Giant Steps (composition)
Encyclopedia
"Giant Steps" is a jazz
composition
by John Coltrane
, first appearing as the first track on the album of the same name (1960). The composition contains a rapid and improvised
progression
of chord changes through three keys (see Coltrane changes
) shifted by major third
s, creating an augmented triad
.
as descending major sixths, the latter approach best accentuating the disconcerting nature of the progression.
), Paul Chambers
(double bass
), Tommy Flanagan
(piano
), and Art Taylor
(drums). John Coltrane was known for coming into the studio with unrehearsed songs, and "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. In some of the alternate takes, Cedar Walton
is at the piano, declining to take a solo and also playing at a slower tempo than the takes with Flanagan.
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 (see modal jazz
).
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" (on Hubbard's 1991 album Bolivia
). Covers have been recorded by such artists as Rahsaan Roland Kirk
, 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
, Gary Bartz. The song was recorded by Chaka Khan in 1982 as part of the "Be Bop Medley" from her album Chaka Khan
.
and Archie Shepp
, The Long March
features the composition.
In 1990, guitarist Larry Coryell
covered the song from his album Dragon Gate. In 2001, French pianist Alex Bugnon
covered the song from the album Soul Purpose.
Ray Brown
covered the song with Lewis Nash
and Dado Moroni
on the 1994 album Some of My Best Friends Are...The Piano Players
.
Fusion musician Sean Malone
recorded the song on his solo album Cortlandt in 1996.
In 2006, pianist Rob Mullins covered the song from his standards album Standards & More. The contemporary composer Osmo Tapio Räihälä
makes a short quote of "Giant Steps" in his work "Piston" (2009) for two pianos.
Bruce Hornsby
, Jack DeJohnette
and Christian McBride
give a rendering of the song on their 2007 album Camp Meeting.
Trio Globo (Howard Levy, Eugene Friesen, Glen Velez) recorded a re-arranged version of it on Steering by the Stars (Stonecutter Records, 2010)
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
composition
Musical composition
Musical composition can refer to an original piece of music, the structure of a musical piece, or the process of creating a new piece of music. People who practice composition are called composers.- Musical compositions :...
by John Coltrane
John Coltrane
John William Coltrane was an American jazz saxophonist and composer. Working in the bebop and hard bop idioms early in his career, Coltrane helped pioneer the use of modes in jazz and later was at the forefront of free jazz...
, first appearing as the first track on the album of the same name (1960). The composition contains a rapid and improvised
Improvisation
Improvisation is the practice of acting, singing, talking and reacting, of making and creating, in the moment and in response to the stimulus of one's immediate environment and inner feelings. This can result in the invention of new thought patterns, new practices, new structures or symbols, and/or...
progression
Chord progression
A chord progression is a series of musical chords, or chord changes that "aims for a definite goal" of establishing a tonality founded on a key, root or tonic chord. In other words, the succession of root relationships...
of chord changes through three keys (see Coltrane changes
Coltrane changes
In jazz harmony, the Coltrane changes are a harmonic progression variation using substitute chords over common jazz chord progressions...
) shifted by major third
Major third
In classical music from Western culture, a third is a musical interval encompassing three staff positions , and the major third is one of two commonly occurring thirds. It is qualified as major because it is the largest of the two: the major third spans four semitones, the minor third three...
s, creating an augmented triad
Augmented triad
In music, an augmented triad is a triad, or chord, consisting of two major thirds . The term augmented triad arises from an augmented triad being a three note chord, or triad, whose top note is raised, or augmented...
.
Title
The song title comes from the relatively giant leaps between the roots of consecutive chords. From a transcription, one can easily infer that many of these are upward leaps of minor thirds, but they can just as easily be invertedInversion (music)
In music theory, the word inversion has several meanings. There are inverted chords, inverted melodies, inverted intervals, and inverted voices...
as descending major sixths, the latter approach best accentuating the disconcerting nature of the progression.
Recording
The original recording features Coltrane (tenor saxophoneTenor saxophone
The tenor saxophone is a medium-sized member of the saxophone family, a group of instruments invented by Adolphe Sax in the 1840s. The tenor, with the alto, are the two most common types of saxophones. The tenor is pitched in the key of B, and written as a transposing instrument in the treble...
), Paul Chambers
Paul Chambers
Paul Laurence Dunbar Chambers, Jr. was a jazz bassist. A fixture of rhythm sections during the 1950s and 1960s, his importance in the development of jazz bass can be measured not only by the length and breadth of his work in this short period but also his impeccable time, intonation, and virtuosic...
(double bass
Double bass
The double bass, also called the string bass, upright bass, standup bass or contrabass, is the largest and lowest-pitched bowed string instrument in the modern symphony orchestra, with strings usually tuned to E1, A1, D2 and G2...
