Giant Steps by John Coltrane

Giant Steps, released on Atlantic Records in February 1960, was John Coltrane's first album as a leader for the label, which had signed him the year before. The title track sprints like a man being chased, the saxophone pouring out notes in torrents, and the whole record has become a woodshed for later generations: saxophonists still work through its tunes as practice templates, and it is widely counted among the most influential jazz albums ever made.

It's a personal record, too. "Naima" and "Syeeda's Song Flute" are named for his then-wife and for her daughter, who became his adopted child, "Cousin Mary" honors his younger cousin Mary Lyerly, and "Mr. P.C." takes the initials of bassist Paul Chambers, who plays on the album. The Library of Congress added it to the National Recording Registry in 2004, and it went gold in 2018.

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