The Album That Rewired Jazz Harmony
Giant Steps didn't just raise the bar — it moved the entire game to a different field.
There are records that are historically important but hard to sit with, and then there are records that are historically important and genuinely thrilling to hear. John Coltrane's Giant Steps (1960) is both. Released in February 1960 on Atlantic Records — his first album as a leader for the label — it arrived as something that other jazz musicians had to reckon with whether they wanted to or not. The harmonic system Coltrane laid out here, built on rapid chord changes moving in major thirds rather than the usual progressions, became known simply as Coltrane changes. Musicians still use tracks like "Giant Steps" and "Countdown" as practice templates today, not as a historical exercise but because the material is genuinely challenging and instructive.
What does it actually sound like? It's fast, precise, and a little relentless in the best way. The title track opens the album with Coltrane navigating those cascading chord changes at a pace that still feels audacious. "Naima," by contrast, is slow and spacious — a ballad dedicated to his wife that shows the lyrical side he could access just as easily as the angular harmonic workouts. The rhythm section, including Tommy Flanagan on piano and Paul Chambers on bass, is exceptional throughout, though it's worth noting that even experienced players found these changes difficult to navigate in real time.
This Deluxe Edition adds alternate takes and session material that give you a window into how the music was being worked out. If you're new to Coltrane, this is genuinely one of the places to start — not out of obligation, but because it's exciting music that holds up. It earned its gold record status honestly, 500,000 copies sold over decades to people who kept coming back.
Who's playing
Paul Chambersdouble bass
Tommy Flanaganpiano
Wynton Kellypiano
John Coltranetenor saxophone
Art Taylordrums
Jimmy Cobbdrums
Where next?
More by John Coltrane
All 19 albums →
The musicians on this record
Their own records, close in time
