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Purest Form
James Francies
Awards:
-
Jazzwise, Editor's Choice, August 2021
What stands out the most on Purest Form is the beguiling beauty of some of the textures, particularly ballads such as ‘Melting’ and ‘Eyes Wide Shut’, where Francies has chosen exactly the kind...
Purest Form
James Francies
Purchase product
Awards:
-
Jazzwise, Editor's Choice, August 2021
What stands out the most on Purest Form is the beguiling beauty of some of the textures, particularly ballads such as ‘Melting’ and ‘Eyes Wide Shut’, where Francies has chosen exactly the kind...
About
Pianist & producer James Francies follows-up his acclaimed 2018 debut 'Flight' with the expansive opus 'Purest Form', an eclectic new album that taps into the essence of his artistry across 14 tracks that conjure a world of sounds and textures, interpreting love, grief, frailty, and fortitude. In addition to a core trio of Burniss Travis on bass and Jeremy Dutton on drums, the album features alto saxophonist Immanuel Wilkins, vibraphonist Joel Ross, guitarist Mike Moreno, and vocalists Peyton, Elliott Skinner, and Bilal.
Contents and tracklist
- James Francies (keyboards), James Francies (piano), Brenda Francies (narrator)
- Recorded: 2020
- Recording Venue: GSI Studios
- James Francies (keyboards), James Francies (piano), Jeremy Dutton (drums), Burniss Travis III (bass)
- Recorded: 2020
- Recording Venue: GSI Studios
- James Francies (keyboards), James Francies (piano), Immanuel Wilkins (saxophone), Burniss Travis III (bass), Jeremy Dutton (drums), Shawana Francies (spoken word)
- Recorded: 2020
- Recording Venue: GSI Studios
- Peyton (vocals), James Francies (keyboards), James Francies (piano), Burniss Travis III (bass), Jeremy Dutton (drums)
- Recorded: 2020
- Recording Venue: GSI Studios
- Elliott Skinner (vocals), James Francies (keyboards), James Francies (piano), Burniss Travis III (bass)
- Recorded: 2020
- Recording Venue: GSI Studios
- James Francies (keyboards), James Francies (piano), Immanuel Wilkins (saxophone), Joel Ross (vibraphone), Burniss Travis III (bass), Jeremy Dutton (drums), Mike Moreno (guitar)
- Recorded: 2020
- Recording Venue: GSI Studios
- James Francies (keyboards), James Francies (piano), Sulamit Gorski (violin), Tia Allen (viola), Marta Bagratuni (cello), Francesca Dardani (violin)
- Recorded: 2020
- Recording Venue: Electric Lady Studios
- James Francies (keyboards), James Francies (piano), Burniss Travis III (bass), Jeremy Dutton (drums)
- Recorded: 2020
- Recording Venue: GSI Studios
- James Francies (keyboards), James Francies (piano), Dahi (drum programming)
- Recorded: 2020
- Recording Venue: GSI Studios
- James Francies (keyboards), James Francies (piano), Joel Ross (vibraphone), Immanuel Wilkins (saxophone), Burniss Travis III (bass), Jeremy Dutton (drums)
- Recorded: 2020
- Recording Venue: GSI Studios
- James Francies (keyboards), James Francies (piano), Burniss Travis III (bass), Jeremy Dutton (drums), James Francies Sr. (spoken word)
- Recorded: 2020
- Recording Venue: GSI Studios
- Bilal (vocals), James Francies (keyboards), James Francies (piano), Burniss Travis III (bass), Jeremy Dutton (drums), Mike Moreno (guitar)
- Recorded: 2020
- Recording Venue: GSI Studios
- James Francies (spoken word), Francesca Dardani (violin), Marta Bagratuni (cello), Shawana Francies (spoken word), Sulamit Gorski (violin), Tia Allen (viola)
- Recorded: 2020
- Recording Venue: GSI Studios
Awards and reviews
-
JazzwiseEditor's ChoiceAugust 2021
August 2021
What stands out the most on Purest Form is the beguiling beauty of some of the textures, particularly ballads such as ‘Melting’ and ‘Eyes Wide Shut’, where Francies has chosen exactly the kind of disturbingly vaporous synth sounds to resonate with a voice as singular as that of Bilal.
July 2021
On James Francies’ second Blue Note album, the pianist doesn’t so much compose music as conjure fascinating nebulae of sound. Like Flight, his 2018 label debut, the sequel continues Francies’ research into music as an abstract language grounded in the stuff of everyday life — vulnerability, resolve, love.
