153: Why This Young Jazz Artist Thinks Beyond Music

What happens when playing one instrument, working in one genre or following one creative path simply isn't enough?On this episode of The Jazz Flyte Podcast, I sit down with Ellis Hamilton, a 27-year-old saxophonist, multi-instrumentalist and composer whose creative ambitions stretch from contemporary jazz to film scoring and beyond.Ellis shares how his love of music developed without being confined by genre. While jazz and smooth jazz became important parts of his journey, he grew up listening across musical styles and following whatever naturally captured his ear. Along the way, mentors including Najee and saxophone coach Skip Pruitt helped influence the musician he was becoming.But Ellis isn't interested in only performing.His fascination with film and music started early. By his teens, he was experimenting with creating his own films and writing and recording the music to accompany them. That passion eventually led him to Berklee, where he pursued performance and film scoring, and he has since scored several short films, including an award-winning project in which he also acted.We talk about his creative process and why some of his best ideas begin without knowing exactly where they're going. Instead of forcing every piece of music into a predetermined genre or emotion, Ellis allows himself to experiment, follow an idea and see what it becomes.We also discuss his ability to move between saxophone, drums, piano, bass, composing and singing, as well as his collaboration with Grammy-winning songwriter and producer Barry Eastmond. Ellis also shares the story behind his interpretation of “Best Part,” which began as a social media cover before developing into a single.And at only 27, he's nowhere near finished. Ellis wants to continue performing and recording while expanding further into scoring for film, television and theme parks, creative writing, filmmaking and even writing a musical.This conversation is a look at a young artist who isn't asking himself to choose one lane. He's discovering just how many roads his creativity can take him down.Connect with Ellis: https://www.ellishamilton.com/