The longtime sax player for Charlie Hunter's trio has one-upped his old sensei with an album that showcases his adeptness at composition and arrangement. Almost every song on John Ellis's By a Thread is imaginatively written with natural yet sophisticated melodies and progressions. As climactic solos rise into groove-heavy riffs, Ellis reminds us that an experienced, like-minded backing band — here including guitarist Mike Moreno and drummer Terreon Gully — can elevate a recording to greatness. - Joseph DeFranceschi, San Francisco Bay Guardian
"John Ellis is best known for being the saxophonist with guitarist Charlie Hunter, although his own solo career has been going well. On By a Thread, Ellis' music (all nine selections are his originals) has its own quirky logic, like that of Wayne Shorter, although his compositions are also reminiscent of the Keith Jarrett Quintet of the '70s when it featured tenor-saxophonist Dewey Redman. The music is part blues and part gospel but also utilizes unusual structures and is consistently unpredictable. Aaron Goldberg (mostly on electric piano) and guitarist Mike Moreno have their solo spots, but John Ellis is the main star, both in his writing and in his distinctive playing. Recommended." - Scott Yanow, All Music
"After five years in the Charlie Hunter Trio, saxophonist John Ellis strikes out on his own as a bandleader for the first time with By A Thread. Far from abandoning the Funk focus of his former outfit, we now find Ellis seemingly determined to stretch the limits of meter and harmony. To his new crew of players from The Big Apple, Ellis brings a funky residue leftover from his many years of playing with New Orleans musicians, and it colors all the dark, extended vamps that support and fuel his solos. Whether a nebulous cloud of Funk ("Ferris Wheel," "Moore's Alphabet") or a wily pedestrian groove ("Tall Drink Of Water"), the band's elastic reflexes -- like lightning synapses -- sketch a loose and angular scaffolding for Ellis's saxophone to swing in, on and around like a monkey. Makes for a superb blend of great Funk and adventurous Jazz." - Ric Hickey, Cincinnati City Beat