James Francies

{{Infobox musical artist

| name = James Francies

| image = File:James Francies Blue Note May 2024.jpg

| image_size =

| caption = Francies at Blue Note Jazz Club, New York City, May 2024

| birth_name =

| alias =

| birth_date = 1995

| birth_place = Houston, Texas, US

| origin =

| death_date =

| death_place =

| genre = Jazz

| occupation = Musician, composer, arranger

| instrument = Piano, keyboards

| years_active =

| label = Blue Note

| associated_acts =

| website = {{URL|jamesfranciesmusic.com}}

| current_members =

| past_members =

}}

James Francies (born 1995) is an American jazz pianist, keyboardist, composer, and arranger. He grew up in Houston but moved to New York to continue his musical studies. Following performances and recordings with various musicians, his first album as leader was released by Blue Note Records in 2018.

Early life

Francies was born in Houston in 1995,{{cite web |last=Jurek |first=Thom |url=https://www.allmusic.com/artist/james-francies-mn0003503609/biography |title=James Francies |publisher=AllMusic |accessdate=December 15, 2018}} and grew up in the South Park neighborhood. He began having piano lessons at the age of five, and learning about jazz at junior high school. He went on to attend the High School for the Performing and Visual Arts in Houston.{{cite magazine |last=Panken |first=Ted |date=November 2018 |title=Empathy & Authenticity |url=http://downbeat.com/news/detail/james-francies-empathy-authenticity |magazine=DownBeat |volume=85 |issue=11 |page=26 }} He played at the church that his parents attended, and formed a jazz trio at the age of 14 that performed for three years.

At high school, Francies was awarded a series of jazz scholarships to aid his musical development. These helped him obtain a full scholarship to study at the New School for Jazz and Contemporary Music in New York.

Career

While a student in New York, Francies became a regular in drummer Jeff "Tain" Watts's band. He played piano on one track for Watts's album Blue, Vol. 1 around 2015.{{cite magazine |last=Macnie |first=Jim |date=October 2015 |title=Jeff "Tain" Watts: Blue, Vol. 1 |magazine=DownBeat |volume=82 |issue=10 |page=48 }} Performances and tours with other leaders, including saxophonist Chris Potter and guitarist Pat Metheny, followed. Francies roomed with pianist Aaron Parks for three years from 2015.{{cite magazine |last=Panken |first=Ted |date=November 2018 |title=Intuitive Leadership |magazine=DownBeat |volume=85 |issue=11 |page=42 }}

Around 2016, he played on Watts's Blue, Vol. 2,{{cite magazine |last=Holmes |first=Terrell |date=May 2017 |title=Blue, Vol. 2: Jeff "Tain" Watts (Dark Key Music) |magazine=The New York City Jazz Record |issue=181 |page=18 }} Jaimeo Brown's Work Songs,{{cite magazine |last=Murph |first=John |date=March 2016 |title=Jaimeo Brown Transcendence: Work Songs |magazine=DownBeat |volume=83 |issue=3 |page=54 }} Marcus Strickland's Nihil Novi,{{cite magazine |last=Micallef |first=Ken |date=June 2016 |title=Black American Music Is for Everyone |magazine=DownBeat |volume=83 |issue=6 |page=46 }} and Chance the Rapper's "No Problem".{{cite news |last=Dansby |first=Andrew |date=November 2, 2018 |title=James Francies Takes 'Flight' as Latest HSPVA Jazz Star |url=https://www.houstonchronicle.com/entertainment/music/article/James-Francies-takes-Flight-as-latest-HSPVA-13357750.php |work=Houston Chronicle }} Francies is also part of vibraphonist Stefon Harris's Blackout, and played on that band's Sonic Creed album.{{cite magazine |last=Lutz |first=Phillip |date=November 2018 |title=Nurturing Spirit |magazine=DownBeat |volume=85 |issue=11 |page=32 }}

