Eli Yamin

Eli Yamin is Artistic Director of The Jazz Drama Program and head of Jazz at Lincoln Center’s Middle School Jazz Academy. He is a jazz and blues pianist, singer, composer, educator, broadcaster, and Steinway artist. After participating last spring in the first White House Jazz Studio hosted by First Lady Michelle Obama, Eli was invited back three times to perform music from his latest CD, You Can’t Buy Swing, in the East Room.

Eli has also performed at top concert halls and festivals in Western Europe and the United States and in Mali, India, China and the Balkans as a cultural ambassador touring on behalf of the U.S. Department of State. Eli teaches jazz worldwide to business leaders, middle school students, music teachers, college professors and performing artists. He is a consultant for the National Endowment For The Arts, Fordham University Graduate School of Business and WBGO Radio.

Eli’s six jazz musicals for children have been performed for thousands by hundreds of young people. They include Message From Saturn, about the healing power of the blues and Nora’s Ark, a modern retelling of the biblical tale. He has recorded numerous CD’s including You Can’t Buy Swing with the Eli Yamin Jazz Quartet. Eli has played and taught with Barry Harris, Illinois Jacquet, Wynton Marsalis, Walter Perkins, Perry Robinson, Kate McGarry, Claire Daly, Evan Christopher and Bob Stewart. Eli holds a Master’s Degree in Music Education from City University of New York and has appeared on numerous radio and television programs. He lives with his wife, Lorraine, and 4-year old daughter, Manika, in New York City.