September 1, 2025 available on all platforms.

Video of title track available here.

Eli Yamin Releases Ninth Album, Squeeze In Tight: Jazz and Blues Songs for Solidarity

Jazz Power Initiative (JPI) co-founder, Managing and Artistic Director Eli Yamin, better known as Dr. E., got together with some of his favorite musicians and friends to make an album under the JPI label some months ago.  The album, Squeeze In Tight, set for release on September 1st, is meant as a tribute “…to the joy that jazz and blues inspire,” said Dr. E.  

But with the sudden passing of the phenomenal drummer, and educator, Philadelphia’s David F. Gibson — this, his last release will be as much a tribute to this inspirational human being, who enjoyed playing as much as he loved teaching.  He was a legend in his own right.  He toured and recorded extensively with the Count Basie Orchestra led by Frank Foster; played with an exceptional list of rare musicians and orchestras including the Duke Ellington Orchestra, the Sun Ra Arkestra, Joe Williams, Clark Terry, the Diane Schuur Trio and many more.  His legacy is in every young person that he touched with his musicianship, as an adjunct professor at the New School for Jazz and Contemporary Music and as a member of the teaching artist roster at Jazz Power Initiative and this album.

David F. Gibson and Eli Yamin

Dr. E. master jazz pianist, songwriter/composer and educator said this about his friend and music partner, “Dave had a beat that could shake the earth, and I am grateful to have shared a strong musical bond with him for over 25 years. It’s hard to accept he is gone but I will do my best to live up to his example of pure devotion, concentration and groove.”  

The album features a vibrant mix of classics and timely originals. Among the standouts are:

• A New Orleans–inspired boogie-woogie anthem, “Squeeze In Tight” (title track)
• A soulful interpretation of Elizabeth Cotten’s “Freight Train”
• A fiery take on Willie Dixon’s “My Babe”
• The meditative instrumental “Parado Al Borde De Las Lágrimas” (Standing on the Edge of Tears)
• The pop-tinged groove “Make Room,” inspired by Yamin’s former student, pop star Charlie Puth

Produced by Jeff Jones “The Jedi Master” (Dr. John, Eric Clapton, Wynton Marsalis), Squeeze In Tight showcases Yamin on piano and vocals, joined by a stellar lineup:

• Zaid Nasser (alto saxophone), son of jazz great Jamil Nasser
• Elias Bailey (bass), of Lakecia Benjamin’s band
• David F. Gibson (drums), of the Duke Ellington Orchestra

Nicole Davis (photo by Jonathan Hernandez)

Clover St. Hubert (Photo by Jonathan Hernandez)

Guest appearances include trumpeter Nicole Davis, vocalist Clover St. Hubert, and rising young talents Amelia Thomas, Dilan Rodriguez, and Gigi De Leon—all alumni or current students of Yamin’s jazz education programs.

Zaid, Elias, Amelia, Caelyn, David, Dilan, Gigi, Funmi (in front) (JPI photo by Arlene Rodriguez)

Squeeze In Tight is music for the soul—meant to heal, uplift, and strengthen our bonds with friends, communities, and fellow “eullipions”: artists who act as agents of change.

ABOUT ELI YAMIN

Known to many as “Dr. E,” Eli Yamin is a bluesy jazz pianist and cultural ambassador whose joyful style has taken him from performing with Illinois Jacquet, Mercedes Ellington, and Walter Perkins to four appearances at the White House for the Obamas and ten global tours for the U.S. Department of State. Drawing on his broad knowledge of diverse jazz styles including bebop, blues, swing, Latin jazz, avant-garde, New Orleans, Eli has brought communities around the world into deeply personal and sustaining relationships with jazz. He spreads joy and mutual understanding through concerts with his band, his jazz musicals for youth performers, community workshops and Institute for adults, cultural diplomacy, and the extensive reach of the thriving uptown based non profit organization he co-founded and directs, Jazz Power Initiative, a leading concert and education producer in New York City.

Eli Yamin Jazz and Blues Band Bios

Eli Yamin (JPI photo by Anthony Rojas)

