Giant Steps (studio album) by John Coltrane

Another fantastic display of jazz genius by John Coltrane that is truly inspired and never slows down throughout the whole record. Every song is unique and the performances we are treated to on every track is fantastic. There are obviously a few compositions which transcend into another level and really elevate the album to new heights. These are Spiral, Giant Steps, Cousin Mary and Naima. Not a single track on here is skippable either and they flow beautifully when you listen to the record the whole way through. Coltrane on tenor sax is the highlight the whole way through for me, as he always is on his releases. The vibrant nature and colour that he brings to his performances are just astounding and he really separates himself from the competition with his consistency on his releases. He is then backed up by some phenomenal musicians who play a vital role in keeping the tempo and adding extra nuances and quality into the songs. Some of the best examples of this for me are the piano work and also Paul Chambers on bass which is just brilliant. Despite this, I do not think he has reached his creative peak on this record and he definitely releases more inspired albums in his time. Overall, this is an incredible release that is a must listen for any jazz fan and is up there amongst Coltrane's best work.

From Jboy56 12/20/2021 18:57

Classic of the classics. The Giant Leaped.

From teague 08/26/2021 20:26

John Coltrane is a beast, as always, but I've always liked to pay attention to the rhythm sections on albums with legendary performers (i.e. Jimi Hendrix Experience and Mitch Mitchell/Noel Redding) and Art Taylor & Paul Chambers are totally able to keep up with him, quite the duo. Not to diminish Coltrane's feats, he was really on a different level on this one.

From Brad1770 04/16/2021 00:53

I’m not even going to attempt to talk about something I know little about however I did listen to this album (twice) and I truly could appreciate the complexities of the notes within each track

Giving this one a 90/100 based on research which reliably informs me this is a landmark release in the jazz gene

From planetneutral 12/13/2020 11:51

A good listen. I can appreciate some of the complexity of what's going on, but not enough to understand its elevated position in the jazz canon.

From VictorVale 11/11/2020 13:25

Obra-prima espetacular do bebop. Que viagem ritmica!

From 2nd-Impressions 09/24/2020 00:09

The title track and 'Spiral' are absolute masterpieces. The rest of the tracks are generally pretty great as well. This release often gets overshadowed by Coltrane's iconic album 'A Love Supreme', but this record really stands on it's own as a great piece of work.

From AAL2014 09/12/2020 13:46

Giant Steps wasn't much of a standout to me upon my first listen or two, but in the midst of a bit of a personal Coltrane renaissance, this record is coming out as a brand new work. Even in what could (and really should) be considered a more traditional jazz setting compared to the likes of the superb A Love Supreme, and especially to the boundaryless records like Om or Cosmic Music, we still see Coltrane breaking barriers, and performing with immaculate virtuosity and cleanliness along with a stellar non-classic quartet lineup.

If you're looking for masterful melodicism in crafty jazz music, it is hard to recommend something before Giant Steps, a beautiful piece and one of jazz music's most important albums.

The title track is awesome. The rest is good to really good.

From Jameth 08/10/2019 18:26

Definitely more vamp and groove based than A Love Supreme, which makes it a more fun listen, but also more impersonal. I’d say they’re equally as good, depending on what you’re in the mood for.

I also have heard “Spiral” before, but who knows where. It’s always fun when you realize you already know something.