), Tommy Flanagan
Tommy Flanagan
Thomas Lee Flanagan was an American jazz pianist born in Detroit, Michigan, particularly remembered for his work with Ella Fitzgerald...
(piano
Piano
The piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
), and Art Taylor
Art Taylor
Arthur S. Taylor, Jr. was an American jazz drummer of the hard bop school.After playing in the bands of Howard McGhee, Coleman Hawkins, Buddy DeFranco, Bud Powell, and George Wallington from 1948 to 1957, he formed his own group, the Wailers...
(drums). John Coltrane was known for coming into the studio with unrehearsed songs, and "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
Coltrane changes
In jazz harmony, the Coltrane changes are a harmonic progression variation using substitute chords over common jazz chord progressions...
without adequate preparation. Flanagan would revisit "Giant Steps" on several recordings later in his career and mastered the progression. In some of the alternate takes, Cedar Walton
Cedar Walton
Cedar Anthony Walton, Junior is an American hard bop jazz pianist.-Biography:Walton grew up in Dallas, Texas. His mother was an aspiring concert pianist, and was Walton's initial teacher. She also took him to jazz performances around Dallas...
is at the piano, declining to take a solo and also playing at a slower tempo than the takes with Flanagan.
Chord progression
The saxophonist had previously used this technique on the LP Blue TrainBlue Train (album)
Blue Train is a hard bop jazz album by John Coltrane, released in 1957 on Blue Note Records, catalogue BLP 1577. Recorded at the Van Gelder Studio in Hackensack, New Jersey, it is Coltrane's second solo album, the only one he recorded for Blue Note as a leader, and the only one he conceived...
on the tunes "Moment's Notice" and "Lazy Bird
Lazy Bird
Lazy Bird is a musical composition by John Coltrane, first appearing on his 1957 album Blue Train.Its name is most likely a play on the title of the Tadd Dameron composition "Lady Bird": Coltrane biographer Lewis Porter has proposed a harmonic relationship between "Lady Bird" and the A section of...
". Coltrane continued in this vein on a recording with Cannonball Adderley of the standard "Limehouse Blues
Limehouse Blues
Limehouse Blues is a world famous jazz standard , as well as a 1934 crime film is set in London's Chinese district and starring George Raft and Anna May Wong. The film is named after the tune...
" and on his original "Fifth House". He continued to use this approach on other tunes, such as "Countdown", based on the Miles Davis
Miles Davis
Miles Dewey Davis III was an American jazz musician, trumpeter, bandleader, and composer. Widely considered one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century, Miles Davis was, with his musical groups, at the forefront of several major developments in jazz music, including bebop, cool jazz,...
tune "Tune Up"; "26-2" based on Charlie Parker
Charlie Parker
Charles Parker, Jr. , famously called Bird or Yardbird, was an American jazz saxophonist and composer....
's "Confirmation
Confirmation (composition)
"Confirmation" is a bebop standard composed by saxophonist Charlie Parker in 1946. It is known as a challenging number due to its long, complex head and rapid chord changes, which feature an extended cycle of fifths ....
"; and a reharmonization
Reharmonization
In music, reharmonization refers to the technique of taking an existing melodic line and altering the harmony which accompanies it. Typically, a melody is reharmonized to provide musical interest or variety...
of the jazz standard
Jazz standard
Jazz standards are musical compositions which are an important part of the musical repertoire of jazz musicians, in that they are widely known, performed, and recorded by jazz musicians, and widely known by listeners. There is no definitive list of jazz standards, and the list of songs deemed to be...
"Body and Soul
Body and Soul (song)
"Body and Soul" was recorded as a duet by Tony Bennett and Amy Winehouse in 2011. It was the final recording made by Winehouse before her death on July 23, 2011. The single was released worldwide on September 14, 2011 on iTunes, MTV and VH1....
". Songs such as "Naima
Naima
"Naima" is a ballad composed by John Coltrane in 1959, and named after his then-wife, Juanita Naima Grubbs. It first appeared on the album Giant Steps, and is notable for its use of a variety of rich chords over a bass pedal...
" 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
Modal
Modal may refer to:* Modal , a textile made from spun Beechwood cellulose fiber* Modal analysis, the study of the dynamic properties of structures under vibrational excitation...
middle period. A Love Supreme
A Love Supreme
A Love Supreme is a studio album recorded by John Coltrane's quartet in December 1964 and released by Impulse! Records in February 1965...
features examples of lines based on "Giant Steps" cycles over modal
Modal
Modal may refer to:* Modal , a textile made from spun Beechwood cellulose fiber* Modal analysis, the study of the dynamic properties of structures under vibrational excitation...
vamps, to create a polytonal effect (see modal jazz
Modal jazz
Modal jazz is jazz that uses musical modes rather than chord progressions as a harmonic framework. Originating in the late 1950s and 1960s, modal jazz is characterized by Miles Davis's "Milestones" Kind of Blue and John Coltrane's classic quartet from 1960–64. Other important performers include...
