The Real Book (sorry, only got the old one) gives:
Bm7 | % | Bbo | % | Am6 | % | E7/G# | % |
Gmaj7 | % | Cmaj7 | % | C#m7b5 | F#7b9 | Bm7 | Bb7(13)|
Am7 | % | Abo | % | Gmaj7 | C#m7b5 F#7 | Bm7 | % |
Am7(9)| D7 | G#m7 | C#7b9 | Gmaj7 | F#7 | Bm7 | % |
Sure, you could get away with this set of changes, but look at this slightly
different ones, revised by Jobim himself (so the publisher claims):
Bm7 | % | F#7/A# | % | Am6 | % | E7/G# | % |
G6 | % | Cmaj7 | % | C#m7b5 | F#7b13 | Bm(maj7)| Bm7 |
D7/A | % | Abo | % | Gmaj7 | Em7(9) | Bm7 | % |
D7/A | % | C#7/G# | % | Em6/G | F#7b13 | Bm7 | % |
(IMHO:)
First of all in bar 3, although Bbo sounds ok, the G sounds much better if
flattened (the F# in F#7/A#). In bar 9 the G6 keeps the voicing from the
previous chord, so I like it better. The cadence in bars 15-16 could be as
in the first changes, but Jobim's use of the minor-major chord makes it more
interesting. Then the Am7 in bar 17 is plain wrong. Maybe a Am6, which is
more like the D7/A. In bar 22 the C#m7b5-F#7 doesn't sound good. I like the
sound of Em7(9)-F#7, though. In bar25 they put a 9th in the Am7, which is
still wrong, but then the dissonance between the natural 9th and the minor
3rd, gives it a darker mood that is more in accordance with the tune.
Finally, the last 4 bars sound nice in both sets, but Jobim's own is more
enigmatic and consequently more interesting.
So I'll analyze the second set.
First the key. The key signature to the tune is Dmaj7 but it has some
accidents. Apparently, the first eight bars are in A melodic minor (because
of the Am6 working as I) and the rest in G major.
So maybe it would be:
[A melodic minor]
Bm7 | % | F#7/A# | % | Am6 | % | E7/G# | % |
ii | | V7/ii | | Im6 | | V7/i | |
[G major]
G6 | % | Cmaj7 | % | C#m7b5 | F#7b13 | Bm(maj7) | Bm7 |
I | | IV | | #ivm7b5| V7/iii | iii(maj7)| iii |
D7/A | % | Abo | % | Gmaj7 | Em7(9) | Bm7 | % |
V7 | | bIIo | | I | vi | iii | |
D7/A | % | C#7/G# | % | Em6/G | F#7b13 | Bm7 | % |
V7 | | V7/V/iii| | V7sus/iii| V7/iii | iii | |
But I'm very insecure about the first eight bars, so can you please help me
(Reed?)
It starts with bar3: is it a V7/ii? seems a bit unusual to have the V7/ii
*after* the ii. But then again in bars 5&7 the V7/I also follows the I (I
notated it V7/i because theres no V7 on melodic minor)
Bars 9-16 are not so hard, so I guess my analysis is correct (there's the
plagal cadence again resolving not to I but to the equivalent iii). The half
diminished #iv can just be interpreted as a ii of the following F#7alt
Then on bar 19 theres a dim chord that is kind of an approach chord to the I
(not so unusual: sort of a I - #Io in reverse) but there must be some other
explanation to it.
Bars 21-24 are basically functioning as tonic I, with an Aeolian Em9 and a
Phrygian Bm7.
The last eight bars are a bit tricky. The C#7 - F#7alt - Bm7 is just circle
of 5ths to the Bm7, but the Em6/G puzzled me. Until I noticed the voicing is
the same as a F#7sus4 and this chord also fits in the tune (both chords
sound alike) so this is melodic minor harmony (the substitution of the
Phrygian#6 chord of the II degree - F#7sus4b9 - by the melodic chord of the
I degree - Em6 ). So the whole thing is just the resolution of the suspended
chord F#7sus4-F#7.
Jobim wrote this, I dont know, more than 20 years ago, and yet he already
mastered melodic minor harmony.
So you tell me: IS THIS GUY GREAT OR WHAT!?
But I was first of all answering a post about key centers, and although I
assumed them to be Am and G, the original key sig to the tune is major D!
and in fact, I find it that you can improvise using Dmaj scale for almost
the complete tune. The only problem is the C# note that would clash in some
chords:
-The Am6 in bar 5
-The Cmaj7 in bar 11
-The D7/A in bars 17 and 25
In this chords you should use a C natural.
So my approach is to stick with D major for the majority of the tune, and
switch to G major on the mentioned chords (un-sharpening the C#).
Well, sorry if I took a little too much space, but you must forgive me as
I'm a biiiiig Tom (="tone") Jobim fan, and for one, I benefited from it :)
I really would like corrections and ways to develop further this analysis,
specially on the improvisation side, so thanks in advance to anyone willing
to help
Pedro