John Ellis is a gifted, versatile saxophonist and composer. His music is incredibly creative and embodies the celebratory, welcoming spirit of New Orleans and the edgy, frantic streets of New York City. Both as the leader of his own eclectic projects and as sideman for a variety of artists, he consistently expresses a keen intellect and easy virtuosity.

John joins The Playful Musician to discuss how he first got into playing the saxophone and his early influences. We geek out about saxophone techniques and talk about how he released multiple records during a pandemic. John shares about playing with Charlie Hunter and how a mentor and former teacher “snuck” him onto a Sting record. We chat about his time studying and playing gigs with Ellis Marsalis and what projects he currently has in the works.