Antônio Carlos Jobim, music and English lyrics · Recorded in 1967 on the album Wave at Van Gelder Studio, New Jersey
Wave
Wave is a 1967 bossa nova by Antônio Carlos Jobim, who also wrote its English words. Players like its 44-bar AABA form, where each A section runs through a chain of dominant chords. You'll hear it on records by Frank Sinatra, Oscar Peterson, Ahmad Jamal, Sarah Vaughan and Paul Desmond.
▶ Plays the whole path in order, one recording after another.
- 1 Learn the song Frank Sinatra with Antônio Carlos Jobim✓
- 2 Hear it with an orchestra Oscar Peterson with the Claus Ogerman Orchestra✓
- 3 Hear the changes with only a trio Ahmad Jamal Trio✓
- 4 Follow a singer live Sarah Vaughan✓
- 5 Hear a saxophone lead Paul Desmond Quartet✓
- 6 Hear a longer trio version McCoy Tyner Trio✓
- 7 Hear a guitar lead Joe Pass and Paulinho da Costa✓
- 8 Hear a modern trio Eliane Elias✓
How the tune works
Forty-four bars in an A A B A form, with twelve bars in each A section and eight in the bridge. Each A opens in D with Dmaj7, B♭°7, Am7 and D7♭9, then moves to G with Gmaj7 and Gm6. Bars 7 to 10 run a chain of dominant chords: F♯13 and F♯7♭13, B9 and B7♭9, E9, then B♭7 to A7. The section closes with Dm7 and G7, one pair per bar, played twice. The bridge starts in F with Gm7 over B♭, C7 over B♭ and Fmaj7 over A, which lasts two bars. It then moves to E♭ with Fm7 over A♭, B♭7 over A♭ and E♭maj7 over G, and ends on A7♭9, which leads back to D for the last A.
The usual changes in D, a bossa nova in 4/4. The two A sections run twelve bars each and the bridge runs eight.
The source writes the first A section once inside repeat signs, and this chart writes it out twice. Bar 28 is a repeat sign in the source and is written here as Fmaj7/A again. Slash chords put the note after the slash in the bass. Bar 7 plays F♯13 and then F♯7♭13, and bar 8 plays B9 and then B7♭9. The source lists D as the common key, and the key buttons move the chart. Recordings change these chords freely, so check the version you play along with.
Source: standardrepertoire.com chord chart for Wave (Jobim): 44 bars, AABA, 4/4, bossa, common key D
Listen in this order
Play all 8 on YouTube ↗The path starts with Frank Sinatra singing Jobim's own English words, then moves through Oscar Peterson with an orchestra, Ahmad Jamal's trio, Sarah Vaughan live in Tokyo, Paul Desmond on alto saxophone, McCoy Tyner's trio, Joe Pass on guitar and Eliane Elias in 1992. Each step changes the lead voice while the chart stays the same.
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Step 1 · Learn the song Now playing
Frank Sinatra with Antônio Carlos Jobim 1969
Sinatra & Company
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- Listen for
- Sinatra sings the tune with Jobim's own English words over Eumir Deodato's arrangement. Listen once for the tune, then follow the chart bar by bar on the second pass.
- Try this
- Play the root of each chord from the chart along with the record, one note per bar, or two notes in the bars that show two chords. If that is easy, play each chord as a simple shape on guitar or piano.
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Step 2 · Hear it with an orchestra Now playing
Oscar Peterson with the Claus Ogerman Orchestra 1969
Motions and Emotions
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- Listen for
- Peterson's piano leads, with Sam Jones on bass, Bobby Durham on drums and the Claus Ogerman orchestra behind them. The track runs just over six minutes, so mark each return of the A section on the chart.
- Try this
- Follow the chart with the record and tap the first beat of each bar while you say the chord names out loud. For a bigger step, play the chord roots on bass or piano.
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Step 3 · Hear the changes with only a trio Now playing
Ahmad Jamal Trio 1970
The Awakening
Couldn't play this one here. Try the links below.
- Listen for
- With only piano, bass and drums, the chords are in the open. Follow the chart bar by bar and listen for each chord change.
- Try this
- Play the chart on piano or guitar along with the record, using two-note shapes (the root plus the third or seventh), one chord per bar and two in the split bars. If that is too fast, play only the first chord of each bar.
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Step 4 · Follow a singer live Now playing
Sarah Vaughan 1973
Live in Japan
Couldn't play this one here. Try the links below.
- Listen for
- Vaughan sings with only piano, bass and drums behind her. Will Friedwald writes that she goes as far down as she can in this tune, so listen for her low notes.
- Try this
- Hum the tune along with her, then play the chord roots from the chart under your humming. If you sing, find your lowest comfortable note and compare it with hers.
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Step 5 · Hear a saxophone lead Now playing
Paul Desmond Quartet 1974
Pure Desmond
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- Listen for
- Desmond's alto leads a quartet with no piano, so Ed Bickert's guitar is the only instrument that plays chords. Follow the chart and listen for how the guitar fills in the harmony.
- Try this
- Play the chord roots from the chart on bass or piano along with the record, one note on the first beat of each bar. For a smaller step, play only the first root of each section.
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Step 6 · Hear a longer trio version Now playing
McCoy Tyner Trio 1977
Supertrios
Couldn't play this one here. Try the links below.
- Listen for
- Tyner, Carter and Williams play for more than seven minutes, so the form comes around again and again. Use the chart to find each return of the A section.
- Try this
- Play along on piano or guitar with the chart, one chord per bar, and stop at the end of the first chorus. Then start again with the next A section and try a full second chorus.
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Step 7 · Hear a guitar lead Now playing
Joe Pass and Paulinho da Costa 1978
Tudo Bem!
Couldn't play this one here. Try the links below.
- Listen for
- Pass plays guitar with percussion, bass, keyboards and drums behind him. The track runs about ten minutes, so use the chart to find each return of the A section.
- Try this
- Play the chords from the chart on guitar or piano along with the record, one chord per bar. The track is long, so stop after one chorus and restart on the next A section if you lose your place.
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Step 8 · Hear a modern trio Now playing
Eliane Elias 1992
Fantasia
Couldn't play this one here. Try the links below.
- Listen for
- Elias plays with Eddie Gómez on bass and Jack DeJohnette on drums. Follow the chart through one full pass and compare how this trio handles the bridge with the 1970 Ahmad Jamal trio.
- Try this
- Play the A section chords from the chart on piano or guitar, one chord per bar, then add the bridge. Match the pulse of the record before you add any extra notes.
More great versions
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Antônio Carlos Jobim 1967
Wave
Jobim's own instrumental version, arranged and conducted by Claus Ogerman and produced by Creed Taylor at Van Gelder Studio in New Jersey in 1967.
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Elis Regina and Toots Thielemans 1969
Elis & Toots
Elis Regina sings and Toots Thielemans plays harmonica on the opening track of their 1969 album, recorded in Stockholm with a five-piece rhythm group.
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Milt Jackson, Joe Pass and Ray Brown 1975
The Big 3
A trio of vibraphone, guitar and bass: Milt Jackson, Joe Pass and Ray Brown recorded it in Los Angeles on August 25, 1975.
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Paul Desmond Quartet 1975
“Wave (live)”, The Paul Desmond Quartet Live
Paul Desmond plays the tune live at Bourbon Street in Toronto in October 1975 with Ed Bickert on guitar, Don Thompson on bass and Jerry Fuller on drums.
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Fred Hersch and Bill Frisell 1997
Songs We Know
A piano and guitar duo recorded in San Francisco in 1997 for Songs We Know, an album of standards.