Last updated October 27, 2026
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Cover of *Finish Line* (Enoch Lee, self-released, 2014). The cover is artwork, a shattering black wing and a sword on a pale grid, with the title, the name Enoch Lee and the names of the four guest players; it is not a photograph of the artist. Standard copyright, all rights reserved, held by Enoch Lee (Seong Yeob Lee). This is not a Creative Commons or public-domain image; it is an album cover shown as an honestly disclosed editorial identification image. — https://music.apple.com/us/album/finish-line/928797053 (Apple Music artwork for the release, retrieved at 1000 px and trimmed of black letterbox bars to 1000 x 900)
Enoch Lee, whose legal name is Seong Yeob Lee, is a pianist, composer and producer who lives in New York City. His one album, Finish Line (October 2014), brought together the saxophonist David Binney, the guitarist Nir Felder, the bassist Drew Gress and the drummer Nate Smith. He is billed as Enoch Lee on that album's cover, on Apple Music and Spotify, and on his All About Jazz musician page; the name Seong Yeob Lee appears in the same profile and in the album's copyright line.
Very little about his life is published. All About Jazz gives his birth date as March 23, 1986 and says he holds a Bachelor of Music in Performance from Berklee College of Music in Boston and a Master of Music in Jazz Studies from New York University; the years of study are not stated. The profile also says he believes artists should find and share real beauty, the values people hold in common such as compassion, kindness, parental love and the wonders of nature, and that he focuses on composing music that expresses it. No Hangul form of his name is published.
The only link to Korea found is a sentence signed by Gress and printed on that profile, which says Lee is working toward a new syntax of jazz composition that reconciles the cultures of his "native Korea" and metropolitan New York. No birthplace, schooling, upbringing or performing career in Korea is named in any source found, and no Korean-language press coverage turned up. The Korean connection therefore rests on that one statement, and what is documented of his career is American: Berklee, New York University and the New York recording of his album.
Finish Line was released on October 1, 2014 as a self-produced album, and Apple Music files it under jazz. It has twelve tracks. In a review dated November 10, 2014, All About Jazz writer Mark F. Turner called Lee a New York pianist and composer and the record an unusually accomplished debut for a leader joined by veterans. He described a set that unfolds like a story arc, with Lee's compositions and melodies drawing strong playing from Binney, Gress, Felder and Smith. According to the review, the project began when Lee made a sample of the music with software instruments and asked each musician in turn whether they would join him. It adds that the rapport between Lee and Gress on "Too Cold", a piano and bass piece, goes back to Gress teaching him at New York University.
Beyond that album, Apple Music and Spotify list nothing else under his name, and no live dates, later releases or sideman credits were found. The latest dated item found is the November 2014 review, and nothing published says whether he is still performing.
Turner's review places the music in jazz but says jazz is only part of the equation, and describes "In the Battle" as having an indie-rock feel with twisting harmonies and solos from Binney and from Lee doubling on piano and keyboards. "Too Cold" is a dialogue between pianist and bassist that draws on classical music and improvisation, "Peace" weaves in sampled sounds of war and civil unrest, and "Circling" has a psychedelic guitar vamp from Felder with Binney on alto saxophone. Turner also notes his liking for songlike tunes, as on "Think Carefully", and the opener "Remember the End (Intro)" is driven by Smith's funky backbeat.
Gress describes him as a probing pianist and composer who is sensitive to the melodic arc of his improvisations. Peter Bernstein is quoted on the same page calling him an excellent pianist with a beautiful touch, a strong sense of melody, rich harmonic ideas and a spontaneous feeling, who stays true to the song while remaining adventurous. All About Jazz tags the album as modern jazz. He names no influences in the sources found.
Pianist, composer and producer based in New York City, billed Enoch Lee on his release and streaming profiles; legal name Seong Yeob Lee. Born March 23, 1986. One album is published under his name.
Discogs has no artist entry and no release record for Finish Line, so the entry below is taken from All About Jazz (review and musician page), the track credits on Apple Music and Spotify, and the printed cover.
| Album | Year | Label | Personnel | Notes | Listen | Buy |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Finish Line | 2014 | Self-released (℗ 2014 Seong Yeob Lee) | Enoch Lee (piano, keyboards), David Binney (saxophone), Nir Felder (guitar), Drew Gress (bass), Nate Smith (drums) | Twelve tracks, released October 1, 2014, about 47 minutes: "Remember the End (Intro)", "In the Battle", "Circling", "Blur", "What Are You Looking For?", "Too Cold", "Still Waiting", "Think Carefully", "Bravery", "Peace", "Coming Back", "Another Beginning (Outro)". Binney is credited on eight tracks; "Too Cold" is a duo of Lee and Gress. Reviewed by Mark F. Turner for All About Jazz on November 10, 2014; filed under jazz on Apple Music and as modern jazz on All About Jazz. | Spotify / Apple Music | Amazon |
| # | Track | Credited players | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Remember the End (Intro) | Lee, Felder, Gress, Smith | 1:34 |
| 2 | In the Battle | Lee, Binney, Felder, Gress, Smith | 4:56 |
| 3 | Circling | Lee, Binney, Felder, Gress, Smith | 4:44 |
| 4 | Blur | Lee, Binney, Felder, Gress, Smith | 3:29 |
| 5 | What Are You Looking For? | Lee, Binney, Felder, Gress, Smith | 3:31 |
| 6 | Too Cold | Lee, Gress | 4:16 |
| 7 | Still Waiting | Lee, Binney, Felder, Gress, Smith | 5:09 |
| 8 | Think Carefully | Lee, Felder, Gress, Smith | 4:22 |
| 9 | Bravery | Lee, Felder, Gress, Smith | 3:32 |
| 10 | Peace | Lee, Binney, Felder, Gress, Smith | 4:16 |
| 11 | Coming Back | Lee, Binney, Felder, Gress, Smith | 5:34 |
| 12 | Another Beginning (Outro) | Lee, Binney, Felder, Gress, Smith | 1:23 |
No appearances on other artists' releases were found.