Francies's debut recording as leader came after he signed for Blue Note Records. The album Flight was released in 2018. All but one of the eleven tracks were written or co-written by Francies; among the other musicians who appeared on the album were bassist Burniss Travis II and drummer Jeremy Dutton, from Francies's band Kinetic. In the same year, Francies was part of vocalist José James's band that played at the Monterey Jazz Festival.{{cite magazine |last=Ouellette |first=Dan |date=December 2018 |title=Highly Charged: Monterey Jazz Festival |magazine=DownBeat |volume=85 |issue=12 |page=14 }} Francies won the "Rising Star Keyboards" award in DownBeat magazine's 2022 critics' poll.{{cite magazine |date=August 2022 |title=70th Annual Critics Poll: Complete Results |magazine=DownBeat |volume=89 |issue=8 |page=48}}

Questlove has used Francies as a stand-in for his regular keyboardist with The Roots as part of The Tonight Show Band on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.

Playing and composing style

A reviewer of Flight commented on Francies's "explosive keyboard style, which makes up for what it lacks in thematic development with dazzling fast runs, nuanced textures and unpredictable turns".{{cite magazine |last=Greenland |first=Tom |date=November 2018 |title=Flight: James Francies (Blue Note) |magazine=The New York City Jazz Record |issue=199 |page=18 }}

Francies has sound-to-color synesthesia.{{cite magazine |last=Murph |first=John |date=January 2, 2019 |title=James Francies: Cleared for Takeoff |url=https://jazztimes.com/features/james-francies-cleared-for-takeoff/ |magazine=JazzTimes }} For one of his compositions, "Leaps", he reported that "I literally visualized the song's melodic jumps. I took some musical shapes inside my head and thought about what they would look like in the physical world."

Discography

=As leader=

class="wikitable sortable"

!Year recorded

!Title

!Label

!Personnel/Notes

2018

|Flight

|Blue Note

|With Burniss Travis II (bass), Jeremy Dutton (drums); Mike Moreno (guitar) on four tracks; Joel Ross (vibraphone) on four tracks; Chris Potter (tenor sax) on three tracks; Mike Mitchell (drums) on one track; YEBBA, Chris Turner, and Kate Kelsey-Sugg (vocals) on one track each{{cite web |title=Flight (2018) |url=https://store.bluenote.com/collections/james-francies/products/james-francies-flight |website=bluenote.com |accessdate=December 15, 2018}}

2021

|Purest Form

|Blue Note

|With Burniss Travis II (bass), Jeremy Dutton (drums); guests Immanuel Wilkins (alto sax), Joel Ross (vibraphone), Mike Moreno (guitar), Peyton, Elliott Skinner, and Bilal (vocals){{cite web |title=Purist Form (2021) |url=https://store.bluenote.com/products/james-francies-purest-form |website=bluenote.com |accessdate=September 17, 2021}}

=As sideman=

class="wikitable sortable"

!Year recorded

!Leader

!Title

!Label

2015

|{{sortname|Jeff "Tain"|Watts}}

|Blue, Vol. 1

|Dark Key

2016?

|{{sortname|Jaimeo|Brown}}

|Work Songs

|Motéma

2016?

|{{sortname|Marcus|Strickland}}

|Nihil Novi

|Blue Note

2016

|{{sortname

Chance the Rapper}}

|Coloring Book

|(Self-released)

2016

|{{sortname|Jeff "Tain"|Watts}}

|Blue, Vol. 2

|Dark Key

2017

|{{sortname|Chris|Potter|Chris Potter (jazz saxophonist)}}

|Circuits

|Edition{{cite web |title=Circuits |url=https://chrispotterjazz.bandcamp.com/album/circuits |website=chrispotterjazz.bandcamp.com |accessdate=March 17, 2019}}

2018?

|{{sortname|Stefon|Harris}}

|Sonic Creed

|Motéma

2020

|{{sortname|Chris|Potter|Chris Potter (jazz saxophonist)}}

|Sunrise Reprise

|Edition

2021

|{{sortname|Pat|Metheny}}

|Side-Eye NYC (V1.IV)

|Modern Recordings