Kenji Lee Elmo Hope Quartet

Kenji Lee is a Japanese-American multi-instrumentalist, composer-improviser, arts advocate, and educator merging the intersections of art, community, and equity. Lee “has quickly become a mainstay in the local jazz and improvisational music scene, while also making a name for himself nationally.” (A2 Pulp).

As a saxophonist and double-bassist, Lee has performed with many of the leading forces in Jazz and Creative Music including Wayne Horvitz, Pete Siers, Robert Hurst, Dr. Prof. Leonard King, Marion Hayden, Kayvon Gordon, Mr. B, Lex Korten, RJ Spangler and the Planet D Nonet, Jeff Pedraz, and Andy Milne.

Lee’s debut full-length album, “Kyudo”, inspired by the Japanese martial art of archery, features his Fortune Teller Trio (Lee on saxophones, Andy Peck on double bass and Jonathan Barahal Taylor on percussion) with special guest, vocalist Estar Cohen. The album was released to critical acclaim and the ensemble was subsequently selected as a featured artist at both the 2023 Detroit International Jazz Festival and Edgefest 28 in Ann Arbor.