Described as “eloquently bluesy” by Time Out NY, Eli Yamin, a/k/a “Dr. E” is an imaginative and celebrated pianist, composer, singer and educator from New York. A Steinway Artist, he has performed at Carnegie Hall and Jazz at Lincoln Center, The Kennedy Center in Washington DC, the White House during the Obama/Biden administration and scores of international festivals including The Newport Jazz Festival, The Lionel Hampton Jazz Festival, The Guatemala Jazz Festival and Jazz in Marciac in France. As a cultural ambassador for the U.S. Department of State, Yamin  performed in Albania, Brazil, Chile, China, Greece, Guatemala, India, Mali, Montenegro, Romania, and Russia. His recordings include “You Can’t Buy Swing” with his jazz quartet; “I Feel So Glad,” with his blues band; “Louie’s Dream, for our jazz heroes,” with New Orleans-based clarinetist Evan Christopher, “Live In Burghausen” with jazz icon Illinois Jacquet and “Message From Saturn,” a jazz musical inspired by Sun Ra and Mary Lou Williams about the healing power of the blues that was performed in 2021 on its 20th Anniversary at JazzMobile/Summerstage in Harlem’s Marcus Garvey Park and most recently in 2025 at the Lovinger Theatre at Lehman College in the Bronx. Mr. Yamin was the musical director for the 10th Anniversary tour of “Duke Ellington’s Sophisticated Ladies,” directed by Mercedes Ellington, and continues to collaborate with Ms. Ellington as a musical director for the Duke Ellington Center for the Arts. Yamin is the co-founder, Managing and Artistic Director of The Jazz Power Initiative, a non-profit organization that transforms lives through jazz arts education and performance and is a leading concert and education producer in uptown New York City. Based on the belief that African American culture belongs at the center of the American music academy, Eli wrote the book, “So You Want To Sing The Blues: A Guide for Performers,” published by Rowman and Littlefield in collaboration with The National Association of Teachers of Singing (NATS) and in 2024 received the American Academy of Teachers of Singing AATS Award in recognition of his leadership and excellence in youth jazz education. Yamin earned his Bachelor’s in Music at Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey, his Masters in Music Education from Lehman College (CUNY) and his Doctorate of Musical Arts at Stony Brook University (SUNY).

Zaid Nasser (JPI photo by Dania Miguel)

Zaid Nasser is one of the most authentic voices on saxophone today. As the son of jazz and blues great Jamil Nasser, Zaid was born and bred on the jazz scene. As a young saxophonist, he often spent his days with Papa Jo Jones, getting lessons in jazz and life from Father Time himself. Early on, he was sitting in with Lou Donaldson and George Coleman and has been on the New York scene now for over thirty years. He’s played with Cecil Payne, Junior Cook, Jon Hendricks, and Harold Mabern and spent three years with Calvin Newborn’s band in Memphis, crisscrossing the south and playing in roadside juke joints, developing a rich, deep sound all of his own. Zaid worked for three years with organist Bill Doggett, and spent another three with Panama Francis in the Savoy Sultans. At Smalls in NYC, he has been a regular feature for over ten years, leading his own quartet, co-leading a quintet with altoist Mike Mullins, as a sideman in the Across 7 Street Septet, and as a part of the Frank Hewitt quintet on their legendary Saturday late night feature. Zaid’s sound is organic and authentic. He goes for broke every time out, and he plays smart music with a kind of freedom that is unusual, reminiscent of the great underground legend “C Sharpe”. His debut recording is available on Smalls Records.

David F. Gibson (photo by Jonathan Hernandez)

Philadelphia-born drummer David F. Gibson toured and recorded extensively with the Count Basie Orchestra under the direction of Frank Foster and currently performs with the Duke Ellington Orchestra. Gibson has also performed and recorded with Joe Williams, Clark Terry, the Sun Ra Arkestra, the Illinois Jacquet Big Band, the Odean Pope Saxophone Choir, the Diane Schuur Trio, and the Woody Herman Orchestra leading music critic Jerry Carrier of the Philadelphia Daily News to dub Gibson “the ultimate band drummer.” He is also featured on Diane Schuur’s “Music is My Life” and Harry Sweets Edison’s “Live at the Iridium.” Gibson earned a Bachelor of Music degree from Temple University and teaches at the New School for Jazz and Contemporary Music and Jazz Power Initiative.

Elias Bailey (JPI photo by Dania Miguel)

Multi-Grammy nominated bassist Elias Bailey is currently touring as a member of the award winning Lakecia Benjamin’s quartet. He also performed worldwide with the legendary Freddy Cole for 15 years and appeared on nine of his recordings including the Grammy nominated “Freddy Cole Sings Mr. B” and “My Mood Is You. Elias also spent five years with vocalist Rene Marie, appearing on “Live at Jazz Standard? and the Grammy nominated “I Want To Be Evil. He can also be heard on the Alvin Queen album “Mighty Long Way?” featuring Terrell Stafford, Peter Bernstein and Jesse Davis. In addition to playing with pianist Eli Yamin for over 20 years, Elias performs with pianist Benny Green. A native of Virginia and a child prodigy, at age 11, Elias was awarded a scholarship from jazz master Milt Hinton for private study paving the way for his success as one the most swinging bassists of our time.