Antônio Carlos Jobim, music · Vinícius de Moraes, Portuguese lyrics · Norman Gimbel, English lyrics · Portuguese title Insensatez
How Insensitive
How Insensitive is a bossa nova by Antônio Carlos Jobim, called Insensatez in Portuguese. Players like its chords, which step down by half steps from D minor before turning to B♭maj7. It appears on records by Stan Getz, Wes Montgomery and Frank Sinatra, and by many singers.
▶ Plays the whole path in order, one recording after another.
- 1 Learn the song Antônio Carlos Jobim✓
- 2 Hear the English words Astrud Gilberto✓
- 3 Hear it with an orchestra Frank Sinatra and Antônio Carlos Jobim✓
- 4 Hear a tenor saxophone lead Stan Getz and Luiz Bonfá✓
- 5 Hear a guitar lead Wes Montgomery✓
- 6 Hear a piano trio Ahmad Jamal✓
- 7 Hear a guitarist stretch out Pat Martino✓
- 8 Hear a modern version with strings Roy Hargrove✓
How the tune works
The chorus runs 32 bars in two sections, A and B, of 16 bars each. A starts on D minor for two bars and steps down through C♯°7 and C minor 6 to G7/B, so the bass falls D, C♯, C, B. It then rests on B♭maj7 for two bars and E♭maj7♯11 for two bars, and returns to D minor through Em7♭5 and A7♭9, with D♭7 in the last two beats of bar 16. B begins on C minor 6 and B°7, two bars each, and reaches B♭maj7 in bar 21. It goes back to D minor through Em7♭5 and A7♭9, then runs through Cm7, F7, Bm7 and E7♭9 into B♭maj7, A7♭9 and a closing D minor.
One published chord chart, in D minor, set out four bars to a line: A (bars 1–16) and B (bars 17–32).
Taken from the chord chart on Standard Repertoire, which gives the tune as 32 bars of 4/4 in D minor, bossa nova, form AB. The chart writes the half-diminished chord as Eø7, which is spelled Em7♭5 here, and the diminished sevenths as °7. Bars 16 and 24 hold D minor for two beats and D♭7 for two; bar 22 holds Em7♭5 for two beats and A7♭9 for two. The chart has no introduction or tag. Charts and recordings voice and substitute chords in different ways, so compare this chart with the one you play from and with each recording.
Listen in this order
Play all 8 on YouTube ↗Eight versions in teaching order: Jobim's own recording, Astrud Gilberto, Frank Sinatra, Stan Getz with Luiz Bonfá, Wes Montgomery, Ahmad Jamal's trio, Pat Martino's quartet and Roy Hargrove with strings. Each step gives one thing to listen for and one thing to try.
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Step 1 · Learn the song Now playing
Antônio Carlos Jobim 1963
“Insensatez”, The Composer of Desafinado, Plays
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- Listen for
- Strings are credited on this track, along with Jobim on piano or guitar, bass and drums. Follow the chart while it plays and check each chord against what you hear, from D minor through C♯°7 and C minor 6 to B♭maj7 in bar 9.
- Try this
- Play the first eight bars of the chart slowly, two bars to a chord: Dm, C♯°7, Cm6 and G7/B. Add the melody on top if you know it.
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Step 2 · Hear the English words Now playing
Astrud Gilberto 1965
The Astrud Gilberto Album
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- Listen for
- Astrud Gilberto sings, and Jobim is credited on guitar for the album. Count the 32 bars of the chart along with her and mark where the second 16-bar section begins.
- Try this
- Play the chords of the A section (bars 1-16) while you hum or sing the melody. Take it slowly, one chord to a bar where the chart shows one.
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Step 3 · Hear it with an orchestra Now playing
Frank Sinatra and Antônio Carlos Jobim 1967
“How Insensitive (Insensatez)”, Francis Albert Sinatra & Antonio Carlos Jobim
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- Listen for
- Sinatra sings with Claus Ogerman conducting the orchestra, and Jobim is credited on acoustic guitar and backing vocals for this track. Follow the chart through the 32 bars and mark where the second 16-bar half begins.
