Purest Form James Francies

• 1 Adoration 01:57
• 2 Levitate 05:07
• 3 Transfiguration 04:00
• 4 Blown Away 02:45
• 5 Rose Water 03:23
• 6 My Favorite Things 07:32
• 7 Stratus 00:45
• 8 713 05:21
• 9 Melting 04:14
• 10 Where We Stand 05:11
• 11 Freedmen's Town 05:31
• 12 Eyes Wide Shut 04:34
• 13 Still Here 01:29
• 14 Oasis 03:53
• Total Runtime 55:42

Info for Purest Form

Since his debut album Flight entranced listeners in 2018, Francies has expanded personal explorations of sound bending and orchestral approaches to the music. Collaborations across stylistic realms — including those with Childish Gambino, Pat Metheny, Mark Ronson, The Roots, YEBBA, Chris Potter, Common, Eric Harland, Marcus Miller, DJ Dahi and Ms. Lauryn Hill — have enhanced his development and refined his sound. In issuing Purest Form, his second Blue Note release, Francies accesses intimate chambers of his artistry across 14 tracks, interpreting love, grief, frailty, and fortitude.

The album’s core trio includes Francies’ longtime collaborators Burniss Travis on bass and Jeremy Dutton on drums—three Houston-raised artists who have been playing together and developing alongside one another for more than a decade. Additional musicians featured throughout include his Blue Note labelmates alto saxophonist Immanuel Wilkins and vibraphonist Joel Ross, as well as guitarist Mike Moreno and vocalists Elliott Skinner, Peyton, and Bilal.

Francies’ expression blooms across false borders of genre and style. He nurtures a celestial fascination with melody and texture. “Music, in its purest form, is an honest space we’re trying to get to where there are no preconceived ideas of what we think something should sound like,” he says. “When you really tap into who you are on the inside, musically and as a person, that energy supersedes anything else.” For Francies, Purest Form is more than a recording. It’s an essence. “I hope that what I was trying to go for — an immersive, multidimensional experience — really reaches people. I hope that for 56 minutes, they step into this world of sounds and textures. That’s the idea. And [laughs] I hope it sounds good on every speaker.”

James Francies, piano, keyboards, vocals
Burniss Travis, bass
Jeremy Dutton, drums
Immanuel Wilkins, alto saxophone
Joel Ross, vibraphone
Mike Moreno, guitar
Bilal, vocals
Peyton, vocals
Elliot Skinner, vocals
DJ Dahi, drum programming
Francesca Dardani, violin
Sulamit Gorski, violin
Marta Bagratuni, cello
Tia Allen, viola

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