Released: 1960
Tracks: Giant Steps; Cousin Mary; Countdown; Spiral; Syeeda’s Song Flute; Naima; Mr. P.C.; Giant Steps (Alt. Take); Naima (Alt. Take); Cousin Mary (Alt. Take); Countdown (Alt. Take); Syeeda’s Song Flute (Alt. Take)
Best track: Naima
Track to skip: none
It’s kinda hard to review this album without using the catchphrase ‘classic’, because it absolutely is. I suppose the ‘rock’ equivalent of Giant Steps would be Led Zeppelin I or something like that. An album that just blows the roof off. So yeah, let’s just get that out of the way: Giant Steps is a Classic Album. And in case you’re wondering, yes, it is very good.
This was Coltrane’s debut on Atlantic, after being with Prestige for a few years. Atlantic was a much bigger label than Prestige, so it was a major step up for him. It was recorded roughly during the same time frame as Miles Davis’ Kind of Blue, an album that Coltrane also played on. The differences in Coltrane’s playing on both albums are huge. The only song on here that really sounds like Kind of Blue is Naima (the main take, not the alternate take), and I think that’s mostly due to Paul Chambers (bassist on Kind of Blue) and Wynton Kelly (pianist on part of Kind of Blue) playing on this track. Naima is so amazingly gorgeous and possibly the best piece Coltrane ever wrote. It’s truly a highlight of highlights.
(Everything I’m writing sounds cliché, but it’s true and I can’t think of any other ways to describe all this. They are clichés *because* of this album.)
The 4 best tracks on here (Giant Steps, Countdown, Naima & Mr. PC) are beyond important in the history of jazz. And, they’re awesome. Naima rises above the rest, without taking anything away from the other 3. As for the alternate takes, they’re good and of course the reason they’re here is so that dorks like me (or you, hopefully) can compare and contrast the different versions. They aren’t as good as the main takes (that’s why they weren’t released on the original album!), but they’re still really cool to hear. I can’t explain all the reasons why this is, from a music theory standpoint, amazing. However, I do love listening to it and I know I’ll get the theory part one of these days. I’m not worried about it. I listen to this (often) because it’s great music. Go and purchase!
Rating: 92
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