EMILY FRANCIS TRIO
VENUE 606 CLUB, LONDON
DATE 30/01/2025
The cosy 606 Club is a welcome escape from the January cold on a gloomy Thursday. It’s a regular haunt for the Emily Francis Trio and provides a conducive setting for their spacey, prog fusion mélange; sufficiently intimate that the grand piano’s sound reaches every corner, big enough to accommodate Jamie Murray’s explosive drumming.
The opening Le Tambour, 2.00am, from 2022’s Luma, recalls the format of Japanese pianist Hiromi’s The Trio Project. Francis establishes the melody on piano or keys before opening it out, Murray provides a running commentary on the ideas coming from the keyboards, and bassist Trevor Boxall is the glue holding everything together, maintaining an unshakeable lock on the grooves that survives even the most rhythmically challenging curveballs from his bandmates. Escape From The Echo Chamber has a cosmic funk vibe, with chunky organ from Francis, and the precise ending is testament to how tightly the players are synced together.