*Announcing brand New Album coming soon for YOU in 2022

"Francisco Pais is an incredibly talented composer and arranger; he is dedicated and I support him and believe in him.” – Esperanza Spalding

After three highly acclaimed albums, Portuguese born guitarist Francisco Pais has been exploring new music relentlessly with some of the most influential young lions in NYC. He is a creative tour-de-force who never ceases to try to push the limits of what can be done in music.

“When I make an album I am always driven by the creative collaborations I will have in order to give birth to any project. These musicians share my energy, my passion, my emotions and they believe in my music and my message.” explains Francisco.

Francisco Pais is a Portuguese guitarist and composer. He  has played his own music all over the world with some of the best musicians in the New York scene. After an audition in Paris in 1998, Pais was awarded a scholarship to come to the United States to study jazz performance at the Berklee College of Music in Boston. In 2002, he graduated cum laude with a B.A. in Music Performance. In the following years he toured throughout the world playing at venues including Smalls, Shapeshifter and Joe’s Pub (New York City), Ryles (Boston), The Rex and Trane Studio (Toronto), and Ducs des Lombards (Paris), among many others. Pais has also performed with a number of prominent musicians including Chris Cheek, Marcus Strickland, Seamus Blake, Gretchen Parlato, Becca Stevens, Myron Walden, Alvin Atkinson and Justin Brown. Pais has received numerous awards for his work from the Doris Duke Foundation, Chamber Music America and Rhode Island State Council for the Arts.

Francisco is passionately committed to music education and outreach, having given clinics and masterclasses all over the world. He has worked as a faculty member at Brown university’s Applied Music Program and he is the Director of Jazz Studies of The Wheeler School in Providence RI. He is also the Director of The Wheeler Jazz Camp and the producer of The Contemporary Improvisation Series yearly concerts.

"Francisco's guitar playing is tossed with a challenging and tasteful blend of beautiful harmony and melody lines. What a great player." – Lionel Loueke (Blue Note recording artist / Herbie Hancock guitarist)

“Francisco Pais can really play up a storm” - Lyle Robinson, jazzguitarlife.com

“ He is an amazingly talented guitarist and band leader.” - Bob Karlovits The Pittsburg Tribune Review

"While Pais is a stellar guitarist and a compositional beast, he now assumes the role of vocalist..."

"One does not have to practice yoga or any other meditative practice to gain insight or to have special appreciation for this delightful release. It is rare that an album contains such honesty and passion that both a visceral and cerebral connection can be made by all that should take the time to simply listen....Incredibly inventive and highly entertaining. A stunning recording on more levels then I have space to print..." by Brent Black, criticaljazz.com

“...Pais has energy, ambition and desire. He proves through his music that the creative spirit can release thousands of impressions at once. His guitar soars in passionate displays that weave strong ties with his band mates. Their cohesive union makes for a strong foundation, which in turn releases a creative tide...Pais establishes a magical ballad countenance that enchants.” By Jim Santella All About Jazz