Giant Steps

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Product Details

Artist : John Coltrane
Binding : Audio CD
EAN : 0075678133725
Label : Atlantic
Number of Discs : 1
Product Group : Music
Release Date : 1987-06-29
UPC : 075678133725

ASIN : B000002I4S

Track Listings for

Disc-1
1. Giant Steps
2. Cousin Mary
3. Countdown
4. Spiral
5. Syeeda's Song Flute
6. Naima
7. Mr. P.C.
8. Giant Steps [Alternate Take]
9. Naima [Alternate Take]
10. Cousin Mary [Alternate Take]
11. Countdown [Alternate Take]
12. Syeeda's Song Flute [Alternate Take]

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Editorial Reviews

From Amazon.co.uk

Released in January 1960, John Coltrane's first album devoted entirely to his own compositions confirmed his towering command of tenor saxophone and his emerging power as a composer. Apprenticeships with Dizzy, Miles and Monk had helped focus his furious, expansive solos, and his stamina and underlying sense of harmonic adventure brought Coltrane, at 33, to a new cusp--the polytonal "sheets of sound" that distinguished his marathon solos were offset by interludes of subtle, concise lyricism, embodied here in the tender "Naima". That classic ballad is a calm refuge from the ecstatic, high-speed runs that spark the set's up-tempo climaxes, which begin with the opening title song, itself a cornerstone of modern jazz composition. This exemplary reissue benefits from eight alternate takes of the original album's seven stellar tracks, excellent remastering of the original tapes, and an expanded annotation. --Sam Sutherland

Amazon.com essential recording

Released in January 1960, John Coltrane's first album devoted entirely to his own compositions confirmed his towering command of tenor saxophone and his emerging power as a composer. Apprenticeships with Dizzy, Miles, and Monk had helped focus his furious, expansive solos, and his stamina and underlying sense of harmonic adventure brought Coltrane, at 33, to a new cusp--the polytonal "sheets of sound" that distinguished his marathon solos were offset by interludes of subtle, concise lyricism, embodied here in the tender "Naima." That classic ballad is a calm refuge from the ecstatic, high-speed runs that spark the set's up-tempo climaxes, which begin with the opening title song, itself a cornerstone of modern jazz composition. This exemplary reissue benefits from eight alternate takes of the original album's seven stellar tracks, excellent remastering of the original tapes, and an expanded annotation. --Sam Sutherland

Customer Reviews

'Giant Steps' revisited - with a technical 'correction'... (2004-04-30)

My purpose here is not to simply add more superlatives to this legendary album's justly proud reputation -- it's everything and more that has been written about it of a praiseworthy nature; and you'll find plenty of praise here in these reviews (see especially the insightful words from Samuel Chell). But there remains one rather 'technical', and curiously long-lived misconception about GIANT STEPS which, as a serious student of jazz and avid music collector, myself (I have virtually all of Coltrane's impressive recorded output), I have wanted to correctfor years -- a misunderstanding which, I hasten to add, in NO way diminishes the brilliance and stature of this pivotal milestone in Coltrane's prolific career.

The problem is this: over the years, repeated references (and you'll find some of them in these reviews) to this classic album's being the ultimate representation of Coltrane's famous'sheets of sound' phase, or technique, are simply mistaken. The so-called 'sheets of sound' effect that so startled early Coltrane audiences, in fact, emerged in his late '50s albums for Prestige -- not yet fully developed in the '56-'57 sides with the early Miles Davis Quintet (not even on that groundbreaking group's final recording, Miles' first for Columbia, 'ROUND ABOUT MIDNIGHT); but very well documented, even dominating, in Coltrane's prolific late '57-'58 period on Prestige, where the best examples of his 'sheets of sound' are to be found.