).
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
Arpeggio
An arpeggio is a musical technique where notes in a chord are played or sung in sequence, one after the other, rather than ringing out simultaneously...
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
Freddie Hubbard
Frederick Dewayne "Freddie" Hubbard was an American jazz trumpeter. He was known primarily for playing in the bebop, hard bop and post bop styles from the early 1960s and on...
as a basis for his composition "Dear John" (on Hubbard's 1991 album Bolivia
Bolivia (album)
Bolivia is an album by trumpeter Freddie Hubbard recorded in December 1990 and January 1991 and released on the Music Master label. It features performances by Hubbard, Ralph Moore, Vincent Herring, Cedar Walton, David Williams, and Billy Higgins...
). Covers have been recorded by such artists as Rahsaan Roland Kirk
Rahsaan Roland Kirk
Rahsaan Roland Kirk was an American jazz multi-instrumentalist who played tenor saxophone, flute and many other instruments...
, Pat Metheny
Pat Metheny
Patrick Bruce "Pat" Metheny is an American jazz guitarist and composer.One of the most successful and critically acclaimed jazz musicians to come to prominence in the 1970s and '80s, he is the leader of the Pat Metheny Group and is also involved in duets, solo works and other side projects...
, Buddy Rich
Buddy Rich
Bernard "Buddy" Rich was an American jazz drummer and bandleader. Rich was billed as "the world's greatest drummer" and was known for his virtuosic technique, power, groove, and speed.-Early life:...
, Jaco Pastorius
Jaco Pastorius
John Francis Anthony Pastorius III , known as Jaco Pastorius, was an American jazz musician and composer widely acknowledged as a virtuoso electric bass player....
, Mike Stern
Mike Stern
Mike Stern is an American jazz guitarist. After playing for a few years with Blood, Sweat & Tears, he landed a gig with Billy Cobham and then broke through with Miles Davis' comeback band from 1981 to 1983, and again in 1985. Since then, he launched a solo career, releasing more than a dozen albums...
, Greg Howe
Greg Howe
Gregory "Greg" Howe is an American guitarist and composer. As an active musician for nearly thirty years, he has released nine studio albums in addition to collaborating with a wide variety of artists.-Recording career:...
, Tommy Flanagan
Tommy Flanagan
Thomas Lee Flanagan was an American jazz pianist born in Detroit, Michigan, particularly remembered for his work with Ella Fitzgerald...
(who played on the original recording), McCoy Tyner
McCoy Tyner
McCoy Tyner is a jazz pianist from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, known for his work with the John Coltrane Quartet and a long solo career.-Early life:...
, Kenny Werner
Kenny Werner
Kenny Werner is an American jazz pianist.-Biography:Kenny Werner is a world-class pianist and composer. His prolific output of compositions, recordings and publications continue to impact audiences around the world....
, Kenny Garrett
Kenny Garrett
Kenny Garrett is a Grammy Award-winning American post bop jazz saxophonist and flautist who gained fame in his youth as a member of the Duke Ellington Orchestra and of Miles Davis's band. He has since pursued a critically acclaimed solo career...
, Woody Herman
Woody Herman
Woodrow Charles Herman , known as Woody Herman, was an American jazz clarinetist, alto and soprano saxophonist, singer, and big band leader. Leading various groups called "The Herd," Herman was one of the most popular of the 1930s and '40s bandleaders...
, and Taylor Eigsti
Taylor Eigsti
Taylor Eigsti is an American jazz pianist and composer.A former child prodigy, Eigsti started studying piano at age four. He recorded his first album at age 14...
, Gary Bartz. The song was recorded by Chaka Khan in 1982 as part of the "Be Bop Medley" from her album Chaka Khan
Chaka Khan (1982 album)
Chaka Khan is the eponymous fourth solo album by American R&B/funk singer Chaka Khan, released on the Warner Bros. Records label in 1982.- Overview :...
.
Cover versions
The 1979 live album by Max RoachMax Roach
Maxwell Lemuel "Max" Roach was an American jazz percussionist, drummer, and composer.A pioneer of bebop, Roach went on to work in many other styles of music, and is generally considered alongside the most important drummers in history...
and Archie Shepp
Archie Shepp
Archie Shepp is a prominent African-American jazz saxophonist. Shepp is best known for his passionately Afrocentric music of the late 1960s, which focused on highlighting the injustices faced by the African-Americans, as well as for his work with the New York Contemporary Five, Horace Parlan, and...
