Origin:

First released by Dos Cariocas in 1963.

Style:

Bossa Nova

Form:

A-A-B-A (40 Bars) [8-8-16-8]

Key:

Most commonly played in F Major as well as Db Major.

Harmony/Overview:

The  A sections are very functional and harmonically speaking happen to be almost identical to Duke Ellington's "Take the A Train", although Jobim  opts for the tri-tone substitution in place of the V7 chord. The bridge  however is seemingly less functional and rather complex. The melody is first stated, then transposed up a minor 3rd, and then finally up a  semi-tone. The underlying chord sequence does not deal entirely with functional harmony and it moves through the anomalous progression of bIImajor7 -  bV7 – bIImi7 – VI7 – IImi7 – bVII7, before a final  III-VI-II-V back to the tonic.

Recordings:

This  song is the second most recorded pop song of all time. The first release comes from the Brazilian vocal group Dos Cariocas in 1963,  although the first ever recording was of a live performance by Jobim in 1962. The 1964 recording by Stan Getz and Joao Gilberto was massively successful and was highly influential in solidifying the composition’s place in the Western jazz repertoire, and countless jazz musicians have gone on to record it since.

JGC Top Picks:

Oscar Peterson, We Get Requests, 1964

Erroll Garner, The Turin Concert, 1971

Amy Winehouse, Lioness: Hidden Treasures, 2011