Elijah Balbed, although only 18 years of age, plays far beyond his years. A student of DC Legend Paul Carr, Elijah's playing demonstrates a mix of traditional and modern sounds taking influence from players such as Hank Mobley, Johnny Griffin, Frank Foster, and Joshua Redman.
Elijah is currently a music student at Howard University and studies with Charlie Young. During his tenure in the DC area he has had the opportunity to share the stage with some of today's top jazz musicians such as Cecil Bridgewater, Benito Gonzalez, Christian McBride, Donvonte McCoy, Allyn Johnson, Tony Martucci, Jimmy "June Bug" Jackson, among many others.
Elijah is a member of the Howard University Jazz Ensemble, Kaleidoscope Orchestra, the Last Minute Jazz Quartet, and he leads his own band, The Jazz Emperors featuring Jacob Baron on Piano, Adam Neely on Bass, and Ele Rubenstein on Drums.