The Music of Bert Joris

Music performance, composing and arranging are always intertwined, but usually distinct specialties. Becoming an expert in two areas is already an achievement. Internationally lauded trumpeter Bert Joris is one of the few to reach an enviable level in all three areas.

Since the mid-1980s, Joris has built a reputation as a lyrical musician whose elegance and warm, silky tone have turned him into the reference for trumpeters in Belgium. Internationally, he is mentioned in the same breath as other top contemporary trumpeters such as Wynton Marsalis, Nicolas Payton, Roy Hargrove, Randy Brecker and Ack Van Rooyen.

Besides that, his compositions have also found their way into the repertoire of countless musicians, in Belgium and abroad. Joris has also become a top-class arranger, working with some of the best in the business, such as the Brussels Jazz Orchestra, which has performed many of his colourful and layered compositions and arrangements.

On top of that, Joris is also highly regarded as a film composer and educator, giving masterclasses all over the world and helping to develop jazz departments at various conservatoires. He also played a key role in the creation and development of the current jazz department at the LUCA School of Arts.

The LUCA Bigband consists of students and teachers of the jazz school. Led by Frank Vaganée, they will play a selection from Bert Joris’ extensive repertoire. These are compositions that can be found on CD recordings by the Brussels Jazz Orchestra, such as The Music of Bert Joris (2001), Signs and Signatures (2013) and Smooth Shake (2016), among others.