John Coltrane
Tenor Sax Solo on
Giant Steps

About

John Coltrane's tenor sax solo is the opening of 2 solos on this recording, before Tommy Flanagan's closing piano statement. Spanning eleven choruses of the 16-Bar form at a brisk 292 BPM with a swing feel in E♭, the solo runs approximately 2:29. Coltrane's eleven-chorus tenor saxophone solo at 292 BPM is a tour de force of harmonic navigation, his lines outlining each chord change with crystalline clarity while maintaining the driving swing that connects the performance to the jazz tradition. John Coltrane was 32 to 33 years old at the time of this 1959 recording.

John Coltrane was 32 to 33 years old at the time.