Antonio Carlos Jobim - Quiet Night

File info:

Note:  I have no clue how you want to file this.  It was written by Jobim,
but he's not even on the recording from which it was taken.


Corcovado/Quiet Nights of Quiet Stars
by Antonio Carlos Jobim (English lyrics by Gene Lees)
Song taken from the version on _Getz/Gilberto #2_ (Verve).
Transcribed by:  Jay Verkuilen, jayv@uiuc.edu


The fingering and arrangement are my own.  I haven't figured out
exactly what Joao Gilberto is playing (he does a lot of little improvized
parts as far as I can tell).

Chords (all moveable forms):

D9:  x-5-4-5-5-5
Abo:  4-x-3-4-3-x  (optional, play the top string 4)
g7:  3-x-3-3-3-3
Gb7:  2-x-2-3-2-2
Fmaj7:  x-x-3-5-5-5
f7:  x-8-x-8-9-8
f6:  x-8-x-7-9-8
e7:  x-7-x-7-8-7
F+7:  x-8-7-6-8-x
d7:  x-5-x-5-6-5
a7:  5-x-5-5-5-5
G(b9b13):  3-x-3-4-4-4
G13:  3-x-3-4-5-5
Bb9:  6-5-6-5-x-x
C:  x-3-5-5-5-x  (there had to be at least one easy one here! :)

There is a little guitar intro at the beginning, but I usually wing it.
It sounds like a circle of fifths progression down to D9.

The song structure is:

English Verses 1 and 2 (Astrud)
Portuguese Verses 1 and 2 (Joao)
Solo over Verses 1 and 2 (Stan--man could that guy solo!)
Portuguese Verses 1 and 2 (Joao)
English Verses 1 and 2 (Astrud)

I think they might collapse the last two times together, but can't recall
and only have the arrangement from _Elis and Tom_ (Verve) here, which is
substantially different.  (_Elis and Tom_ is absolutely superlative, by
the way--get it if you can as there won't be any more pressings of it in the
US.)



Verse 1:  (English lyrics shown with corresponding Portuguese lyrics
directly below--listen for the proper rhythm and phrasing, which is tough)

Part A:

D9
Quiet nights of quiet stars,
Um cantinho, um violao

Abo
Quiet chords from my guitar,
Esse amor uma cancao,

g7                      Gb7   Fmaj7 (*)
Floating on the silence that surrounds me.
Pra fazer felice a quem se ama.


Part B:

f7
Quiet thoughts and quiet dreams,
Muita calma pra pensar,

e7                   F+7
Quiet walks by quiet streams,
E ter tempo pra sonhar,

D9                              d7            Abo       (**)
And a window looking out on the mountains and the sea, how lovely!
Da janela ve-se a Corcovado o Redentor, que lindo!


Verse 2:

Part A:

D9
This is how I want to be,
Quero a vida sempres assim,

Abo
Here with you so close to me,
Com voce perto de mim,

g7                      Gb7       Fmaj7
Until the final flicker of life's ember.
Ate a apagar da velha chama.


Part B:

f7             f6
I who was lost and lonely,
E eu que era triste,

e7                 F+7
Believing life was only,
Descrente desse mundo,

d7              G(b9b13)             e7    a7
A bitter tragic joke have found with you,
Ao encontrar voce eu conheci,

d7             G13  G(b9b13)          C  Bb9  F+7  (**)
The meaning of existence, oh my love.
O que e felicidade, meu amor.

(*)  They often improvise here playing around with a7, g7, and Fmaj7.
(**)  Listen carefully here.  The shifts are tough.


Jay Verkuilen                                            jayv@uiuc.edu

"A human society without conflict would be a society not of friends, but of
ants." 	--Sir Karl Popper, _Unended Quest_