The Ellie Rui 瑞 Ensemble

Ellie Rui 瑞 is a Chicago-based Jazz drummer from Columbus, Ohio. She moved to Chicago after graduating from the Oberlin Conservatory of Music in the Spring of 2024. At Oberlin, Ellie studied with NEA Jazz Master Billy Hart.

Ellie’s compositions can be characterized by her percussive approach, even when writing for non-percussion instruments. She generally follows a “Jazz form” but her chord changes and rhythms are intentionally non-standard. Her unconventional musical choices are generally used to depict the story/message behind her pieces. In Ellie’s live shows, she shares parts of her life  in the hope of bringing people together. Ellie likes to be around musicians that remind her of the kind of person she strives to be.

Her band, “The Ellie Rui 瑞 Ensemble” came together in 2025. Their sound can be characterized as Jazz/Funk & Fusion. They play a mixture of Ellie’s original music (most notably from her recently…