John Ellis, up until recently was best know for his work as a tenor saxophonist for the widely popular Charlie Hunter Trio. However, with the release in 2005 of his own set, One Foot In The Swamp, that began to change. As a leader, Ellis drew rave reviews from the likes of the New York Times, The Village Voice, The Chicago Reader, Downbeat, and Jazz Times. He toured his quintet around the U.S. packing jazz clubs and gaining new fans at every stop. Now, Ellis takes the next step in becoming a marquee jazz leader with his new album. By A Thread, a powerful and progressive collection that consistently proves his voice on tenor saxophone to be singular and inspired.