album(s) • Sorted by Bestseller

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