Recorded in 1959 while Coltrane was still playing in Miles Davis’ band, Giant Steps marked a significant stride forward for the saxophonist, who, with the title track in particular – based on a cyclical series of descending chord changes – captured perhaps the ultimate expression of bebop. Having taken bebop to its limits, it was no wonder that Trane changed musical direction after this album, opting to explore modal jazz, which offered more freedom for improvisation. As well as the classic title song, Giant Steps included the haunting ballad ‘Naima’, named after his first wife. Other memorable cuts on the album were the hard-swinging hard bop outings ‘Cousin Mary’ and ‘Syeeda’s Song Flute’.
(www.udiscovermusic.com)
History will undoubtedly enshrine this disc as a watershed the likes
of which may never truly be appreciated. Giant Steps bore the double-edged
sword of furthering the cause of the music as well as delivering it to
an increasingly mainstream audience. Although this was John Coltrane's
debut for Atlantic, he was concurrently performing and recording with
Miles Davis. Within the space of less than three weeks, Coltrane would
complete his work with Davis and company on another genre-defining disc,
Kind of Blue, before commencing his efforts on this one. Coltrane (tenor
sax) is flanked by essentially two different trios. Recording commenced
in early May of 1959 with a pair of sessions that featured Tommy Flanagan
(piano) and Art Taylor (drums), as well as Paul Chambers -- who was the
only band member other than Coltrane to have performed on every date.
When recording resumed in December of that year, Wynton Kelly (piano)
and Jimmy Cobb (drums) were instated -- replicating the lineup featured
on Kind of Blue, sans Miles Davis of course. At the heart of these recordings,
however, is the laser-beam focus of Coltrane's tenor solos. All seven
pieces issued on the original Giant Steps are likewise Coltrane compositions.
He was, in essence, beginning to rewrite the jazz canon with material
that would be centered on solos -- the 180-degree antithesis of the art
form up to that point. These arrangements would create a place for the
solo to become infinitely more compelling. This would culminate in a frenetic
performance style that noted jazz journalist Ira Gitler accurately dubbed
"sheets of sound." Coltrane's polytonal torrents extricate the
amicable and otherwise cordial solos that had begun decaying the very
exigency of the genre -- turning it into the equivalent of easy listening.
He wastes no time as the disc's title track immediately indicates a progression
from which there would be no looking back. Line upon line of highly cerebral
improvisation snake between the melody and solos, practically fusing the
two. The resolute intensity of "Countdown" does more to modernize
jazz in 141 seconds than many artists do in their entire careers. Tellingly,
the contrasting and ultimately pastoral "Naima" was the last
tune to be recorded, and is the only track on the original long-player
to feature the Kind of Blue quartet. What is lost in tempo is more than
recouped in intrinsic melodic beauty. Both Giant Steps [Deluxe Edition]
and the seven-disc Heavyweight Champion: The Complete Atlantic Recordings
offer more comprehensive presentations of these sessions.
(by Lindsay Planer, All Music Guide)