Solo Works
During Onaje's time with Nat Adderley (1976), the producer Nils Winter of SteepleChase records, heard Onaje’s improvisations, and invited the pianist to record a solo piano project. Entitled Onaje, the album features standards such as "Giant Steps," as well as some of Onaje's original compositions.
Onaje's interest in R&B is especially prominent in two of his solo recordings, That Special Part of Me (1988), and Dare to Dream (1991). That Special Part of Me also yielded Onaje's most enduring composition, entitled "Quiet Passion," which has remained on smooth jazz rotations for nearly 20 years.
In 2003, Onaje released a live album through Half Note records entitled Return to Form, recorded at the Blue Note jazz club in New York. He then released in 2004 a critically acclaimed project through his own label, Ejano, entitled Remember Their Innocence.
In 2006, Onaje recorded an album for 18th and Vine records entitled Sack Full of Dreams. While Remember Their Innocence was a studio-intensive project, Sack Full of Dreams was recorded with a live feel in the studio, using few takes. The film and stage actor Obba Babatundé appears as guest vocalist on the title track.
On January 24th of 2010, Onaje suffered a stroke. Miraculously, he stayed in the hospital for only 2 days. By December of that same year, an album was released in Japan entitled Just Like Yesterday. On this CD Onaje was accompanied by Omar Hakim, Victor Bailey, Marcus McLaurine, William S. Patterson and Chuggy Carter. Any visible signs of the stroke have since vanished.
Read more about this topic: Onaje Allan Gumbs
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