John Axson Ellis (born April 13, 1974) is an American jazz saxophonist. He performed in the group Doublewide with

Jason Marsalis Jason Marsalis (born March 4, 1977) is an American jazz drummer, vibraphone player, composer, producer, band leader, and member of the Marsalis family of musicians. He is the youngest son of Dolores Ferdinand Marsalis and the late Ellis Marsal ...

Career

A native of North Carolina, Ellis learned clarinet and piano as a child. During the 1990s in New Orleans he studied with Ellis Marsalis and performed with Brian Blade and

Nicholas Payton Nicholas Payton (born September 26, 1973) is an American trumpet player and multi-instrumentalist. A Grammy Award winner, he is from New Orleans, Louisiana. He is also a prolific and provocative writer who comments on a multitude of subjects, inc ...

. He released his debut album, ''Language of Love'', independently in 1996. He received a music degree from the New School in New York City and won second place in the Thelonious Monk piano competition. He traveled to Africa as a cultural ambassador for the

United States Information Agency The United States Information Agency (USIA), which operated from 1953 to 1999, was a United States agency devoted to " public diplomacy". In 1999, prior to the reorganization of intelligence agencies by President George W. Bush, President Bil ...

. With playwright Andy Bragen Ellis composed the theatrical works ''Dreamscapes'', ''The Ice Siren'', and ''Mobro''. An album version of ''The Ice Siren'' with

Gretchen Parlato Gretchen Parlato (born February 11, 1976) is an American jazz singer. She has performed and recorded with musicians such as Wayne Shorter, Herbie Hancock, Kenny Barron, Esperanza Spalding, Terence Blanchard, Marcus Miller and Lionel Loueke. ...

on vocals was released in 2020. Ellis has worked with

The Holmes Brothers The Holmes Brothers were an American musical trio originally from Christchurch, Virginia. Mixing sounds from blues, soul, gospel, country, and rhythm & blues, they have released twelve studio albums, with three reaching the top 5 on the ''Billb ...

Charlie Hunter Charlie Hunter (born May 23, 1967) is an American guitarist, composer, and bandleader. First coming to prominence in the early 1990s, Hunter plays custom-made seven- and eight-string guitars on which he simultaneously plays bass lines, chords, a ...

John Patitucci John Patitucci (born December 22, 1959) is an American jazz bassist and composer. Biography John James Patitucci was born in Brooklyn, New York. When he was 12, he bought his first bass and decided on his career. He listened to bass parts in R ...

, Lonnie Smith, Sting, Helen Sung, and

Miguel Zenón Miguel Zenón (born December 30, 1976) is a Puerto Rican alto saxophonist, composer, band leader, music producer, and educator. He is a multiple Grammy Award nominee, and the recipient of a Guggenheim Fellowship and a MacArthur Fellowship. He als ...

Discography

As leader/co-leader

* ''Roots, Branches & Leaves'' (Fresh Sound, 2002) – recorded in 2000 * ''One Foot in the Swamp'' (Hyena, 2005) * ''By a Thread'' (Hyena, 2006) * ''Dance Like There's No Tomorrow'' (Hyeana, 2008) * ''Puppet Mischief'' (ObliqSound, 2010) * ''It's You I Like'' (Criss Cross, 2012) – recorded in 2011 * ''MOBRO'' with Andy Bragen (Parade Light, 2014) * ''Double Wide Charm'' (Parade Light, 2015) * ''The Ice Siren'' with Andy Bragen (Parade Light, 2020)

As sideman

With

* ''Songs from the Analog Playground'' (

Blue Note In jazz and blues, a blue note is a note that—for expressive purposes—is sung or played at a slightly different pitch from standard. Typically the alteration is between a quartertone and a semitone, but this varies depending on the musical c ...

, 2001) * ''Right Now Move'' (Ropeadope, 2003) * ''Friends Seen and Unseen'' (Ropeadope, 2004) * ''Copperopolis'' (Ropeadope, 2006) With Anne Mette Iversen * ''Milo Songs'' (Bjurecords, 2011) * ''So Many Roads'' (Bjurecords, 2014) * ''Round Trip'' (Bjurecords, 2016) * ''Racing a Butterfly'' (Bjurecords, 2020) With

Kat Edmonson Kat Edmonson (born August 3, 1983) is an American singer and songwriter who calls her music vintage pop. Biography Early life and career Born and raised in Houston, Edmonson is the only child of a single mother who enjoyed songs from the Great ...

* ''Take to the Sky'' (Convivium, 2009) * ''Way Down Low'' (Okeh, 2013) With

Kendrick Scott Kendrick Scott (born July 8, 1980 in Houston, Texas, United States) is an American jazz drummer, bandleader, and composer. He is the founder of the record label World Culture Music. Biography Kendrick A.D. Scott was born and raised in Houston. ...

* ''Conviction'' (Concord Jazz, 2013) * ''We Are the Drum'' (Blue Note, 2015) With

Ben Sidran Ben Hirsh Sidran (born August 14, 1943) is an American jazz and rock keyboardist, producer, label owner, and music writer. Early in his career he was a member of the Steve Miller Band and is the father of Grammy-nominated musician, composer an ...

* ''Don't Cry for No Hipster'' (Nardis, 2012) * ''Picture Him Happy'' (Bonsai Music, 2017) With Lonnie Smith * ''In the Beginning'' (Pilgrimage, 2013) CD* ''Evolution'' (Blue Note, 2016) With others *

Darcy James Argue Darcy James Argue is a jazz composer and bandleader known for his work with his 18-piece ensemble, Secret Society. Biography Argue was born in Vancouver, British Columbia. He studied at McGill University in Montreal from 1993–1998, and in 2000 ...