, The Long March
The Long March (album)
-Track listing:# "J.C. Moses" - 5:52# "Sophisticated Lady" - 5:46# "The Long March" - 26:17# "U-Jaa-Maa" - 12:30# "Triptych" - 7:26# "Giant Steps" - 5:35...
features the composition.
In 1990, guitarist Larry Coryell
Larry Coryell
Larry Coryell is an American jazz fusion guitarist.-Biography:Coryell was born in Galveston, Texas. He graduated from Richland High School, in Richland, Washington, where he played in local bands The Jailers, The Rumblers, The Royals, and The Flames. He also played with The Checkers from nearby...
covered the song from his album Dragon Gate. In 2001, French pianist Alex Bugnon
Alex Bugnon
Alex Bugnon is a jazz pianist and composer from Montreux, Switzerland.Bugnon studied at the Paris Conservatory and the Mozart Academy in Salzburg. At age nineteen, he moved to the U.S...
covered the song from the album Soul Purpose.
Ray Brown
Ray Brown (musician)
Raymond Matthews Brown was an American jazz double bassist.-Biography:Ray Brown was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and had piano lessons from the age of eight. After noticing how many pianists attended his high school, he thought of taking up the trombone, but was unable to afford one...
covered the song with Lewis Nash
Lewis Nash
Lewis Nash is an American jazz drummer. According to Modern Drummer magazine, Nash has one of the longest discographies in jazz. and has played on over 400 records by musicians, earning him the honor of being named Jazz's Most Valuable Player by the magazine in it's May, 2009 issue...
and Dado Moroni
Dado Moroni
Edgardo “Dado” Moroni is an Italian jazz pianist and composer.A self-taught musician, Dado, who was born in Genoa, Italy, started playing piano at age four...
on the 1994 album Some of My Best Friends Are...The Piano Players
Some of My Best Friends Are...The Piano Players
Some of My Best Friends Are...The Piano Players is a 1994 album by double bassist Ray Brown, accompanied by the pianists Benny Green, Geoff Keezer, Ahmad Jamal, Dado Moroni and Oscar Peterson. -Track listing:# "Bags' Groove" – 4:20...
.
Fusion musician Sean Malone
Sean Malone
Sean Malone is an American musician who plays primarily fretless bass guitar and Chapman stick. However, Malone also plays piano, keyboards, and guitar. He is most well known as a member of the progressive band Cynic.- Biography :...
recorded the song on his solo album Cortlandt in 1996.
In 2006, pianist Rob Mullins covered the song from his standards album Standards & More. The contemporary composer Osmo Tapio Räihälä
Osmo Tapio Räihälä
Osmo Tapio Everton Räihälä is a Finnish composer of contemporary music. He has mainly written instrumental music for various chamber music line-ups, fourconcertos as well as for symphony orchestra...
makes a short quote of "Giant Steps" in his work "Piston" (2009) for two pianos.
Bruce Hornsby
Bruce Hornsby
Bruce Randall Hornsby is an American singer, pianist, accordion player, and songwriter. Known for the spontaneity and creativity of his live performances, Hornsby draws frequently from classical, jazz, bluegrass, folk, Motown, rock, blues, and jam band musical traditions with his songwriting and...
, Jack DeJohnette
Jack DeJohnette
Jack DeJohnette is an American jazz drummer, pianist, and composer. He is one of the most influential jazz drummers of the 20th century, due to extensive work as leader and sideman for musicians like Miles Davis, Joe Henderson, Freddie Hubbard, Keith Jarrett and Sonny...
and Christian McBride
Christian McBride
Christian McBride is an American jazz bassist. His father, Lee Smith, and his great uncle, Howard Cooper, are well known Philadelphia bassists who served as McBride's early mentors...
give a rendering of the song on their 2007 album Camp Meeting.
Trio Globo (Howard Levy, Eugene Friesen, Glen Velez) recorded a re-arranged version of it on Steering by the Stars (Stonecutter Records, 2010)
Further reading
- Demsey, David (1996). John Coltrane Plays Giant Steps. Milwaukee: Hal Leonard Publishing CoHal Leonard Publishing CoFounded in 1947, Hal Leonard Corporation is the world’s largest music print publisher as well as the world’s largest educational music publisher, producing songbooks, sheet music, educational publications, reference books, DVDs, CD-ROMs, children’s music products and more...
. ISBN 0-7935-6345-3. Contains musical analysis and transcriptions of every Giant Steps solo recorded by John Coltrane.
External links
- "Giant Steps" at JazzStandards.com
- Giant Steps, Central Park West, and Modulatory Cycles