Giant Steps at 60.

[Hardbopjazz]

With 40 minutes of outtakes, I  just might buy my third copy of this session. 

John Coltrane: Giant Steps 60th Anniversary Edition review – more a giant leap in jazz

4 / 5 stars4 out of 5 stars.

    

(Rhino)
This celebratory reissue includes outtakes that confirm the original’s brilliance and the sense of a genius in transition

Within the same few weeks in the spring of 1959, the great saxophonist and composer John Coltrane astonishingly found the composure to play a key role on one of the most thoughtful and spacious of all jazz albums – Miles Davis’s iconic Kind of Blue – and the virtuosity and fearless insight to record one of the fastest and most intense, his own game-changing Giant Steps.

In 1959, Miles was moving toward a meditatively floating and almost chordless music in his search for a new jazz language, while Coltrane’s route was to pack his pieces with so much harmonic movement and warp-speed fast lines that it could seem as if he were trying to outrun his listeners’ aural perceptions and fool them that the hundreds of notes pouring from his horn were really one long seamlessly soulful wail. Giant Steps’ 60th anniversary is celebrated this month by Rhino’s CD, vinyl and download release, including 40 minutes of outtakes, and illuminating liner notes by Coltrane authority Ashley Kahn.

 

https://www.theguardian.com/music/2020/sep/18/john-coltrane-giant-steps-60th-anniversary-edition-review

[ejp626]

Also on iTunes as of today.  This is a case where I think I do want to sample the newly available outtakes before committing to buy yet another edition of the album.  But I'm moderately likely to order this in the end.

[romualdo]

• - Disc 1 -
• 1 Giant Steps (2020 Remaster)
• 2 Cousin Mary (2020 Remaster)
• 3 Countdown (2020 Remaster)
• 4 Spiral (2020 Remaster)
• 5 Syeeda's Song Flute (2020 Remaster)
• 6 Naima (2020 Remaster)
• 7 Mr. P.C. (2020 Remaster)
• - Disc 2 -
• 1 Giant Steps (Alternate, Take 1, Incomplete) [2020 Remaster]
• 2 Naima (Alternate, Take 3) [2020 Remaster]
• 3 Like Sonny (Alternate, Take 7) [2020 Remaster]
• 4 Countdown (Alternate Take) [2020 Remaster]
• 5 Syeeda's Song Flute (Alternate Take) [2020 Remaster]
• 6 Cousin Mary (Alternate Take) [2020 Remaster]
• 7 Giant Steps (Alternate, Take 5) [2020 Remaster]
• 8 Giant Steps (Take 6, Alternate) [2020 Remaster]
• I'm pretty sure all of these titles on Disc 2 are included in the Heavyweight Champion box set

Edited September 19, 2020 by romualdo

[Pim]

 

[felser]

I'm good with the Heavyweight Champion box (a beautiful set, as are the Ornette and Mingus Atlantic boxes).

[Hardbopjazz]

8 hours ago, romualdo said:

• - Disc 1 -
• 1 Giant Steps (2020 Remaster)
• 2 Cousin Mary (2020 Remaster)
• 3 Countdown (2020 Remaster)
• 4 Spiral (2020 Remaster)
• 5 Syeeda's Song Flute (2020 Remaster)
• 6 Naima (2020 Remaster)
• 7 Mr. P.C. (2020 Remaster)
• - Disc 2 -
• 1 Giant Steps (Alternate, Take 1, Incomplete) [2020 Remaster]
• 2 Naima (Alternate, Take 3) [2020 Remaster]
• 3 Like Sonny (Alternate, Take 7) [2020 Remaster]
• 4 Countdown (Alternate Take) [2020 Remaster]
• 5 Syeeda's Song Flute (Alternate Take) [2020 Remaster]
• 6 Cousin Mary (Alternate Take) [2020 Remaster]
• 7 Giant Steps (Alternate, Take 5) [2020 Remaster]
• 8 Giant Steps (Take 6, Alternate) [2020 Remaster]
• I'm pretty sure all of these titles on Disc 2 are included in the Heavyweight Champion box set

They are. No need for this one for me after checking. 

