Washington City Paper's Best
New Saxophonist of 2010 displays a tasteful range of originals and
covers on his debut album, featuring an elite cast of DC/NYC musicians
Saxophonist
and composer Elijah Jamal Balbed hails from Washington, DC, having
studied with the area's top educators Paul Carr, Charlie Young, and Fred
Foss. Named Best New Jazz Musician of 2010 by the Washington City
Paper, Balbed's credits reach beyond the district, having performed in
several cities in the United States (Austin, Philadelphia, NYC, to name a
few), and in 4 cities in Japan (Tokyo, Yokohama, Nagano, and
Karuizawa). Elijah attended Howard University from 2008-2011, where he
played in the Howard University Jazz Ensemble (HUJE) and the HU Jazztet.
At Howard, Elijah has appeared on 4 albums with HUJE, 1 album with the
Jazztet, and performed with Bunky Green, McCoy Tyner, Pharoah Sanders, Bennie Maupin, and Larry Willis.
In
May of 2011, Elijah had the rare opportunity to perform with music
legend and Godfather of Go-Go, Chuck Brown. Over the next year, he
served as a part-time
member of Mr. Brown's band until his passing in May of 2012, having
performed with him in Raleigh, Harrisburg, Richmond, Cramton Auditorium,
9:30 Club, LOVE, Ibiza, and several other local Go-Go venues. In July
of 2011, Elijah was given a residency at the legendary jazz club,
Bohemian Caverns. It was this residency that prompted the idea for a
recording session. This idea quickly spawned into 2 spirited recording
dates in August, 2011, and a successful Kickstarter Campaign in
September, which led to the creation of this album.
In 2012,
Elijah began working more regularly with his own band, dubbed the "EJB
Quintet". This group, with a few variations, performed highly successful
concerts at Bohemian Caverns, Kennedy Center, and Strathmore. In
addition to gigs as a leader, Elijah is also a current member of the
Bohemian Caverns Jazz Orchestra (BCJO), Donvonte McCoy Sextet, and the
Chuck Brown Tribute Band. Donvonte McCoy's band was named Best Jazz
Small Group in 2012 by the Washington City Paper. Also in 2012, BCJO
received a Mayor's Arts Award for Best Emerging Artist.
Elijah
has appeared on albums such as "Bright Moments", "Moonwalk", and "Ode to
Life" (HUJE), "Reign" (HU Jazztet), "Dhyana" (Andrea Wood), "Under the
Sun" (Christos), "Cosmic Collisions" (Lydia Lewis), "Lovely Changes"
(Lena Seikaly), and the film "Oxygen for the Ears" by Dr. Stefan Immler,
which also features Ravi Coltrane, Esperanza Spalding, Chuchito Valdes,
and the late Jimmy "Junebug" Jackson and Dr. Billy Taylor.
