https://www.amazon.com/music/player/albums/B08C7WC64Y
Amazon.com Song ID: 200000362643399
Giant Steps
by John Coltrane 1959 JOWCL Music
Vince Norman Soprano, Tenor, and Baritone Saxophone, and Keyboard
Brian Gorrell - Alto and Tenor Saxophone
Ryan Sharp - Trumpets
Zac Lee - Trombones
Jeff Kidwell - Bass Trombone
Rei Wang - Bass
David Bowen - Drums
Clayton Roffey - Guitar
John Coltrane's “Giant Steps” has long been considered a rite of passage for jazz
improvisers because navigation through the chord changes is so difficult. Its tonal
shifts were so different from standard repertoire many players, including ones on
Trane's initial recording, would sweat bullets when called upon to take a ride. One
time I was on a wedding band gig and decided I would try playing “Giant Steps” on
a one-chord solo vamp in C minor. It worked so well I thought I'd go ahead and try
and flesh out an arrangement. The version included on this project is the result.
The melody is kept completely intact with only alterations in the C minor chord
voicings. The bass line is just a four-measure repeated figure and the drums play a
sort of hip-hop % time funk feel. The tune features guitar and, of course, tenor sax.
After the guitar solo there's a unison soli for the trombones and electric bass while
the rest of the band plays Trane’s melody with the original chord changes. This sets
up a tenor solo with a 32-bar form consisting of 16 bars of B minor followed by 16 bars
of C minor. The second chorus of the tenor solo introduces backgrounds that quote
some of Trane's other well-known compositions including “Naima” and “A Love
Supreme.” After the sax solo the whole band continues with a soli that follows the
same 32-bar form. The soli is unique in that there are only 3 or 4 players playing in
unison at a time. Players with melody lines will get to a certain point and hold out
their last note while others take over the melody. The end result is the creation of
harmony with no group of instruments ever playing a spelled-out chord. I'm sure
other composers have probably used this technique, but I've never heard a name
for it so I call it “cascading counterpoint.” I end the chart with similar material
to that used in the intro.
- Vince