Analyzing/soloing to Progression for "Sunny"

[axavm]

I used to be semi-decent at theory years ago, was away from it for a few years, now I'm trying to get my mind back into it. I was looking at this progression:

Am7 -/Gm7 C7/Fmaj7/Bm7 E7/
Am7 -/Gm7 C7/Fmaj7/Bm7 E7/
Am7 -/Gm7 C7/Fmaj7/Bb7 -/
Bm7b5 -/E7#9 -/Am7 -/E7#9//


After being inspired by this Greg Howe video:

http://www.youtube.com:80/watch?v=edVbz_uXJd0

If I'm reading this right, Fmaj7 would be the "I", C7 the "V7", Am7 the "iii" and Gm7 the "ii".

But the Bm7 to E7, I'm not sure where that fits in. Seems like the ii-v of A.

Same with the turn-around.

If I play over it, I think A minor works for a chunk of it, and C major in a spot, but I don't like F major very much over it. Of course I could just be playing lousyhttps://www.thegearpage.net/board/images/smilies/thwap.gif


So can anyone shred some light on how to approach this with the changes and all?

Thanks!

 

[Dewey Decibel]

Didn't watch the video.

I wouldn't think of it as in F, I'd think of it as in Amin, with a key change to F.

Amin7 -key of Amin

Gmin7 C7 Fmaj7- key of F

Bmin7 E7- back to Amin


Does that help?

 

[tuukkavain]

Whole tune is in the key of A minor.

Amin is the I chord
Gmin-C7 is II-V to F, but F is still in A minor key, it´s b6 degree
Bm7b5-E7 is II-V to A minor
Bb7 is b2 in A minor, which is E7´s tritone substitution

 

[axavm]

Thanks for the clarification folks. Appreciate it. Tritone substitution always got me before too.

 

[Clifford-D]

The Am7 is firmly founded in the Dorian, II of G. So you can have that
D triad to C triad funky blues hit.

Am7.........Gm7
|----------|---|
|-----7-5--|-3-|
|-----7-5--|-3-|
|-----7-5--|-3-|
|----------|---|
|-5--------|-3-|

 

[ivers]

Bb7 is b2 in A minor, which is E7´s tritone substitution

For me, the Bb7 in that tune is a sub for Fm, but either way of thinking works fine.

 

[hangten]

I gotta suggest checking out this version:
http://www.youtube.com:80/watch?v=p2RRUVAD9Mc
the martino solo is pretty trad, but sco gets out there, and the organ solo is monstrous!

FUN!

 

[axavm]

Yeah, saw that one a few times as well. Pretty cool how different styles can all be incredible in there own way!

 

[davya]

I see it as Am then a ii V (Gm C7) to Fmaj7 then a ii V (Bm7 E7) back to Am. And of course Am is a sub for Fmaj7. So basically it's just one chord. All the action is in the ii V movement.

Just another angle...

 

[Jay Mitchell]

I see it as Am then a ii V (Gm C7) to Fmaj7 then a ii V (Bm7 E7) back to Am. And of course Am is a sub for Fmaj7. So basically it's just one chord. All the action is in the ii V movement.

Just another angle...

Well, the song begins and ends on a minor chord, and the main cadence ("Sunny, one so true, I love you") resolves to that chord. That makes a pretty strong pull to the Am sound. The melody is based on Am lines as well. The one scale tone that shifts in the modulation from Am to F major is B, which becomes Bb, and that is not a melody tone.

The difference between the two readings boils down to the use of B and/or Bb scale tones during the A section. In the B section, the addition of the Fm/Bb dominant sound adds Ab and Eb, both of which, in the context of the melody and harmony, can be seen as tension tones that want to ultimately resolve to Am.