Yeon Ji Lee: The End of a Tunnel

Yeon Ji Lee is at the beginning of her career, so a web search reveals little about her. She is  Korean-born and now New York-based. She graduated from the Aaron Copland School Of Music at Queens College. 2026 sees the release of her debut album, The End of a Tunnel, a piano trio affair with the pianist joined by bassist Joe Martin and drummer Adam Cruz.

Comparison with past masters of the trio way of working can be informative. With Lee, on the opening tune of this debut, "Let's Go," the amazing Bud Powell comes to mind. The sound is bright and bouncy, life-affirming. Cruz and Martin go into a groove that is more supportive rather than interactive, which suits the melody nicely. "Soaring" takes things down tempo. It is, fittingly, expansive considering the title. "Beneath the Ocean" is cool and meditative.

End Of A Tunnel consists of eight of Lee's original compositions. The music, Lee says, "Reflects different moments and emotions for [her] personal journey, ultimately centered around the idea of finding hope and light at the end of a difficult season." This is reflected in the album's title tune, which opens on a melancholic note, tinged with hope—perhaps distant hope that, though distant, is still in sight. The tune's timeline approaches the light, brightening the mood as the end of that confined darkness approaches sunlight, perhaps flowers, a turning of the page for the better. Her bandmates are particularly vivacious as they step into the light, and Lee sparkles.

"Unstable" invites a darker mood into the sound, and "Dancing Stars"—which Lee released as a pre-album release single—is a sound that smiles with a thousand points of light.

The End Of A Tunnel is a fine debut. The music is consistently compelling, and the cover art is striking and fits the mood perfectly.