"'Giant Steps'" is a jazz recording by John Coltrane, on tenor saxophone, w… Read Full Bio ↴"'Giant Steps'" is a jazz recording by John Coltrane, on tenor saxophone, which is the first track on the album of the same name and is 4 minutes and 49 seconds long. The composition is a milestone for jazz musicians' progress, given the difficulty of improvising its rapid progression of chord changes that progress through three keys shifted by major thirds.
The saxophonist had previously used this technique on the LP Blue Train on the tunes Moment's Notice and Lazy Bird. Coltrane continued in this vein on a recording with Cannonball Adderley of the standard "Limehouse Blues," and on his original "Fifth House." He continued to use this approach on other tunes, such as "Countdown", based on the Miles Davis tune "Tune Up"; "26 2" based on Charlie Parker's "Confirmation"; and a reharmonization of the jazz standard "Body and Soul." Songs such as "Naima" and "Like Sonny" also show some harmonic similarity to "Giant Steps." Coltrane continued to employ similar concepts in his soloing during his more open and modal middle period. A Love Supreme features examples of lines based on "Giant Steps" cycles over modal vamps, to create a Polytonal effect.
The progression continues to stimulate harmonic thinking in contemporary jazz. There are a number of different approaches to soloing on the song. While Coltrane favoured arpeggiation over the changes, other players have used different tricks and patterns to bring out the sound of the changes. The chord progression was later used by Freddie Hubbard as a basis for his composition "Dear John." Covers have been recorded by such artists as Pat Metheny, Buddy Rich, Jaco Pastorius, Mike Stern, Greg Howe, Tommy Flanagan (who played on the original recording), McCoy Tyner, Kenny Werner, Kenny Garrett, Woody Herman, and Taylor Eigsti.
John Coltrane was known for coming into the studio with unrehearsed songs - "Giant Steps" was no exception. On the original recording, Tommy Flanagan (piano) played a choppy start-stop solo where it sounds like he is struggling to improvise over Coltrane changes without adequate preparation. Flanagan would revisit Giant Steps on several recordings later in his career and mastered the progression.
John Coltrane - tenor sax
Tommy Flanagan - piano
Paul Chambers - bass
Art Taylor - drums
Written by John Coltrane
Recorded May 5, 1959 at Atlantic Studios, New York
Originally released on the album Giant Steps, Atlantic SD-1311, January 1960
The saxophonist had previously used this technique on the LP Blue Train on the tunes Moment's Notice and Lazy Bird. Coltrane continued in this vein on a recording with Cannonball Adderley of the standard "Limehouse Blues," and on his original "Fifth House." He continued to use this approach on other tunes, such as "Countdown", based on the Miles Davis tune "Tune Up"; "26 2" based on Charlie Parker's "Confirmation"; and a reharmonization of the jazz standard "Body and Soul." Songs such as "Naima" and "Like Sonny" also show some harmonic similarity to "Giant Steps." Coltrane continued to employ similar concepts in his soloing during his more open and modal middle period. A Love Supreme features examples of lines based on "Giant Steps" cycles over modal vamps, to create a Polytonal effect.
The progression continues to stimulate harmonic thinking in contemporary jazz. There are a number of different approaches to soloing on the song. While Coltrane favoured arpeggiation over the changes, other players have used different tricks and patterns to bring out the sound of the changes. The chord progression was later used by Freddie Hubbard as a basis for his composition "Dear John." Covers have been recorded by such artists as Pat Metheny, Buddy Rich, Jaco Pastorius, Mike Stern, Greg Howe, Tommy Flanagan (who played on the original recording), McCoy Tyner, Kenny Werner, Kenny Garrett, Woody Herman, and Taylor Eigsti.
John Coltrane was known for coming into the studio with unrehearsed songs - "Giant Steps" was no exception. On the original recording, Tommy Flanagan (piano) played a choppy start-stop solo where it sounds like he is struggling to improvise over Coltrane changes without adequate preparation. Flanagan would revisit Giant Steps on several recordings later in his career and mastered the progression.
John Coltrane - tenor sax
Tommy Flanagan - piano
Paul Chambers - bass
Art Taylor - drums
Written by John Coltrane
Recorded May 5, 1959 at Atlantic Studios, New York
Originally released on the album Giant Steps, Atlantic SD-1311, January 1960
Giant Steps
John Coltrane Lyrics
Instrumental
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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@zaksmith1035
A comment I made in response to a comment about people "trash talking" the piano solo:
I don't think it's trash talk to say he was completely out of his element in a manic set of key changes that he had no time to practice.
What really shows the depth of the pianist, and his understanding of jazz, is that even when thrown these elements that we couldn't possibly expect him to comprehend in such short order, and therefore unable to utilize the full range of his talents on the keys, he nevertheless found a way to counterpoint Coltrane's complexity with a set of staccato offbeat chords.
However, when he gets to the solo, and is standing on his own, he falters on several occasions. It's obvious that the chord changes flustered him and he couldn't grasp them( again, no trash talk, it's very simply true), and despite putting together a few flourishes, eventually he concedes that the subject is beyond him, and cedes the floor to the master.
None of this detracts from a few simple statements: that doesn't mean there was a pianist alive that could've done better than he did in his shoes. None of the flaws mar the solo in the sense that we are witnessing in improv the introduction and production of lines of jazz thought that still influence artists today, and that the pianist played a key role in that.
Two things can be true at once, and I think a lot of things are simultaneously true about this solo.
Oh, and that doesn't mean that people don't "trash talk" the solo either. It just means that an honest critique of the solo isn't necessarily trash talking the solo.
@MichaelC.Nevans-uc9mb
Understanding Coltrane is like understanding Slash or Beethoven.
Coltrane took his horn everywhere with him.
When he was at Miles' house he never put it down.
Slash was the same. He took his guitar everywhere. He played in the bathroom without amps because it had acoustics.
Only music my friends.
@williamgregory1848
Coltrane: Hey guys, I just finished composing the title track for the new album.
Band: Great! What key is it in?
Coltrane: Yes.
Band: Huh?
Coltrane: smiles
Band: What tempo is it in?
Coltrane: Yes.
Band: What????
Coltrane: Alright, gang. 1, 2, 3, 4...
Band: NO, NO, NO, WAIT!
@neoneapolitan2122
One small step for John Coltrane, one giant step for Jazzkind.
@ryebread7224
I see what you're doing here with this comment, and I like it
@whiskyngeets
I'm so baked rn.
@fathimathnabeela6247
Ya like Jazz?
@chunkymilk1288
This song gave me a heart attack lol. The fact that A, the musicians were able to keep in sync with each other and B, the composer managed to make this work is really impressive.
@mapeymaple
John coltrane wrote it
@thomassmith1981
They also recorded the studio version the day Coltrane gave them the chords - the fact that the bassist managed to keep this walking baseline going the whole time whilst staying in step at 288bpm is alien to me
@twoprinces2871
its improvised
@davidneves6428
I’m trying to play this bitch and I’m in cardiac arrest
@Ramlich.
@@thomassmith1981 It wasn't first try tho... when transcribing the bassline is almost every time the same, so Mr. P.C. learned some basslines over time.