Imaginary Hero, by The Evan Francis Group

Imaginary Hero

by The Evan Francis Group

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1.	Our Secondary Friend 08:02	buy track
2.	Thought I Heard 06:41	buy track
3.	Persistent 05:53	buy track
4.	We'll Be Together Again 05:07	buy track
5.	To Build A Ship 05:27	buy track
6.	Raadiq 04:22	buy track
7.	Sideways Hairdo 06:59	buy track
8.	Beautiful Spider Person 05:19	buy track
9.	Upscale Dinner 04:35	buy track
10.	Amazing New Machine 06:37	buy track

about

"[The] Evan Francis Group comes off like a cross between a big band, a funk combo and an Afro-Cuban jazz ensemble. The leader's vibrant compositions, brainy yet approachable, tie the eclectic mix together."
–Time Out New York

Evan Francis - Alto Saxophone & Flute
Michelle Amador - Vocals
Kenny Brooks - Tenor Saxophone
Matt Nelson - Tenor Saxophone
Kurt Kotheimer - Electric Bass
Tim Bulkley - Drums & Cymbals

Imaginary Hero, the new album from saxophonist, flutist, and composer Evan Francis, delivers wildly dynamic music drawing from an impressive array of stylistic flavors. His cool and steadfast band, The Evan Francis Group navigates his slyly shifting compositions with poise, while virtuoso soloists burst with thrilling alacrity. Imbued with thick funk, tasty dance rhythms, firm roots in jazz and Afro-Cuban music, with a flare for avant-garde improvisation, Imaginary Hero moves with assured vision.

The Evan Francis Group’s the three-horn front, featuring Francis on alto saxophone and flute with dual tenor saxophonists Kenny Brooks and Matt Nelson, glides coolly over Francis’s compositions in harmonized melodies, while bassist Kurt Kotheimer and drummer Tim Bulkley provide a punchy, unwavering foundation. Vocalist Michelle Amador occasionally joins the quintet as they expertly weave through a myriad of unpredictable aesthetic variations. Francis’s writing draws effortlessly from such a wide range of musical influences that the same tune might seamlessly combine Latin flavor with lounge jazz, and Eric Dolphy-esque improvisation with hip-hop and funk rhythms. The result is a sound that integrates the familiar with the foreign into a cohesive amalgam that reflects a modern global consciousness.

Based in New York City, Francis’s varied career has taken him all over the world. Over the last two decades, he has performed, recorded, and toured with such notable musicians as Stevie Wonder, Michael Bublé, Taylor Eigsti, Miguel Atwood-Ferguson, Helen Sung, Meshell Ndegeocello, The Pacific Mambo Orchestra, Lyrics Born, Talib Kweli, Art Davis and many more. Recently, he was named a "Rising Star" in the Flute category of the DownBeat Magazine Critic's poll and was featured on the Grammy-winning debut record of the Pacific Mambo Orchestra in 2013.

Drawing from this vast background, Evan Francis has distilled his compositional style and band-leading prowess into a singular unmistakable voice. Imaginary Hero’s lush, melodic horns and organic stylistic patchwork serve almost as intelligent party music for an evolved humanity. Accessible yet adventurous, experimental yet grounded – as one reviewer put it:

“I can visualize the spirits of Rahsaan Roland Kirk & Eric Dolphy looking on with pride...it's invigorating & refreshing to hear a contemporary jazz group actually moving the dialog ahead.”
–Jeffrey Jones, Music Director WOJB FM 88.9

credits

released November 10, 2017

Engineered and Mixed by Michael Coleman
Mastered by Dan Rosenboom
Art by Todd Francis
Design by Eron Rauch
© Dell Avenue Music (ASCAP) 2017

Tracks 1, 3, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 composed by Evan Grant Francis (ASCAP)
Tracks 2, 5 composed by Michelle Amador and Evan Grant Francis (ASCAP)
"We'll Be Together Again" composed by Carl Fisher and Frankie Lane

www.evanfrancismusic.com

ORENDA RECORDS 0044
www.orendarecords.com

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Orenda Records Los Angeles, California

"Boundary-pushing music." –DownBeat Magazine

Orenda Records has been presenting visionary creative music by over 60 artists from Los Angeles and beyond across more than 100 releases since 2014.

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