Licks and Tricks: Girl From Ipanema

This month I'm learning "The Girl From Ipanema" and I've been studying its chord changes so I can better navigate the tune when soloing.  I've discovered a few cool concepts along the way which I'll share here.

First changes: I to II

The following lick features a hemiloa rhythm (it's in 3/4 against a 4/4 backdrop) and uses quartile chords.  The lick is actually the same across the two chords, just transposed up a whole step.  The F is sounded as lydian, and the #4 of G is also sounded to highlight its lydian dominant sound (though the b7 is left out).

Bridge: Triad pairs

The first two chords in the Bridge are GbM7 and B7.  Going up to a IV7 is a pretty bluesy sound so you can use blues vocabulary there.  I chose to go a different route, using major triad pairs between the two chords.  GbM7 contains a C# major triad, which outlines GbM9.  That can be paired the the B major triad a whole step below.  In the example below I've also connected the two major triads with a passing triad.  

Bridge: Adding movement to the held notes
In the next example, I've added to the melody a simple chromatic pattern across all the dominants to add movement wherever there's a whole note.  It's a simple root-7-b7 or bebop scale walkdown.  This can help to add motion and interest where otherwise things would be held out for an entire bar.

Bridge: Cluster chords
You can harmonize the chords in the bridge using cluster chords.  For the Gbm7, you sound the 5, 9, and b3 (9 and b3 in the same octave).  Then, with just one note change, you can outline the D7#11 (top note optional).  Both chords sound two notes a half step apart, giving a really cool and modern sound.

As the rule goes, anything concept you can play with chords you can also use in a soloing context.  Here's an example solo using the cluster concept.

Bridge: Connecting chords with linear harmony

The final example shows how to connect the bridge chord using linear harmony- or using the same shape to ascend or descend chromatically and resolve on the target chord.  The example is shown for Gbm7 to D7 but of course either of these patterns can be repeated with the Gm7 to Eb7.