- Try this
- Hum or sing the melody while you play the chart's chords, one chord to a bar, through bars 1-16. Then do the same for bars 17-32.
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Step 4 · Hear a tenor saxophone lead Now playing
Stan Getz and Luiz Bonfá 1963
“Insensatez (How Insensitive)”, Jazz Samba Encore!
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- Listen for
- Getz's tenor saxophone, Maria Toledo's voice, Bonfá's guitar and Jobim's piano share this track. Listen for which of them has the melody in the first half and which in the second.
- Try this
- Play the bass notes of bars 1-8 from the chart: D, C♯, C and B, two bars each. They fall by a half step every two bars. Then play them with the chords on top.
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Step 5 · Hear a guitar lead Now playing
Wes Montgomery 1966
“How Insensitive (Insensatez)”, Tequila
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- Listen for
- Wes Montgomery's guitar leads, with vibes, congas, bass, drums and strings behind him. Follow the chart and listen for the strings and vibes as the harmony moves from D minor to B♭maj7 and E♭maj7♯11 in bars 9-12.
- Try this
- Play bars 1-12 of the chart slowly on a chord instrument. Notice the turn from D minor chords to B♭maj7 and E♭maj7♯11 in bars 9-12.
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Step 6 · Hear a piano trio Now playing
Ahmad Jamal 1968
“How Insensitive (Live At The Village Gate / 1968)”, Ahmad Jamal at the Top: Poinciana Revisited
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- Listen for
- Piano, bass and drums, recorded live. The track runs 5:50, so count the bars with the chart open and mark where each turn through the 32 bars begins.
- Try this
- Play the chart's chords the way a trio would: root of each chord in the left hand, the other chord tones in the right, one chord to a bar. Skip the two-chord bars (16, 22 and 24) at first.
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Step 7 · Hear a guitarist stretch out Now playing
Pat Martino 1972
The Visit!
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- Listen for
- Two guitars, bass and drums play for 6:13. Count the bars with the chart open and find where each turn through the 32 bars begins.
- Try this
- Soloing over the changes takes more than the melody and basic chords, so the full version is for players who already do that: play the melody once, then improvise over bars 1-8 only. A smaller version: play the bass notes D, C♯, C and B under the chords of bars 1-8, two bars each.
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Step 8 · Hear a modern version with strings Now playing
Roy Hargrove 1999
Moment to Moment
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- Listen for
- Hargrove plays trumpet or flugelhorn with a string orchestra behind him. Follow the chart and listen to how the strings handle the long chords of bars 9-12.
- Try this
- Play the chart's chords slowly and hold each one for the whole bar, as strings would. Hold B♭maj7 for bars 9-10 and E♭maj7♯11 for bars 11-12.
More great versions
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Oscar Peterson 1966
Soul Español
Oscar Peterson's rhythm section plus three percussionists, from an album that focuses mostly on music by Brazilian composers.
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Nancy Wilson 1968
Easy
Nancy Wilson's reading from her 1968 album Easy, recorded in April of that year with arrangements by Jimmy Jones.
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Larry Coryell and Emily Remler 1985
Together
A guitar duet recorded directly to two track in August 1985.
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Pat Metheny and Antônio Carlos Jobim 1994
“How Insensitive (Live At Carnegie Hall/1994)”, Carnegie Hall Salutes the Jazz Masters: Verve 50th Anniversary
A live performance at Carnegie Hall in 1994, credited to Pat Metheny and Jobim and issued on the Verve 50th anniversary set.
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Sting and Antônio Carlos Jobim 1994
Antônio Brasileiro
Jobim recorded the song in 1994 with Sting on lead vocals, for his last studio album.
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Diana Krall 2006
From This Moment On
Diana Krall sings and plays piano with John Clayton's arrangement for the Clayton-Hamilton Jazz Orchestra, from her 2006 album From This Moment On.