This article is about the John Coltrane album. For the composition on the first track of this album, see Giant Steps (composition) . For other uses, see Giant Steps (disambiguation) .
1960 studio album by John Coltrane
Giant Steps is the fifth studio album by jazz musician John Coltrane as leader, released in February 1960 on Atlantic Records , catalogue SD 1311.[1] [2] [3] This was his first album as leader for his new label Atlantic Records. Many of its tracks have become practice templates for jazz saxophonists.[5] [6] In 2004, it was one of fifty recordings chosen that year by the Library of Congress to be added to the National Recording Registry . It attained gold record status in 2018, having sold 500,000 copies.[7] It is considered one of the most influential jazz albums of all time.[not verified in body ]
Two tracks, "Naima " and "Syeeda's Song Flute", are respectively named after Coltrane's wife at the time and her daughter, whom he adopted. A third, "Mr. P.C. ", takes its name from the initials of bassist Paul Chambers , who played on the album. A fourth, "Cousin Mary", is named in honor of Mary Lyerly, Coltrane's younger cousin.
Background [ ]
In 1959, Miles Davis 's business manager Harold Lovett negotiated a record contract for Coltrane with Atlantic, the terms of which included a $7,000 annual guarantee (equivalent to $62,145 in 2020).[8] Initial sessions for this album, the second recording date for Coltrane under his new contract after a January 15 date led by Milt Jackson , took place on March 26, 1959.[9] Coltrane was dissatisfied with the results of this session with Cedar Walton and Lex Humphries , and hence they were not used for the album,[10] but appeared on subsequent compilations and reissues. Principal recording for the album took place on May 4 and 5, two weeks after Coltrane had participated in the final session for Kind of Blue .[11] The track "Naima " was recorded on December 2 with Coltrane's bandmates, the rhythm section from the Miles Davis Quintet , who would provide the backing for most of his next album, Coltrane Jazz .[12]
Coltrane's improvisation exemplifies the melodic phrasing that came to be known as sheets of sound , and features his explorations into third-related chord movements that came to be known as Coltrane changes .[13] The Giant Steps chord progression consists of a distinctive set of chords that create key centers a major third apart. Jazz musicians ever since have used it as a practice piece, its difficult chord changes presenting a "kind of ultimate harmonic challenge", and serving as a gateway into modern jazz improvisation. Several pieces on this album went on to become jazz standards , most prominently "Naima " and "Giant Steps".[10] [14]
Reception [ ]
The Penguin Guide to Jazz selected this album as part of its suggested "Core Collection" calling it "Trane's first genuinely iconic record."[23] In 2003, the album was ranked number 102 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time ,[24] 103 in a 2012 revised list,[25] and 232 in a 2020 revised list.[26]
In 2000 it was voted number 764 in Colin Larkin 's All Time Top 1000 Albums .[27]
On March 3, 1998, Rhino Records reissued Giant Steps as part of its Atlantic 50th Anniversary Jazz Gallery series. Included were eight bonus tracks , five of which had appeared in 1975 on the Atlantic compilation Alternate Takes , the remaining three earlier issued on The Heavyweight Champion: The Complete Atlantic Recordings in 1995.
Jazz historian Scott Yanow noted that "Giant Steps" took chordal improvisation to the extreme, while serving as great challenge to young musicians to play over the song's rapid chord changes.[28]
Track listing [ ]
All tracks are written by John Coltrane.
1. "Giant Steps " 4:43 2. "Cousin Mary" 5:45 3. "Countdown" 2:21 4. "Spiral" 5:56
1. "Syeeda's Song Flute" 7:00 2. "Naima " 4:21 3. "Mr. P.C. " 6:57
8. "Giant Steps" (alternate version 1) 3:41 9. "Naima" (alternate version 1) 4:27 10. "Cousin Mary" (alternate take) 5:54 11. "Countdown" (alternate take) 4:33 12. "Syeeda's Song Flute" (alternate take) 7:02
13. "Giant Steps" (alternate version 2) 3:32 14. "Naima" (alternate version 2) 3:37 15. "Giant Steps" (alternate take) 5:00
Recording dates :[29]
Thursday March 26, 1959:
Tracks 8, 9, 13, 14
Monday May 4, 1959:
Tracks 3, 4, 11
Tuesday May 5, 1959:
Tracks 1, 2, 5, 7, 10, 12 and 15
Wednesday December 2, 1959:
Track 6
Personnel [ ]
Musicians
Production
Release history [ ]
1960 – Atlantic Records SD 1311, vinyl record
1987 – Atlantic Records, first generation compact disc
1994 – Mobile Fidelity Gold CD
1998 – Rhino Records R2 75203, Deluxe Edition compact disc and 180-gram vinyl record
2020 – Atlantic Records R2 625106/603497848393, 60 Years Deluxe Edition, 2 CDs (Remastered Album + Outtakes)
Certifications [ ]
References [ ]
^ Jump up to: a b "February Album Releases" (PDF) . The Cash Box . New York: The Cash Box Publishing Co. February 13, 1960. Retrieved June 18, 2019 .