, ''Brooklyn Babylon'' (New Amsterdam, 2013) *

Will Bernard Will Bernard is a guitarist and band leader. He has led the Will Bernard Band, Will Bernard Trio, Will Bernard 4-tet, and Motherbug. Career In the 1980s Bernard was a member of the Hieroglyphics Ensemble led by Peter Apfelbaum. In the 1990s he fo ...

, ''Just Like Downtown'' (Posi-Tone, 2013) *

Laila Biali Laila Biali (born 3 October 1980) is a Canadian Vocal jazz, jazz singer and pianist. She has been nominated for and won a Juno Award and has worked with Chris Botti and Sting (musician), Sting. Career Born in Vancouver, Biali began playing pi ...

, ''Out of Dust'' (ACT, 2020) *

Erin Bode Erin Bode is an American singer from Minnesota who describes her music as a combination of jazz, folk, and pop. Biography In the decade-plus since Erin Bode began her professional recording career, she has garnered much critical praise for her ...

, ''The Little Garden'' (Native Language, 2008) *

Sean Costello Sean Costello (April 16, 1979 – April 15, 2008) was an American blues musician, renowned for his fiery guitar playing and soulful singing. He released five critically acclaimed albums before his career was cut short by his sudden death from ...

, ''Sean Costello'' (Tone-Cool, 2004) *

Caramelos de Cianuro Caramelos de Cianuro ''(Cyanide Candies)'' is an alternative rock band from Venezuela formed in 1991. They recorded their first songs, "Nadando a Través De la Galaxia" (Swimming Across the Galaxy) and "Tu Mamá Te Va a Pegar" (Your mom is going ...

, ''8'' (Sonografica, 2016) *

Gilfema Gilfema is a jazz trio consisting of Lionel Loueke (guitar), Ferenc Nemeth (drums), and Massimo Biolcati (bass). The name of the group comes from the musicians' names: Gil (Lionel Gilles Loueke), fe (Ferenc), ma (Massimo). They met at Berkl ...

, ''Gilfema + 2'' (Obliqsound, 2008) *

Robert Glasper Robert Andre Glasper (born April 6, 1978) is an American pianist, record producer, songwriter, and musical arranger with a career that bridges several different musical and artistic genres, mostly centered on jazz. To date, Glasper has won fou ...

, ''Mood'' (Fresh Sound, 2003) * Jon Gordon, ''Evolution'' (ArtistShare, 2009) *

Norah Jones Norah Jones (born Geethali Norah Jones Shankar; March 30, 1979) is an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. She has won several awards for her music and as of 2012, has sold more than 50 million records worldwide. ''Billboard'' named her the ...

, '' ... Featuring Norah Jones'' (Blue Note, 2010) – compilation * Kathy Kosins, ''Vintage'' (Mahogany, 2005) *

Michael Leonhart Michael Leonhart (born April 21, 1974) is an American jazz trumpeter and multi-instrumentalist. Solo career In 1992 Leonhart was honored with the first Grammy Award for outstanding high school musician in the US (he attended Fiorello H. LaGuardia ...

, ''Suite Extracts Vol. 1'' (Sunnyside, 2019) *

Mike Moreno Mike Moreno (born October 8, 1978) is a jazz guitarist and composer from Houston, Texas. According to an NPR interview in 2008,Jackson, Josh, (Feb. 5, 2008).Mike Moreno: Jazz Guitar 'Between the Lines'. NPR. Retrieved Jan. 28, 2013. Moreno's ma ...

, ''Between the Lines'' (World Culture Music, 2007) *

Igor Lumpert Igor Lumpert (born October 27, 1975) is a Slovene jazz saxophonist. Lumpert began his professional training at age 19 at the Bruckner Conservatory in Linz, Austria, where he studied with Doug Hammond and Harry Sokal. During this period, he was ...

, ''Eleven'' (Clean Feed, 2018) – recorded in 2017 *

Eric Revis Eric Revis (born May 31, 1967) is a jazz bassist and composer. Revis came to prominence as a bassist with singer Betty Carter in the mid-1990s. Since 1997 he has been a member of Branford Marsalis's ensemble. His debut album, ''Tales of the Stutt ...

, ''Laughter's Necklace of Tears'' (11:11, 2009) *

Robert Sadin Robert Sadin is an American jazz musician, conductor, arranger, composer and producer. He was conductor of the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra. Discography As leader * ''Art of Love: Music of Machaut'' (Deutsche Grammophon, 2009) As producer * Kathl ...

, ''Art of Love:'' (Deutsche Grammophon, 2009) * Kate Schutt, ''Telephone Game'' (ArtistShare, 2008) *

Leo Sidran Leo Sidran is an American Grammy-nominated musician, composer, performer, and producer whose credits include co-producing the Oscar-winning song "Al Otro Lado Del Rio" for the soundtrack to the movie '' The Motorcycle Diaries''. Sidran began ...

, ''Cool School'' (Bonsai Music, 2018) * Edward Simon, ''Venezuelan Suite'' (Sunnyside, 2013) – recorded in 2012 * Sting, '' If on a Winter's Night...'' (Deutsche Grammophon/Cherrytree, 2009) * Helen Sung, ''Sung Without Words'' (Stricker Street, 2018)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ellis, John 1974 births Living people 21st-century American male musicians 21st-century American saxophonists American jazz saxophonists American male jazz musicians American male saxophonists