Emily Francis Trio

The prog jazz keyboardist taking her sound on a voyage into the Atomic age

“When we first started out, it was a bit trial and error,” says keys player and bandleader Emily Francis. Inhabiting the space between prog and jazz fusion, the Emily Francis Trio produce a sound that’s sometimes cosmic or ethereal, sometimes earthy and groovy, but always expansive. The group released their debut, //The Absent//, in 2015 with a style rooted in acoustic piano, influenced by contemporary Scandinavian jazz, before Francis heard the music coming out of New York’s fusion scene.

“The gig that changed my life was this band called Forq,” she says. “The keyboard player is Henry Hey and there’s a couple of people from Snarky Puppy in that band. It was this epiphany, oh my god, he’s using all these incredible keyboard sounds I hadn’t heard for years. It blew me away and gave me the confidence to accept myself as a keyboard player rather than an out-and-out piano player.”
After //The Absent//, original drummer Liam Waugh departed for musical theatre tours, and Jamie Murray joined Francis and bassist Trevor Boxall. When the band returned with //Luma// in 2022, the sound had evolved by leaps and bounds into something distinctly progressive. “I’ve fully accepted the prog jazz label now,” says Francis. “It’s interesting because I’ll listen back to Mahavishnu Orchestra, and I’ll be like, well, that’s jazz fusion but there are so many similarities with what we do. Then I’ll listen to progressive rock and there are so many similarities there as well. As time goes on, genres just meld.”

That melding continues with their latest release, //Atomic//, an EP that balances the discipline of composition with the spontaneity of improvisation. As a songwriter making instrumental music, Francis approaches every piece as the chance to tell a story. //Don’t Forget To Feed The Orchid// began as Francis’ way of reminding herself to look after her favourite houseplant. “And it’s still alive!” she declares, “But it developed into this metaphor for don’t forget to look after yourself. The running theme through a lot of my compositions is we’re always trying to just get through the next stressful event. The bass solo sounds like having a conversation with a good friend or relative trying to be a word of reason.”

Alongside her own band, Francis plays keys for Toyah and Robert Fripp, and she aims to adopt the structure of rock concerts into the trio’s mindset. “The thing I’ve learned from the session world is how to craft a show,” she says. “One of our strengths is when you come and watch a gig you’re really going on a journey. That’s the thing I love about progressive rock music, there’s a real narrative that runs through it.” That approach is evident both in //Atomic// and the live performances. “Every composition always has this climactic point in it. It’s how you create this arc,” says Francis. “You’ll start somewhere and end up in a completely different place. It’s how you feel in the moment and how you want the listener to feel.” DW

Prog File

Line-Up: Emily Francis (keyboards), Trevor Boxall (bass), Jamie Murray (drums)

Sounds Like: The spaced-out soundtrack to a sci-fi opus about a dystopian future society, played by a jazz trio that loves Steven Wilson and Pink Floyd.

Current Release: Atomic is out now via Bandcamp.

Website: www.emilyfrancistrio.com

— David West