Born and raised in the suburbs of Detroit, Eli received a Bachelor’s of Music in Jazz Studies from Wayne State University in 2011. During that time he studied jazz improvisation and arranging and performed with artists such as John Clayton, Eddie Daniels, Jimmy Heath, and Jerry Bergonzi as part of the WSU Big Band. He has also worked with Motown artists such as The Temptations, The Four Tops and Martha Reeves, and has won multiple awards for his arrangements and compositions. He currently lives in Chicago and is active in a wide variety of musical projects and styles.