Giant Steps

[Free For All]

I just saw this version of Giant Steps. I searched and didn't see that it had been posted here before, but if it has, let me know and I'll delete this.

It is pretty cool, though.

[DukeCity]

Good one!

[Jim Alfredson]

The comments are awesome.

[brownie]

GIANT

[Free For All]

He does like that A-G-E-D-C melodic sequence over the C7-FMA portion of the changes, doesn't he?

Besides looking at the specific harmonic content, it's fun to just watch the contour of the lines. What a MF!

[John Tapscott]

Dizzying! The thing moves so fast my aging eyes can hardly follow it. I notice in the comments that Toronto jazz pianist Mark Eisenman says that "Pat Labarbera, Kirk macDonald, and probably hundreds of others can play this solo." to which I reply, "OK, but could they have created it in the first place?" Nothing wrong with learning from the masters (in fact, necessary, in my view), but the whole point of jazz is to eventually "do your own thing," and develop your own voice, isn't it? Eisenman's comment gave me n insight into what wrong with so-called "jazz" education (with all due respect to FFA and the others on the Board who are deeply involved with jazz education.) If jazz is simply all about playing what someone's already played before you, you might as well call in the undertaker.

Edit to add: When someone asked Al Cohn whether he played "Giant Steps", he replied, "Yeah, with my own changes."

Edited March 21, 2007 by John Tapscott

[Free For All]

Eisenman's comment gave me n insight into what wrong with so-called "jazz" education (with all due respect to FFA and the others on the Board who are deeply involved with jazz education.) If jazz is simply all about playing what someone's already played before you, you might as well call in the undertaker.

The problem is with some (not all) educators and the variety of ways jazz studies programs are implemented. There are those who think technique is an end unto itself, and their programs crank out an endless stream of clones and robots who can regurgitate other's licks and solos, but who don't think for themselves.

Technique should be taught as a means to an end, and studying licks/transcriptions is an important step towards that end, but it is just that- a step as part of a journey. Anyone who brags about how many players can play Trane's GS solo is completely missing the point IMO, and if a student of mine said something like that, well believe me, we'd be having a long talk.

So I agree with you, John, but I do believe that studying jazz in an academic surrounding can be beneficial. It's my goal to be part of the solution and not part of the problem with jazz education. The process shouldn't stop at the acquisition of technical skills, that's where it really just begins.

Clark Terry explains this in a very succinct manner:

"Imitate-assimilate-innovate"

edit: perhaps our friend Duke City will contribute further to this discussion.....?

Edited March 21, 2007 by Free For All

[Noj]

That was cool. I agree with one of the comments which expressed a desire to see the final notes which Coltrane played, otherwise it was an amazing animation! Not that I read music.

[7/4]

Without reading the above comments - I'll get to them later - I wouldn't mind studying that transcription. It fits right in the pile with my other sight reading/analysis.

Please don't throw rocks.

[tonym]

Very, very good indeed.