John Coltrane - Giant Steps - 180g Vinyl LP

2023. Cut from the Flat Master

Giant Steps is the fifth studio album by John Coltrane as leader, released in 1960 on Atlantic Records. His first album for his new label Atlantic, it is the breakthrough album for Coltrane as a leader, and many of it's tracks have become practice templates for jazz saxophonists. Principal recording for the album took place on May 4 and 5, two weeks after Coltrane had participated in the final session for Miles Davis' Kind of Blue.

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. The recording exemplifies Coltrane's 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. Jazz musicians continue to use the Giant Steps chord progression, which consists of a peculiar set of chords that often move in thirds, as a practice piece and as a gateway into modern jazz improvisation. Several pieces on this album went on to become jazz standards, most prominently "Naima" and "Giant Steps".