^ Jump up to: a b "New Darin Album" (PDF) . The Cash Box . New York: The Cash Box Publishing Co. January 23, 1960. Retrieved June 18, 2019 .
^ Jump up to: a b DeVito, Chris; Fujioka, Yasuhiro; Schmaler, Wolf; Wild, David (2013). Porter, Lewis (ed.). The John Coltrane Reference . New York/Abingdon: Routledge . p. 564. ISBN 9780415634632 . Retrieved January 2, 2020 .
^ Atlantic Masters CD Edition Liner Notes, 1998
^ Ben Ratliff. Coltrane: The Story of A Sound . New York: Farrar, Straus, and Giroux; 2007. ISBN 978-0-374-12606-3 . pp. 53-54.
^ Lewis Porter . John Coltrane: His Life and Music . Ann Arbor : The University of Michigan Press, 1999. ISBN 0-472-10161-7 , p. 145.
^ "What's News". The New York City Jazz Record . No. 202. January 2019. p. 5.
^ Lewis Porter . John Coltrane: His Life and Music . Ann Arbor : The University of Michigan Press, 1999. ISBN 0-472-10161-7 , pp. 117-8.
^ Porter, p. 145, pp. 359-60.
^ Jump up to: a b Nisenson, Eric (2009). Ascension: John Coltrane and his Quest . New York: Hachette Books . p. 171. ISBN 9780786750955 .
^ Porter, p. 360.
^ Giant Steps. Atlantic R2 75203, liner notes , p. 18.
^ Porter, pp. 145-148
^ "Giant Steps (1959)" . JazzStandards.com . Archived from the original on December 2, 2010. Retrieved June 18, 2019 .
^ Allmusic review
^ Down Beat review Archived June 7, 2009, at the Wayback Machine
^ Larkin, Colin (2007). Encyclopedia of Popular Music (4th ed.). Oxford University Press . ISBN 978-0195313734 .
^ Hull, Tom (n.d.). "Jazz (1940s-50s)" . tomhull.com . Retrieved March 3, 2020 .
^ "Penguin Guide to Jazz review" . Archived from the original on September 14, 2017. Retrieved June 18, 2009 .
^ Rolling Stone review
^ Swenson, J., ed. (1985). The Rolling Stone Jazz Record Guide . US: Random House/Rolling Stone. p. 46. ISBN 0-394-72643-X .
^ "Virgin Encyclopedia review" . Archived from the original on September 14, 2017. Retrieved June 18, 2009 .
^ Cook, Richard ; Brian Morton (2006) [1992]. "John Coltrane" . The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings . The Penguin Guide to Jazz (8th. ed.). New York: Penguin. p. 269 . ISBN 0-14-102327-9 .
^ "102) Giant Steps" . Rolling Stone . New York. November 2003. Archived from the original on March 22, 2009. Retrieved April 26, 2013 .
^ "500 Greatest Albums of All Time Rolling Stone's definitive list of the 500 greatest albums of all time" . Rolling Stone . 2012. Retrieved September 19, 2019 .
^ Stone, Rolling; Stone, Rolling (September 22, 2020). "The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time" . Rolling Stone . Retrieved August 26, 2021 .
^ Larkin, Colin (2000). All Time Top 1000 Albums (3rd ed.). Virgin Books . p. 241. ISBN 0-7535-0493-6 .
^ Yanow, Scott (September 23, 2020). "5 Essential John Coltrane Albums" . ClassicRockHistory.com . Retrieved October 12, 2020 .
