"Dear John" is a contrafact composed by trumpeter Freddie Hubbard, built on the chord changes of John Coltrane's landmark composition "Giant Steps." The title serves as a direct acknowledgment of Coltrane, whose first name was John. Hubbard's original recording of the piece appeared on his 1991 album Bolivia, released on the Music Masters Jazz label, with a personnel that included Cedar Walton on piano, Vincent Herring on saxophone, and Billy Higgins on drums. By writing a new melody over the "Giant Steps" changes, Hubbard placed himself within a well-established jazz tradition of composing contrafacts over harmonically demanding progressions. The "Giant Steps" chord cycle, with its rapid modulations through three tonal centers related by major thirds, is widely regarded as one of the most challenging harmonic frameworks in jazz, and any composition based on it demands a high level of technical facility from improvisers. Hubbard's melody gives the piece its own identity while preserving the relentless harmonic motion of the original changes. The composition has attracted attention from jazz educators and transcribers, with Billy Higgins's drum solo from the Bolivia session receiving particular pedagogical interest. While not as frequently covered as some of Hubbard's other originals, "Dear John" remains a notable entry in his catalog of compositions.
