Søren Lee (Born January 20, 1966 in Copenhagen) is a Danish Jazz guitarist and composer. He started playing guitar at age of 10, took guitar lessons for about two years with a private teacher and began his professional career at 15. He performed with his own band in smaller places around Copenhagen.  At 16 he started playing with the funk band “Tonight” that Achieved big success around Denmark played around 4 gigs a week in two years.  At 19 he started playing with the Jazz group Orbits with Uffe Markussen sax, Alex Riel (Drums) Ben Besiakow (piano) Marilyn Mazur (perc.) among others, and got his first review as a jazz guitarist with this band in the newspaper Politiken after playing in Jazz club Montmartre headline was “Great talent, Danish guitar hope”. (By Boris Rabinowich).  

In summer 1988-90 Søren packed his bags and went for the big Apple New York to try it out and also to study music at New School for jazz and social research.    

                           

In 1990 he records his first solo Album with the legendary bass player Ray Brown, “Søren Lee   Quartet “ Ray Brown bass, Alvin Queen Drums, Niels Lan Doky/Thomas Clausen Piano.  The band toured and played sold out concert nationwide, and attracted serious media attention, incl. front pages and national television documentary and full broadcast concerts.                         

 

Søren Lee performed in 1991 with Jim Hall quartet at Village Vanguard New York, and was also feat. with Jim hall quartet at Montmartre the same year.

 

In 1992 he recorded his second solo Album Søren Lee Trio with Adam Nussbaum on Drums and Jesper Lundgaard on bass. This trio album received many great reviews: “Briliant guitar talent Søren Lee is a formidable guitarist nothing less. (Jyllands Posten)”.  This trio toured all over Scandinavia.

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1993-2000 Søren took also some other educations not related to music.

 

Portrait of Søren Lee as a guitar player in 1994 Danish TV,

 

Back in N.Y. in 1997 to study classical composing for a year at City College, playing two/three gigs a week in New York.                                                                                                   

In 1999- he starts playing as a sideman on tours and albums with many different artists in Denmark to name a few Cæsilie Nordby (two month tour in Scandinavia), drummer Jonas Johansens “Please Move” that was nominated for an Danish Grammy, saxophonist Emil Hess in different constellations, pianist Jørgen Emborg, this year he also starts teaching guitar at MGK and different Conservatoriums in Denmark.

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2001 he records his third solo Album “Living now” with Jesper Nordenstrøm (organ), Mads Vinding (bass), Martin Andersen (drums)  Lelo Nica (played accordion with the great Joe Zawinul), This album was also followed by many great reviews , “ Søren Lee, Master guitar player superior with a superior personal touch. (Fyns stiftstidende)..”                                                                                              

In 2005 he gets curious about singing and the human voice and he goes to Los Angeles “Hollywood” 2007-2009 to study vocal technic with the legendary vocal coach Seth Riggs known from being coaching Michael Jackson, Stevie wonder among many others, 2007-2016 Søren writes more than 100 songs with lyrics.  From 2009-2017 he opens a vocal studio in Copenhagen getting a lot of success as a vocal teacher by teaching pop stars from the radio (Jannik) from Nic and Jay  - Vinnie Who among many others, in this period he is also playing around with his own bands and as a sideman for other artists.

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In 2016 he starts his collaboration with the Swedish/Italian drummer Niclas Campagnol and it inspired him to a new recording and his fourth album “Søren Lee Diversity Trio” together with the Mauritian bass player Linley Marthe (known from from playing with Zawinul Syndicate the last 5 years of Joe Zawinul´s life and from playing today with drummer Omar Harkim´s band) and it´s Niclas Campagnol on Drums. The album "Søren Lee Diversity Trio" was released sept. 7th 2018 with a concert in Jazzhus Montmartre in Copenhagen. 

Album releases in own name
1) Søren Lee Quartet with Ray Brown – 1991 (Bellaphon Records Germany)
2) Søren Lee Trio with Adam Nussbaum – 1993 (Bellaphon Records Germany)
3) Søren Lee Living Now – 2001 (Stunt Records)
4) Søren Lee Diversity Trio - 2018 (Slee productions) via Gateway music.
5) Søren Lee Diversity Trio live in Copenhagen (optaget på Jazzhus Montmartre) – 2022 (Slee
productions) Via Gateway music.
4) Søren Lee Thomas Agergaard Skeches 4 singles (Gateway)
5) Søren Lee The Jazz Explorers volume one Standard Exposure (2023)
6( Søren Lee The Jazz Explorers volume two Further Exposure Volume Two (2024)
7) Søren Lee-Brian Melvin-Mads Søndergaard – Tribute to John Coltrane releases on Storyville
8)Records Oct. 2023. (Most added jazz album in US jazz radio Jan. Feb. 2024.
9)Two grammy nominations in 2023 for best album and best live band (Diversity trio live in
Copenhagen) (Gaffa)
Upcoming album releases:
10) Søren Lee (HOPE) release June 2024 with legendary US drummer Victor Jones, Jakob
Dinesen saxophone, Yasser Pino bass, Rune Harder Olesen percussion, Søren Lee acoustic and
electric guitar.
11) Søren Lee Quartet with Legendary Tim Hagans trumpet Release 2024, Anders Mogensen
drums, Johnny Åman bass, Søren Lee guitar.
12) Søren Lee Quartet with Legendary (US) Rick Margitza saxophone. Release 2024 with
Anders Mogensen Drums, Johnny Åman bass. Søren Lee guitar.
13) Bob Moses – Søren Lee- Thomas Agergaard Trio Release 2025.
14) Søren Lee - Thomas Hass - Brian Melvin trio volume one Release 2025