Original songs that include lyrics are rare in jazz today. The vocalist played a vital role in jazz’s rise to fame and impact. Francisco Pais’s new album School of Enlightenment opens with the opening track. It offers a modern interpretation of an important element of jazz today: original, beautiful music that can reach the listener instantly and deeply through their voice. The song “Early Shift”, which is composed by Francisco Pais, combines the composer’s musical vision and the imagery that it invoked in the poet’s head upon hearing it. Ann Bruno’s poetic words are complemented by the musical foundations on which the poem was built. The music is truly a joy, enhanced by Gretchen Parlato’s captivating voice. This is just one of the nine brilliantly imaginative and incredibly fresh compositions on the album. Not all the music has voice. Chris Cheek, an accomplished saxophonist who has returned to Pais’s band and brings his unique sound to the music, handles many of the melodies beautifully. Ferenc Nemeth is a drummer and bandleader who has been Pais in crime for more than 10 years. He provides powerful, exotic and interesting grooves all through the album. Leo Genovese, the pianist, returns to the group to add his powerful contributions to the band. Peter Slavov, a solid and powerful bassist who can swing and commands the band, is featured on seven tracks. Damien Cabaud, a young bassist, rounds out the two other tracks. The music blends many styles. The listener can choose from driving swing, odd-meter bolero, trip-hop beat, or modern rock, all of which are rooted in jazz tradition. Pais’s ability to compose and versatility are evident in all of his original works. His musicians are invested in his artistic vision and are keenly aware of it. Pais’s dedication to his ideas is refreshing, given the volatile nature of the music industry. Pais has even gone as far to publish the album under his own label Product of Imagination Records to keep that. The production process is impressive, not only for the music but also for the time and effort that went into it. The audio quality is excellent and the attention to detail is superb. This is to be expected of James Farber, mixing wizard and Fred Kevorkian, master engineer. Francisco Pais is an artist who has a burning desire not to stagnate and to keep moving forward until there is no place left. This is just one chapter of a lengthy and fascinating book. We are looking forward to his next adventures. CDBaby
