{"product_id":"john-coltrane-giant-steps-rhino-reserve","title":"John Coltrane - Giant Steps (Rhino Reserve)","description":"\u003cp\u003eA game-changer in jazz, \u003cem\u003eGiant Steps\u003c\/em\u003e marked John Coltrane’s legendary Atlantic Records debut, featuring some of his most iconic compositions——including the groundbreaking title track “Giant Steps” and the soulful “Naima.\" \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eNow pressed locally on 180-gram premium-quality vinyl at Fidelity Record Pressing's new plant in Oxnard, California, as part of Rhino’s exclusive Rhino Reserve line.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e—\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eHistory will undoubtedly enshrine this album as a watershed the likes of which may never truly be appreciated. \u003cem\u003eGiant Steps\u003c\/em\u003e 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 LP, \u003cem\u003eKind of Blue\u003c\/em\u003e, before commencing his efforts on this one. \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eColtrane (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 bandmember 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 alternate non-Bill Evans lineup featured on \"Freddie the Freeloader\" on Kind of Blue, sans Miles Davis of course. \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAt 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. \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eHe wastes no time as the album'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 Kelly-version of the \u003cem\u003eKind of Blue \u003c\/em\u003equartet. What is lost in tempo is more than recouped in intrinsic melodic beauty. — (via \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/www.allmusic.com\/album\/giant-steps-mw0000604243\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"\u003eAllMusic\u003c\/a\u003e)\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e—\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIf John Coltrane had only recorded the\u003cem\u003e Giant Steps\u003c\/em\u003e album, he would still be well known today as a very original tenor-saxophonist and composer. Mostly recorded during May 4-5, 1959, the seven Coltrane originals that comprise Giant Steps both summed up the bebop legacy of the past 15 years and looked ahead to the next 15. The 33-year old musician, who had been virtually unknown four years earlier, was ready to claim his place as the leader of jazz.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA drug habit resulted in him being fired by Miles Davis but ‘Trane soon permanently rid himself of that addiction, leading to his musical growth during 1957-58 accelerating. 1957 found him spending a few months as a member of the Thelonious Monk Quartet and recording his first universally acclaimed gem, Blue Train.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBy then his sound and style on tenor were completely original, not sounding at all like his historic predecessors Coleman Hawkins, Lester Young, and Ben Webster, or his early influence Dexter Gordon. Coltrane was instantly recognizable within two notes while at the same time developing his own fresh and adventurous way of improvising. Dubbed “sheets of sound” by journalist Ira Gitler, Coltrane thought in terms of clusters of notes rather than individual ones and his solos could excite or annoy listeners who were accustomed to hearing more relaxed and accessible players.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eOn Mar. 2 and April 22, 1959, Coltrane recorded the highly influential \u003cem\u003eKind Of Blue\u003c\/em\u003e album with Miles Davis. Most significant of the five songs for the saxophonist was “So What,” a piece that only utilized two chords. Coltrane would use the same idea for his “Impressions” a few years later.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eDuring May 4-5, just 12 days after the second part of\u003cem\u003e Kind Of Blue \u003c\/em\u003ewas recorded, John Coltrane recorded most of Giant Steps, his debut album for the Atlantic label. Unlike on his many Prestige sessions, Coltrane wrote all seven compositions. That Mar. 26 he had a session with pianist Cedar Walton, bassist Paul Chambers and drummer Lex Humphries that included multiple versions of three of the songs. But he was not happy with the results and those performances were not released until decades later. For the actual \u003cem\u003eGiant Steps\u003c\/em\u003e album, Coltrane was joined by Chambers, pianist Tommy Flanagan, and drummer Art Taylor.  — (via \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/www.mosaicrecords.com\/john-coltrane-giant-steps\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"\u003eMosaic Records\u003c\/a\u003e)\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ciframe width=\"100%\" height=\"152\" style=\"border-radius: 12px;\" data-testid=\"embed-iframe\" src=\"https:\/\/open.spotify.com\/embed\/album\/7MBQWjukLxXZYvQ8vzEH7t?utm_source=generator\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\" allow=\"autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; fullscreen; picture-in-picture\" loading=\"lazy\"\u003e\u003c\/iframe\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eVinyl tracklist:\u003cbr\u003eA1 Giant Steps    \u003cbr\u003eA2 Cousin Mary    \u003cbr\u003eA3 Countdown    \u003cbr\u003eA4 Spiral    \u003cbr\u003eB1 Syeeda's Song Flute    \u003cbr\u003eB2 Naima\u003cbr\u003eB3 Mr. P. C.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e↓\u003cbr\u003eLabel: Rhino Records, Atlantic\u003cbr\u003eSeries: Rhino Reserve\u003cbr\u003eFormat: Vinyl, LP, Album, Reissue, Stereo, 180g\u003cbr\u003eReissued: 2025 \/ Original: 1960\u003cbr\u003eGenre: Jazz\u003cbr\u003eStyle: Hard Bop\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFile under:  Jazz\u003cbr\u003e⦿\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Atlantic \/ Rhino Recordings","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46279954301086,"sku":"603497812608","price":55.0,"currency_code":"SGD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0584\/5434\/3838\/files\/a_d2466fc6-ffc9-40eb-a7c6-73c07bc9f4b6.jpg?v=1765599670","url":"https:\/\/theanalogvault.mom\/products\/john-coltrane-giant-steps-rhino-reserve","provider":"The Analog Vault","version":"1.0","type":"link"}