Giant Steps

Goddamn. No matter how many times I hear this piece, (and i mean the original take released in 1960), I am constantly amazed. I know A Love Supreme is outstanding, but the emotional impact of Giant Steps just kills me.

I like the Joe Pass version

more info on joe pass take?

I dunno if the playing is better on Giant Steps, maybe more focused. It's just the tightest shit. It always kills me that Tommy Flanagan has to chord out the piano solo.

my first coltrane record and still my favorite

I fucking love countdown from this. Amazing little piece.

Giant Steps is great but I'm really seriously into Ascension. And Meditations. And Live at Birdland ('Alabama' is stunning). Fuck, I'm pretty obsessed with all of his impulse! stuff but as far as Atlantic records go I reckon My Favourite Things takes the cake. That version of 'Summertime' is fucking monstrous; the breakdown section is intense!!

My favorite Coltrane as well, the melodies are just on point throughout. Naima is one of the most beautiful things he ever composed imo.

jazz

  On 4/15/2010 at 4:31 PM, The Green Kingdom said:

My favorite Coltrane as well, the melodies are just on point throughout. Naima is one of the most beautiful things he ever composed imo.

Yeah, 'Naima' is an absolutely gorgeous tune. 'Wise One' is up there too, beautiful in a really dark and mysterious way.

coltrane got me into jazz music in general. blue train was the first jazz lp i bought, cost me ten dollars from a record shop in new orleans.

more of a fan of mingus now, have to admit, but i should play giant steps and blue train a lot more than i do...

Mingus = greatest jazz composer ever

Coltrane = greatest jazz improviser ever

The lengths the motherfucker would go to! Bandmates tell of him starting a tune, taking his solo then going backstage to keep practicing while the rest of the band solo until he comes back on to play the head, finish the tune then do the rest of the show the same way. Obsessive compulsive to the extreme.

i think i read somewhere that mingus never improvised, he composed every solo note for note. it might be true but i doubt it...

  On 4/15/2010 at 4:39 PM, jefferoo said:

jazz

lol.

giant steps was my first coltrane experience as well and still remains my fav

my second coltrane record and my third-favourite. which means it's better than 99.9% of music

  On 4/15/2010 at 5:46 PM, Greg Reason said:

Mingus = greatest jazz composer ever

 

Coltrane = greatest jazz improviser ever

  On 4/15/2010 at 5:46 PM, Greg Reason said:

Mingus = greatest jazz composer ever

 

Coltrane = greatest jazz improviser ever

I'm ok with this

  On 4/15/2010 at 5:52 PM, jules said:

  On 4/15/2010 at 4:39 PM, jefferoo said:

jazz

 

 

lol.

 

 

 

giant steps was my first coltrane experience as well and still remains my fav

3rded. more than anything it's got the best tunes.

Miles is the prankster.

Mingus the greatest composer? I'd say Mingus is the greatest bop composer for sure.

But greatest jazz composer? I'd say Gershwin. Which I know will be an unpopular choice, cause everyone will be like "Can't no white boy be the greatest jazz composer!"

But sit back and think how many of his tunes are classic jazz standards.

  On 4/16/2010 at 4:53 AM, chenGOD said:

Miles is the prankster.

 

Mingus the greatest composer? I'd say Mingus is the greatest bop composer for sure.

But greatest jazz composer? I'd say Gershwin. Which I know will be an unpopular choice, cause everyone will be like "Can't no white boy be the greatest jazz composer!"

But sit back and think how many of his tunes are classic jazz standards.

bill evans

gil evans maybe.

bill evans more well known for his interpretations of other artists works. They are fantastic interpretations, but Bill Evans most famous works were probably composed with Davis.

  On 4/16/2010 at 3:43 AM, Mesh Gear Fox said:

  On 4/15/2010 at 5:46 PM, Greg Reason said:

Mingus = greatest jazz composer ever

 

Coltrane = greatest jazz improviser ever

 

as far as generalisations go, I would agree with this.

where does that put our friend miles davis though?

Miles Davis = the Bowie of jazz (ie had an ear for talent and was good at getting the best of the new crop to work for him)

  On 4/16/2010 at 4:56 AM, Mesh Gear Fox said:

I wonder what mingus would say if he was still alive and he heard you call his music bop.

  On 4/16/2010 at 4:54 AM, kaini said:

  On 4/16/2010 at 4:53 AM, chenGOD said:

Miles is the prankster.

 

Mingus the greatest composer? I'd say Mingus is the greatest bop composer for sure.

But greatest jazz composer? I'd say Gershwin. Which I know will be an unpopular choice, cause everyone will be like "Can't no white boy be the greatest jazz composer!"

But sit back and think how many of his tunes are classic jazz standards.

 

bill evans

Bill or gil? both are valid answers

bill, no mistake in OP

[youtubehd]qorvyRszZKs[/youtubehd]

Yeah, not at all trying to top Coltrane, I've been meaning to search for more of his stuff since I heard Naima. And no, this isn't technically as "free" as Coltrane's stuff, but I was wondering if you guys were Hubbard/Hancock fans. Joe Henderson's pretty great in this one too.

where is thelonious monk in all these jazz conversations? to me he is the best

Thelonius was/is incredible. Very unique style, very angular, which got him a lot of hate back in the day (including from Miles Davis) but that makes him stand out from the crowd so many years on.

Herbie Hancock is brilliant too. Absolutely brilliant. Seriously, if 'Rockit' is all you've heard you need to go listen to Maiden Voyage, Mwandishi and especially Sextant; the later is a precursor to "IDM" and it was made in 1971! Plus the shit he did with Miles is great too, particularly In a Silent Way but you'll be hard pressed picking Herbie's lines from Corea and Zawinul's.

One of the greatest things I ever saw live was Herbie with his four-piece (including the mighty Vinnie Colaiuta!!) backed by a fucking sixty piece orchestra. Utterly sublime.