HARMONIC ANALYSIS OF “AUTUMN LEAVES” - J.Mercer
The indicated scales are the most "Ingoing". In the next article, for the same piece, I will indicate the more "outgoing" scales.
A: A-7 / D7 / Gmaj7 / Cmaj7 / F#-7b5 / B7 / E- / E- /
B: F#-7b5 / B7b9 / E- / E- / A-7 / D7 / G maj7 / G maj7 /
F#-7b5 / B7b9 / E-7 Eb7 / D-7 Db7 / Cmaj7 / B7b9 / E- / E- /
A: The first three measures contain the major II-V-I that resolves to Gmaj7,
followed by the minor II-V-I that resolves to E-, the tonic triad.
B: the same major and minor II-V-I are present, plus the sequence E- Eb7 / D-7 Db7 / which resolves to Cmaj7. In this sequence, the chords Eb7 and Db7 are the tritone substitutes for A7 and G7 respectively.
USABLE SCALES
A-7: C lydian, C lydian augmented, C lydian diminished,
D7: C Lydian, C Lydian augmented, C Lydian diminished.
Gmaj7: G Ionian, G Lydian, G Lydian augmented.
Cmaj7: C Lydian, C lydian augmented, C Lydian diminished.
F#-7b5: C Lydian, C Lydian augmented, C Lydian diminished
B7b9: Eb Lydian augmented
E-: G Lydian, G Lydian augmented, G Lydian diminished
The sequence E- Eb7 / D-7 Db7/ Cmaj7, being teleologically oriented towards the resolution in Cmaj7, accepts the scales C lydian and C ionian.
Giuseppe Perna