6 - Analysis of Bert Joris Tunes
Bert Joris is a Belgian trumpet player, arranger and composer that is well known for his award winning recordings with the Brussels Jazz orchestra, his quartet with Dado Moroni and countless collaborations with big bands all over the world. To me he is one of the most complete musicians in Europe, a very tastefull improviser and versatile arranger and composer.
There are several CDs by the Brussels Jazz orchestra, which feature compositions by him, and they are all so different. Each one tells it's own unique story, and has its own atmosphere.
Benoit is a AABA tune set to a "Poinciana" groove (The groove that Vernel Fournier played on the Ahmad Jamal trio recording of that tune)
The first 2 A sections are in F with a vamp on the chord sequence I IV V but the IV and V chords are inversions in which the bass plays the third of chords thus forming a nice ostinato, and by leaving out the thirds in the piano voicing (the add2 chords) a modern sounding paralel motion gives the specific atmosphere to this intro. Note that the 3rd A section is identical bur only in a differen key, a minor third up. Bert Joris often ends in another key than he starts out with, or changes keys between the A sections without it being obvious. That also happens in Atonal another of his tune that I shall discuss.
Another nice thing happens in the bridge. The oping note is a C, the third of A minor, that note is repeated in the 5th bar of the bridge, but now is the 9th of the Bbm7 minor chord, which is actually the moment the tune very subtlely changes it's key. The chromatic motion of the inner voices in bar 41 and 42 are very beautiful.
The aforementioned tune Atonal is a a variation of Rhythm changes, and an anagram of Anatol, an Italian name for the sequence. It's in Eb, then the second a is in B, from that key the logical first chord of the bridge is Eb7 just like the I got Rhythm bridge, going up a major third. Seem from the original key of Eb you could say it's the "Honeysuckle rose" Bridge, another very common traditional chord sequence used in the swing period for hundreds of tunes. Though it's very tonal, Bert likes to play around with the idea that it's atonal music, as you can hear in his Solo. Both the 2nd and the 3rd A section end with the chromtic ascending dominants found in "Seven steps to eaven" a tipical way to close a section, but note the difference in the rhythm. (The A7 in bar 15 being on the 2 and, and the Db7 chord in bar 31 being on the 3rd beat, giving the ending even more power and impact.)
Note the diference between bar 6, bar 14 and bar 30. Bar 6 is a moll dur sound (IV minor), bar 14 goes IV and then #iV diminished to I 6/4 (in B) and the same path is chosen in the last A section. Here is another recording of a vocal version of the song.
It feels like rhythm changes, but it's flying all over the place harmonically, quite challenging to play, and with a swinging rhythmical melody.
For the time Being is one of Bert's most popular compositions, and is gradually becoming a jazzstandard. Here is a vocal recording by Deborah Brown.
The opening two notes of the A section, Bb and G, form a super recognizable opening phrase just like in My Bonnie lies over the ocean, or Dashing though the snow....
These two notes are repeated in the 5th bar, but in a different light, on a Db7 chord in stead, so no longer are they the 5th to the 3rd of the chord, but now they are the 13th to the #11.
In bar 2 of A you still hear that G, that has changed color to the 7th of the tritone dominant for the IV chord (A7#11) This also happens in standards like "beautiful friendship, or "Everything I love"
The nicest moment is halfway the tune when it is taken out of the key of Eb into Cb just for two bars. The note Eb in bar 27 (the 5th of Ab7) is repeated but suddenly in a whole new world, the Gb7sus chord... magic! After just touching that other key, it goes straight back to F7, (the double dominant in Eb) to go back home.
Just like in the writing of Tom Harrell, Bert Joris' compositions are very recognizable and have a unique and original story to tell. Though the harmonic movements are nothing new, and can be seen in many other songs, he is a master of combining his material in fresh and original ways, and in my view really containing an atmosphere for each song.
