Question for Jovino - the "Turn Around"

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1

Ola Jovino,

In your live seminar on E Preciso Dizer Adeus, you play and talk about a recurring turn around in Bossa Nova music. You quickly said the progression and I am wondering if there is a kind of formula (maybe not a formula like a 2,5,1 per se), but something to latch on to like a formula? I hear it in so many pieces and am wondering if there is some way to grasp it in general? Are the measures 8, 9, and 10 in the above piece the turn around? (Those were the bars I was having trouble figuring a transition from Sec A to B originally.)
Bbm7, Eb13, Bbm7, Eb13, Ebm7?

I think I am playing it in another piece where it is
D13, D9#5, G9 Sus, G7b9 C(+2)/ D, E, C, Ab, D, C is it the same sort of progression?

Any help anyone can give me to clarify it and make it easier would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks to you and Haden. PianoGroove is a terrific site!
N

2

Hello Noreen,
Thank you so much for your question. The progression I mentioned as being typical of bossa nova tunes in that seminar is when the harmony goes from the 1 to a minor (or half-diminished) 3 to a 6 and lands on a minor 2.
Another one is the second example you quoted, where the third degree has a 13, then a b13 (or #5), the sixth has a 9th, then a b9th, etc. This is present in a lot of tunes.
Your first example, the transition between the sections of É Preciso Dizer Adeus is really unique. I don’t know of any other tunes that use that progression. No wonder it was hard to figure it out…
Let me kn ow if you have any other questions. It’s a pleasure to interact with PianoGroove participants.
Best wishes,
Jovino

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