A young saxophonist who grew up in North Carolina and New Orleans, John Ellis stays true to the idea of the Southern expression in jazz, from New Orleans funk to folkloric melodies. Like Joshua Redman, he has the knack for writing catchy, fluid, optimistic songs; but he is also fascinated by the ways musicians can break down structure and create it on the fly.

On "One Foot in the Swamp" (Hyena), his second album, he surrounds himself with some of the best younger musicians in jazz, including the trumpeter Nicholas Payton, the harmonica player Gregoire Maret, the pianist Aaron Goldberg (mostly playing Fender Rhodes), the bassist Roland Guerin and the drummer Jason Marsalis. The grooves are deep and aerated; the guitarist John Scofield joins them on two songs, playing long, tensile, narrative solos. It's an adventuresome jazz record, with
some weird little keyboard textures and some straight-up funk,
eccentricities and earthy necessities.

--Ben Ratliff