Pianist James Francies hails from Houston, Texas and on Thursday, April 9th, he brings his band Kinetic—stocked with fellow Houston natives—to The Jazz Gallery for two sets.The last time Francies was on the Gallery stage this January, he was adding an array of electric keyboard sounds to Jason Lindner's group Now vs. Now. Francies and Lindner were paired up through The Jazz Gallery's Mentoring Series where young musicians like Francies gain valuable creative experience on the bandstand. We caught up with the pair of pianists at the end of their series of shows together to talk about everything from honing a group sound and the intricacies of teaching and learning complex music by ear.After checking out the conversation, stop by the Gallery on Thursday evening to hear James Francies step out as a leader, drawing from his experiences working with Jason Lindner.James Francies' Kinetic plays The Jazz Gallery on Thursday, April 9th, 2015. The group features Mr. Francies on piano and keyboards, Mike Moreno on guitar, Alan Hampton on bass, and Justin Brown on drums. Sets are at 8 and 10 p.m. $15 general admission ($10 for members) for the first set, $10 general admission ($8 for members) for the second. Purchase Tickets Here.