Technically, 'Trane's much-touted 'sheets of sound' amounted to his simply (!) shifting into a 'higher gear', at slow-to-medium-fast tempos -- essentially, playing more 16th-notes (i.e., 4 notes to every beat), instead of relying on the more typical'8th-note orientation' (i.e., 2 notes to each beat) of most modern jazz solos from early be-bop onward. His solos during this period often used this technique to the point of letting those rapid-fire, 16th-note runs dominate his playing -- thus giving rise to the description, 'sheets of sound', or, sometimes, the more pejorative (and unjust) charge from critics of his just 'running scales'. Upon even cursory examination, Coltrane's solos on GIANT STEPS, on the contrary -- despite the prevalence of furious TEMPOS (which should not be confused with how many notes PER BEAT are being played!) actually do NOT contain a preponderance of the notorious 16th-note passages. In fact, the relatively spare use of his well-established, '4-to-the-beat' phrases on this 1960 classic might be viewed as one of the more remarkable aspects of this landmark entry in the great Coltrane legacy. His wonderfully agile, complex, and justly famous solos on such pieces as the title track, and even the demonically paced 'Countdown', in fact, consist of predominantly 8th notes; and, while the fast tempos, themselves, of course, may dictate a rapid torrent of notes, they still remain 'only' 2 to the beat -- not the daunting 4 per beat that define the 'sheets of sound' effect. While it may be suuggested that the generally fast tempos on GIANT STEPS are largely responsible for the relative absence of 16th-note runs throughout the album (as a practical 'impossibility', even for Coltrane!), it also is true that even the more moderately paced pieces -- normally more conducive to 'sheets of sound' flights -- are relatively free of that effect, compared to Coltrane's earlier work on Prestige.

At this album's date, the intense, multi-noted, and profoundly influential explorations that would largely define Coltrane's approach, even to the end, were yet to be applied in still other musical contexts, as this jazz giant's expansive music evolved from the 'interim' Atlantic years into the final, long Impulse! period of cutting-edge experimentation. The initial 'shock' of those earlier 'sheets of sound' would dissipate, and seem 'tame' by comparison -- or just 'inevitable' building blocks in the larger scheme of things ... and the legend would only grow.

A very satisfying CD (2004-04-21)

Coltrane may still have been finding his voice to a degree when this was recorded. However NAIMA is one of the most hauntingly beautiful tunes ever recorded. Giant Steps is innovative and complex in it's simplicity. This is a great place to start if you are just getting into Coltrane's music. The bass playing of Paul Chambers is solid throughout and the other players are all very strong. What makes this cd a must own is the opportunity to hear Coltrane playing his own compositions and hearing his style developing. NAIMA alone is worth the price of this CD.Once you hear it you'll never get it out of your head.

Great Album!!!!!!!!! (2004-04-02)

This was my first introduction of legendary saxophonist John Coltrane. The only bad track is Naima. I wish Art Taylor got drum solos though. You can't go wrong with this cd.

Come on, who gave this a 4????? (2004-01-30)

It has some down points. We only listen to Vinyl, so that's what we have. Maybe those clicks, (new out of the sealed package), would be gone. But, this is a great sax player. A definately biased sound stage, but excellent. The recording is great for the era and his playing is flawless. Sax players will love it and people that like sax while be amazed.

Anyone that gives this a 4 should not have bought it.

Walking on the Moon. (2003-12-10)

I consider this the first truly essential John Coltrane album, along with his work alongside Miles Davis on the seminal Kind of Blue. It is here that John Coltrane establishes himself as the unprecedent artist that he was. It is on Giant Steps that we find the first essential statement of Coltrane's musical personality. This recording starts at a breakneck jazz tempo, and hardly lets up throughout the course of its seven tracks. Coltrane's saxaphone explodes through the speakers, in a barrage of notes and bright tones that convey the sheer electricity of all that is possible in jazz music. This blizzard of sound would quickly grow tiresome, if it weren't for the subtle variations in composition. After the intensity of Giant Steps, Cousin Mary steps up and bounces a little more emphatically, letting Coltrane loosen up and take the groove to incredible heights. Syeeda's Song Flute similarly finds a way to groove, with more moodiness and cool. The track Naima is the albums only quiet moment, letting Coltrane float his melody into the far reaches of a saxaphone's range, without flash, and with pure feeling. The album ends emphatically with Mr. P.C., showcasing the session musicians in its incredible bursts of drum solos and driving instrumentation. You don't have to know the details of jazz to get this recording. What makes John Coltrane so special is his ability to communicate through sound, rendering reviews such as this useless. This is a great place to start building a Coltrane collection, or any jazz collection.

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