Album: Giant Steps

Giant Steps is a studio album by the jazz musician John Coltrane. It was released in February 1960 through Atlantic Records. The record is regarded as one of the most influential jazz albums of all time, and many of its tracks have become practice templates for jazz saxophonists. In 2004, it was one of fifty recordings chosen that year by the Library of Congress to be added to the National Recording Registry.

The Track List for the album is Giant Steps, Countdown, Cousin Mary, Spiral, Syeeda’s Song Flute, Naima and Mr. P.C.

Coltrane's improvisation exemplifies the melodic phrasing that came to be known as sheets of sound, and features his explorations into third-related chord movements that came to be known as Coltrane changes. The Giant Steps chord progression consists of a distinctive set of chords that create key centers a major third apart. Jazz musicians ever since have used it as a practice piece, its difficult chord changes presenting a "kind of ultimate harmonic challenge", and serving as a gateway into modern jazz improvisation. Several pieces on this album went on to become jazz standards, most prominently "Naima" and "Giant Steps".

Musicians on the album are John Coltrane (tenor saxophone), Cedar Walton (piano), Paul Chambers (bass), Lex Humphries (drums), Tommy Flanagan (piano), Paul Chambers (bass), Art Taylor (drums), Wynton Kelly (piano), and Jimmy Cobb (drums).

The tune Giant Steps is not everyone’s cup of tea. It is a hard bop tune, and due to its speed and rapid transition through the three keys of B major, G major and E♭ major, it has been described as one of the most challenging chord progressions to improvise over in the jazz repertoire.