^ Atlantic Masters Edition CD Liner Notes 1998
^ "American album certifications – John Coltrane – Giant Steps" . Recording Industry Association of America .
External links [ ]
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Jazz Poet (1989)
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Flanagan's Shenanigans (1993)
Lady Be Good ... For Ella (1993)
Let's Play the Music of Thad Jones (1993)
Sea Changes (1996)
Sunset and the Mockingbird (1997)
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Motor City Scene (1960)
Encounter! (1968)
The Master (1980)
The Adams Effect (1985)
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Art (1960)
Listen to Art Farmer and the Orchestra (1962)
The Many Faces of Art Farmer (1964)
Group Therapy (New York Jazz Sextet, 1965–66)
WithElla Fitzgerald WithCurtis Fuller WithColeman Hawkins
At Ease with Coleman Hawkins (1960)
Coleman Hawkins All Stars (1960)
Night Hawk (and Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis , 1960)
Back in Bean's Bag (1962)
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Good Old Broadway (1962)
Hawkins! Alive! At the Village Gate (1962)
Hawkins! Eldridge! Hodges! Alive! At the Village Gate! (1962)
Plays Make Someone Happy from Do Re Mi (1962)
The Jazz Version of No Strings (1962)
Today and Now (1962)
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J Is for Jazz (1956)
Blue Trombone (1957)
Dial J. J. 5 (1957)
First Place (1957)
J. J. in Person! (1958)
Pinnacles (1979)
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Saxophone Colossus (1956)
There Will Never Be Another You (1965)
Falling in Love with Jazz (1989)
Old Flames (1993)
Sonny Rollins + 3 (1995)
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Rhythm in Mind (Steve Coleman , 1991)
Sonny's Dream (Birth of the New Cool) (Sonny Criss , 1968)
Straight Ahead (Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis, 1976)
Collectors' Items (Miles Davis , 1956)
Quiet Kenny (Kenny Dorham , 1959)
The Kenny Dorham Memorial Album (1960 [1976])
Opening Remarks (Ted Dunbar , 1978)
Patented by Edison (Harry "Sweets" Edison , 1960)
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Chromatic Palette (Tal Farlow , 1981)
The Dizzy Gillespie Big 7 (1975)
Gettin' with It (Benny Golson , 1959)
Free (Benny Golson, 1962)
The Panther! (Dexter Gordon , 1970)
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Can't Help Swinging (Jimmy Hamilton, 1961)
Drum Suite (Slide Hampton , 1962)
Out of the Afternoon (Roy Haynes and Roland Kirk , 1962)
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Porgy & Bess (Joe Henderson , released 1997)
The Artistry of Freddie Hubbard (1962)
Mirage (Bobby Hutcherson , 1991)
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Desert Winds (Illinois Jacquet , 1962)
Budd Johnson and the Four Brass Giants (1960)
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Heart to Heart (Elvin Jones , 1980)
Blues for Dracula (Philly Joe Jones , 1958)
Detroit – New York Junction (Thad Jones , 1956)
Mad Thad (Thad Jones, 1956–57)
A Story Tale (Clifford Jordan and Sonny Red , 1961)
The Adventurer (Clifford Jordan, 1978)
Booker Little 4 and Max Roach (1958)
Booker Little (1960)
Vocalese (The Manhattan Transfer , 1985)
Flute Flight (Herbie Mann and Bobby Jaspar , 1957)
Flute Soufflé (Herbie Mann and Bobby Jaspar, 1957)
Dusty Blue (Howard McGhee , 1960)
Reincarnation of a Lovebird (Charles Mingus , 1960)
De Lawd's Blues (Billy Mitchell , 1980)
Smooth as the Wind (Blue Mitchell , 1960–61)
The Incredible Jazz Guitar of Wes Montgomery (1960)
Jeru (Gerry Mulligan , 1962)
Jive at Five (Joe Newman , 1960)
Good 'n' Groovy (Joe Newman with Frank Foster , 1960)
Joe's Hap'nin's (Joe Newman, 1961)
Straight Life (Art Pepper , 1979)
The Oscar Pettiford Orchestra in Hi-Fi (1956)
Limbo Carnival (Dave Pike , 1962)
Dave Pike Plays the Jazz Version of Oliver! (Dave Pike, 1962)
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Wisteria (Jimmy Raney , 1985)
Swingin' with Pee Wee (Pee Wee Russell , 1960)
Stable Mates (A. K. Salim , 1957)
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Roots (Idrees Sulieman , 1957)
