Elijah Jamal Balbed

Elijah Jamal Balbed is a multi-instrumentalist, composer, and educator from Washington, DC. An alumnus of Howard University's legendary Jazz program, Elijah has been named Artist of the Year (2016), Best Tenor Saxophonist (2013) and Best New Jazz Musician (2010) by the Washington City Paper, and has participated in residencies at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts (Betty Carter's Jazz Ahead), DC Office of Cable Television, Film, Music and Entertainment (202Creates), Strathmore, the historic (and now defunct) Jazz club Bohemian Caverns, and a month-long stint at Jazz at Lincoln Center in Doha, Qatar.

In addition to the Middle East, music has taken Elijah all over the world including places like Russia (Moscow, Kaliningrad, & Orenburg), Japan (Tokyo, Nagano, Karuizawa, & Yokohama), Jamaica (Ocho Rios & Kingston), South America (Panama & Costa Rica), the U.K. (London & Kent), and various states in North America. Over the last decade, Elijah has established himself as a versatile saxophonist, having performed with a wide array of artists including Winard Harper, Bennie Maupin, and Cyrus Chestnut, all the way to Lalah Hathaway, Eric Benet, The Blackbyrds, and even Fantasia from American Idol. Elijah is best known for having worked regularly with the late, great, Godfather of Go-Go music, Chuck Brown for the last year of his life (2011-2012).

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