reed:

I've prepared a complete analysis of "Georgia on my Mind", unfortunately
it's in my head and I want to answer Waynes question first so I don't
know if I'll get to writing my analysis up tonight.

I have a few basic comments though.

The tune starts in F and then modulates to D minor so the changes you
student brought in have some serious mistakes right off. For one it
doesnt start on Dmi7 but rather Dmi or Dmi6.

The basic changes in the beginning of the bridge are:

Dmi   | Bb7   | Dmi  | Dmi7 G7  | Dmi

The original sheet music changes are:

Dmi Gmi6  | Dmi Bb7   | Dmi Gmi6  | Dmi7 G7  | Dmi

Bb is the diatonic bVI chord of d harmonic minor which essentially has a
subdominant function not unlike the ivm.

The change to Dmi7 is really interesting. There are alot of ways you can
look at that.

In the book "Modern Harmonic Technique vol II " by Gordon Delamont he
introduces a sort of generalized version of major/parallel minor
borrowing called mixed modes. It's really brilliant!!

Essentially under that system, you can borrow from other minor modes,
(dorian mode in this case), when working in a minor key.

I think Schoenberg is making a similar point in "Structural Functions of
Harmony" though I need to reread that book.

Frankly I'm just starting to really realize all the ramifications of
these notions in jazz harmony.

So basically I view the dmi7/G7 as i7 iv7 in dorian. That's why it never
feels like it needs to go to C. But the ii/V sound is still nice.

In fact in the original changes, in the bars of Dmi it goes from Dmi to
Gmi, or i iv in D minor.

So what we have is a sort of temporary modulation from D minor to D
dorian and back again.

So just as in classical music when we can freely change from major to
minor, we can change between different minor scales.

[later]

Here is the rest of my analysis of "Georgia on My Mind".

This isn't a tune I care to try and really reharmonize but I think there
are some basic improvements that can be made in a few places.

The original sheet music changes for the first eight are:

F     | A7       | Dm       | Gmi Gmi7b5 |
F E7  | Gmi7 C7  | F F#dim  | Gmi7 C7 |

We first add ii7 in front of A7.

F     | Emi7 A7  | Dm       | Gmi Gmi7b5 |
F E7  | Gmi7 C7  | F F#dim  | Gmi7 C7 |

The second two bars can be greatly improved by using the bass line
D->C->B->Bb. Depending on what melody note you play on beat 1 of bar 4
(The sheet music has G but F sounds like what I've heard) there are some
variations for the first chord.

F     | Emi7 A7  | Dmi7 Dmi/C | bmi7b5 (or g7/b) Bbmi7,Eb7|

The E7 in bar 5 sounds wrong to me though I think I've heard it played
that way. It also doesnt make too much sense harmonically. I think that
it's really a biiidim7 or Abdim7 that was turned into a E7. (Abddim7 ==
G#dim7 = G# B D F == E7b9)

I hear a D7 there and for the last two bars the F# dim sounds kind of
corny to me and I would just use a standard jazz turnaround.

F D7  | Gmi7 C7  | Ami7 D7  | Gmi7 C7 |

For the last two, I like |A7 D7| G7 C7| for this tune.

F D7  | Gmi7 C7  | A7 D7 | G7 D7 |

The next eight are essentially the same except for the end when
it modulates to d minor.

So I see the first sixteen as:

F     | Emi7 A7  | Dmi7 Dmi/C | bmi7b5 (or g7/b) Bbmi7,Eb7|
F D7  | Gmi7 C7  | A7 D7      | G7 D7                     |
F     | Emi7 A7  | Dmi7 Dmi/C | bmi7b5 (or g7/b) Bbmi7,Eb7|
F D7  | Gmi7 C7  | F Eb9      | F   A7                     |

The Eb9 is in the original sheet music and is our old friend
the minor plagal cadence in disguise. In other words Bbmi6/Eb.

I explained what I feel is the significance of the bridge
in my previous mail.

The original changes are:

Dmi Gmi6  | Dmi Bb7             | Dmi Gmi6          | Dmi7 G7  | 
Dmi Gmi6  | Dmi7 Dmi7/C E7/B E7 | Am Am/G F#dim Fm6 | Am   C7  |

I think that the changes in bar 4 are one of the interesting
parts of this bridge. I explained that it's really a i7 iv7 in
D dorian which is very interesting sounding in this context.

The Gmi6 is enharmonically a Emi7b5 so we replace them all with
Emi7b7 A7 which adds alot of variety.

Dmi Emi7b5,A7  | Dmi Bb7             | Dmi Emi7b5,A7     | Dmi7 G7  | 
Dmi Emi7b5,A7  | Dmi7 Dmi7/C E7/B E7 | Am Am/G F#dim Fm6 | Am   C7  |

The E7/B is more interesting to me as a Bmi7. The turnaround at the
end doesnt do much for me and I would just replace it with a standard
jazz turnaround.

Dmi Emi7b5,A7  | Dmi Bb7             | Dmi Emi7b5,A7     | Dmi7 G7  | 
Dmi Emi7b5,A7  | Dmi7 Dmi7/C Bmi7 E7 | Ami7 D7           | Gmi7 C7  |

The last eight are the same as the second eight so we have altogether
essentialy:

F              | Emi7 A7   | Dmi7 Dmi/C | bmi7b5 (or g7/b) Bbmi7,Eb7|
F D7           | Gmi7 C7   | A7 D7      | G7 D7                     |
F              | EMi7 A7   | Dmi7 Dmi/C | bmi7b5 (or g7/b) Bbmi7,Eb7|
F D7           | Gmi7 C7   | F Eb9      | F   A7                    |
Dmi Emi7b5,A7  | Dmi Bb7             | Dmi Emi7b5,A7     | Dmi7 G7  | 
Dmi Emi7b5,A7  | Dmi7 Dmi7/C Bmi7 E7 | Ami7 D7           | Gmi7 C7  |
F              | Emi7 A7   | Dmi7 Dmi/C | bmi7b5 (or g7/b) Bbmi7,Eb7|
F D7           | Gmi7 C7   | F          |                           |

[end Georgia]