John Coltrane - Giant Steps

May 4/John Coltrane -- John Coltrane recorded his groundbreaking composition, Giant Steps on this date in 1959. The performance established him as the tenor saxophone heavyweight champion of his day, a position he would cement with later recordings, and one which later generations of musicians and fans argued was still ongoing. The chord structure he established for this tune, one which he worked into several other compositions, used an entirely new approach to harmonic theory and tested his sidemen's abilities to follow the difficult pattern of chord changes. This approach, now commonly referred to as the "Coltrane changes" chord cycle, is regularly used to separate the amateurs from the professionals. "Sure, you sound good, but can you improvise over Giant Steps?" became a common challenge. Not only is improvising over the chord structure difficult, but the bright tempo at which it is usually played makes it all the more difficult. This is the composition which sent millions of aspiring jazz musicians back to the practice rooms, from the album of the same name.