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Color Changes (Clark Terry , 1960)
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Stan "The Man" Turrentine (1960)
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Rights of Swing (Phil Woods, 1961)
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Midnight Waltz (2005)
One Flight Down (2006)
Seasoned Wood (2008)
Voices Deep Within (2009)
The Bouncer (2011)
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Kyoto (1964)
Indestructible (1964)
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Homecoming (1971)
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To Duke with Love (1975)
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Art Farmer Quintet at Boomers (1976)
Voices All (The Jazztet, 1982)
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Cool Sax from Hollywood to Broadway (1964)
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Mean Greens (1966)
The Tender Storm (1966)
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How Can You Live Like That? (1976)
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Milt Jackson at the Museum of Modern Art (1965)
Born Free (1966)
Milt Jackson and the Hip String Quartet (1968)
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Olinga (1974)
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Mystery Lady: Songs of Billie Holiday (1994)
Time After Time (1995)
12 Songs of Christmas (1998)
Blue Gardenia (2000–1)
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Spellbound (1960)
Starting Time (1961)
Bearcat (1962)
These are My Roots: Clifford Jordan Plays Leadbelly (1965)
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Half Note (1974)
Night of the Mark VII (aka, The Highest Mountain , Muse, 1975)
On Stage Vol. 1 (1975)
On Stage Vol. 2 (1975)
On Stage Vol. 3 (1975)
Firm Roots (1975)
The Highest Mountain (SteepleChase, 1975)
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Summer Soft (1977)
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Trust in Me (1967)
Blue Odyssey (1968)
Broken Windows, Empty Hallways (1972)
The Big Horn (1976)
Very Personal (1980)
Naturally (2012)
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God Bless Jug and Sonny (Gene Ammons & Sonny Stitt , 1973)
Left Bank Encores (Gene Ammons & Sonny Stitt, 1973)
Something for Lester (Ray Brown , 1977)
Slow Drag (Donald Byrd , 1967)
The Almoravid (Joe Chambers , 1971–73)
Somethin's Cookin' (Junior Cook , 1981)
Broken Shadows (Ornette Coleman , 1971–72)
Katumbo (Dance) (Johnny Coles, 1971)
Giant Steps (John Coltrane , 1959)
Up, Up and Away (Sonny Criss , 1967)
The Beat Goes On! (Sonny Criss, 1968)
This Is the Moment! (Kenny Dorham , 1958)
Blue Spring (Kenny Dorham & Cannonball Adderley , 1959)
It's All Right! (Teddy Edwards , 1967)
Soul Trombone (Curtis Fuller , 1961)
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Generation (Dexter Gordon, 1972)
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Mode for Joe (Joe Henderson , 1966)
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Here to Stay (Freddie Hubbard, 1962)
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Highway One (Bobby Hutcherson , 1978)
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Really Livin' (J.J. Johnson , 1959)
J.J. Inc. (J.J. Johnson, 1960)
Save Your Love for Me (Etta Jones , 1986)
Advance! (Philly Joe Jones , 1978)
Drum Song (Philly Joe Jones, 1978)
Seven Minds (Sam Jones , 1974)
Something in Common (Sam Jones, 1974–77)
First Class Kloss! (Eric Kloss , 1967)
Abbey Is Blue (Abbey Lincoln , 1959)
Strings! (Pat Martino , 1967)
From This Moment On! (Charles McPherson , 1968)
Horizons (Charles McPherson, 1968)
Caramba! (Lee Morgan , 1968)
The Sixth Sense (Lee Morgan, 1968)
The Mode (Sonny Red , 1961)
Sonny Red (1971)
Setting Standards (Woody Shaw , 1983)
For Losers (Archie Shepp , 1968–69)
Kwanza (Archie Shepp, 1968–69)
Now Is the Time (Idrees Sulieman , 1976)
Goodbye Yesterday (Lucky Thompson , 1972)
Concert: Friday the 13th - Cook County Jail (Lucky Thompson, 1972)
I Offer You (Lucky Thompson, 1973)
Another Story (Stanley Turrentine , 1969)
Up Front (David Williams , 1986)
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