[Niko]

the strangest idea is the inclusion of Like Sonny from Coltrane Jazz in place of an additional alternate take of Naima like in earlier single cd editions which had the same overall number of tracks as the current double cd... consequently the download only super deluxe edition

https://www.amazon.com/Giant-Steps-Anniversary-Deluxe-Remaster/dp/B085WCCHRX

has 35 tracks (all from the Heavyweight Champion box) including no less than 9 versions of Like Sonny...

[mjazzg]

If everyone is happy with 'Heavyweight Champion' am I safe to assume that for someone like me who doesn't own that box (am I even allowed to still post here...😃) this current issue is pretty essential?

[Niko]

if we leave the sound aside, which might be amazing, I would argue that no:  or, that depends on your CD edition. Most recent CD editions such as this one

https://www.discogs.com/John-Coltrane-Giant-Steps/release/14518768

also have 15 tracks. The major difference is apparently that the second alternate of Naima has been replaced by a track from the Coltrane Jazz album on this new edition. (And that the 15 tracks are spread across two CDs.) So if you also own a conventional CD of Coltrane Jazz such as this one

https://www.discogs.com/John-Coltrane-Coltrane-Jazz/release/1898131

with its three versions of Like Sonny, you should be all set... And if you really want that version of Like Sonny, I'd still recommend to just buy Coltrane Jazz instead of Giant Steps. Finally,  if you are interested in streaming those 35 tracks, then you can buy the new download or just stream them on spotify, either in the context of the new issue or in the context of the Heavy Weight Champion box which has been there for a long time...

Edited September 19, 2020 by Niko

[felser]

27 minutes ago, mjazzg said:

If everyone is happy with 'Heavyweight Champion' am I safe to assume that for someone like me who doesn't own that box (am I even allowed to still post here...😃) this current issue is pretty essential?

Mark, safe for you to assume that buying Heavyweight Champion is pretty essential!  30 pounds on discogs.

 

 

 

 

[mjazzg]

1 hour ago, felser said:

Mark, safe for you to assume that buying Heavyweight Champion is pretty essential!  30 pounds on discogs.

 

 

 

 

£30, tempting indeed. 

I remember not being able to afford it when it was released. Maybe now's the time, an opportunity to consolidate my JC collection which is pretty comprehensive but spread across various editions. Or, I could just head over to Spotify and save the shelf space 

1 hour ago, Niko said:

if we leave the sound aside, which might be amazing, I would argue that no:  or, that depends on your CD edition. Most recent CD editions such as this one

https://www.discogs.com/John-Coltrane-Giant-Steps/release/14518768

also have 15 tracks. The major difference is apparently that the second alternate of Naima has been replaced by a track from the Coltrane Jazz album on this new edition. (And that the 15 tracks are spread across two CDs.) So if you also own a conventional CD of Coltrane Jazz such as this one

https://www.discogs.com/John-Coltrane-Coltrane-Jazz/release/1898131

with its three versions of Like Sonny, you should be all set... And if you really want that version of Like Sonny, I'd still recommend to just buy Coltrane Jazz instead of Giant Steps. Finally,  if you are interested in streaming those 35 tracks, then you can buy the new download or just stream them on spotify, either in the context of the new issue or in the context of the Heavy Weight Champion box which has been there for a long time...

Thanks Niko, that's really helpful.  I have a very early CD of 'Giant Steps' and 'Coltrane Jazz' so no alternates. I also have the recent mono LP of GS so it's the alternates and the sound that make the current reissue tempting.  

[Niko]

sounds like you're really in the market for an upgrade then... and, given prices, the sound of the new issue will make the difference between getting the box, upgrading the old cds or getting the new edition...