Video of the Day: pianist Paul Edis shares ‘Billie’s Bossa Nova’

Paul Edis describes the concept behind this track: “So much jazz of the past owes a debt to Popular Music. Songs from Broadway shows, and Tin Pan Alley make up what has become known as ‘The Great American Songbook’. This repertoire provided the vehicle for so many great recordings and performances, and it is still just as relevant for many performers and educators working today. Which may make you wonder, why it is so rare for jazz musicians to use popular music of the present day as a vehicle for improvisation? There may be many reasons why this is the case - perhaps in part because of the codification and reification of what constitutes jazz in music education, and perhaps simply because the harmonic language that has come to dominate modern popular music doesn’t provide the same appeal to jazz musicians (in particular, the almost obsessive use of short loops).  

I decided to approach a contemporary song and try to give it a jazz interpretation. I had a listen to the latest album from Billie Eilish (Happier Than Ever from July 2021) and picked the song ‘Billie’s Bossa Nova’. After transcribing the original melody and harmony I set about reharmonising some sections and including an improvised solo. I also slowed down the tempo from the original recording to give it a more laid-back feel (and to allow the chords to speak). Otherwise, the main interpretation is in the approach to the melody. Where each note is placed in the bar the way in which a melody is interpreted is a major part of any jazz performance. The phrasing and tiny melodic inflections made by jazz performers are just as important to the performance as the improvisation section that follows. For any jazz interpretation to be successful it needs to be able to stand alone without any knowledge of the original. In this way jazz musicians take what they find and aim to transform in such a way as though it always sounded that way, almost like it was always intended to sound that way.”

Paul Edis plays Cadogan Hall with Jo Harrop, Chris Standring, and more on 5 November 2021 – Tickets available from cadoganhall.com/whats-on/an-evening-of-new-jazz-fireworks

See the video below and for more info visit www.pauledis.co.uk