Ike Levin has been playing reed instruments professionally for over 25 years. A native of Chicago, Ike was an active performer in the city's jazz, blues, and new music scene before relocating to the San Francisco Bay Area. He studied music at the Roosevelt University Conservatory of Music and in the Jazz Music Studies program at the University of Illinois at Chicago.

A diverse range of musical influences are evident in his approach to his instruments and improvisation. These influences include John Coltrane, Sonny Rollins, Dexter Gordan, Eric Dolphy, Ornette Coleman, and Thelonious Monk. Other important musical influences include the work of such modern orchestral composers as Bartok, Pendercki, and Boulez.