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"John Coltrane was arguably, the greatest saxophone player in the history of jazz and "Giant Steps" was a milestone album that forever changes the way jazz enthusiasts looked at the music. What Coltrane did with this album was introduce entirely new harmonic concepts to the world of jazz - concepts so complex that to this day jazz musicians are still struggling to understand (and play) Trane's Music. But you don't have known anything about music theory to appreciate the genius that is John Coltrane. As Coltrane so often said in interviews, the music speaks for itself. All that one needs to understand it are ears and an open mind.

There have been many great jazz saxophonists before and since John Coltrane but none have ever really been able to match his energetic sound - his ‘insistent' tone - and hi unbridled passions. I can take nothing away from the jazz giants of today - Branford Marsalis, Michael Brecker, Joshua Redman, etc. etc. They are all making their own great contributions to keeping jazz alive and vibrant. But if you have any appreciation for jazz at all (or would like to) and haven't heard "Giant Steps" You are doing yourself a disservice. If smooth jazz is your bag this might be a little intense for you - Trane ain't no Kenny G (and thank God for that!) But don't let that scare you away. Straight-ahead jazz isn't the elitist music that so many people think it is - it's just a group of cats playing their asses off and trying to express themselves fully ‘in the moment'. From the dizzying relentlessness of the title track to the forlorn poignancy of the beautiful ballad "naima", this album represents the very best of America's only true original art form. So forget all that talk about which alternate take was the best or whether a particular song sounds better in the key of c or e-flat and just sit back, listen and enjoy it for what it is - music."

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