Friends whose taste I respect came away from John Ellis’ Jazz Fest set pretty buzzed by it. I passed because I love the band on Dance Like There’s No Tomorrow—Matt Perrine, Jason Marsalis and organ player Gary Versace—and I like the compositions, but when it’s Ellis’ turn to solo, my mind wanders. I was bummed to feel this way because jazz started as dance music and New Orleans has developed a number of hybrids of danceable jazz. Contemporary jazz has typically remained the last bastion of artful sobriety, and anyone who challenges that is okay with me. I’ve felt this way about Ellis’ soloing before, but because I respect his co-conspirators’ taste and the album’s spirit, I’ll assume there’s something subtle happening in his playing that eludes me and focus on the fun I have during the opening minutes of tracks on Dance Like There’s No Tomorrow instead of the minute or two mid-song when I start thinking about my to-do list.