Origin:

Introduced on the album João Gilberto.

Style:

Bossa Nova, typically taken at a leisurely tempo.

Form:

A-B-C-D (32 Bars) [8-8-8-8]

Arrangements:

A tag ending of Imi - VImi7b5 - IImi7b5 - V7 is often used to finish the performance.

Key:

Introduced in B minor, it is commonly played in D minor.

Harmony/Overview:

The harmony of this composition is mainly functional, and along with the melody is very reminiscent of Frédéric Chopin's Prelude in E minor. Like many of Jobim's compositions the song is essentially through-composed, with no one section repeating itself entirely. The initial theme in the A  section is centered around an introspective melody with the root  movement in the harmony consistently moving downwards in semi-tones for each chord: Dmi7 - C#mi7 - Cmi7 - G7/B. The song then continues with  various II - V - I's along with Maj7 chords that do not stray too far  from the key center. There are two verses of lyrics and typically the first verse is used during the head-in with the second verse used on the  head-out.

Recordings:

This song has been recorded over 480 times. It was first introduced on João Gilberto's self-titled 1961 album, and Antônio Carlos Jobim first recorded it himself on his album The Composer of Deafinado, Plays in 1963. It has since become one of Jobim's most popular compositions and along with many of his other creations has become a standard. Many notable musicians have recorded this piece from the likes of Stan Getz, Wes Montgomery, George Shearing, and Pat Metheny to name a few.

JGC Top Picks:

Stan Getz, Jazz Samba Encore, 1963

Wes Montgomery, Tequila, 1966

Antonio Carlos Jobim and Pat Metheny, Carnegie Hall Salutes the Jazz Masters, 1994