Riesenschritte for Alto Saxophone, Pianoforte, Contrabass, Jazz Drum Set and Tape, no. 402g (2008, Rev. 2014)
Composed by Andrián Pertout

Recorded on 18 January, 2015 by Bob Dawson at Bias Studios, Washington, DC, USA
Mastered on 9 April, 2015 by Michael Costa, Melbourne, Australia
Noah Getz – alto saxophone; Jeffrey Chappell – pianoforte;
Richard Barber – bass; Lee Hinkle – drums

‘Riesenschritte’ for Alto Saxophone and Pianoforte was commissioned by American Saxophonist Noah Getz and represents a contemporary interpretation of John Coltrane’s seminal work Giant Steps – the title track of the album ‘Giant Steps’, and a benchmark for most saxophonists.  Giant Steps was recorded at Atlantic Studios, New York, USA on May 5, 1959, and released on Atlantic Records in January, 1960.  This particular recording features John Coltrane (tenor saxophone), Tommy Flanagan (pianoforte) and Paul Chambers (contrabass).  Coltrane was the “most influential and controversial tenor saxophonist in modern jazz”, and the ‘Coltrane changes’– a strategy of chord substitution utilized in the composition based on the ‘augmented cycle’ (CMaj7 [Bbm7, Eb7], Ab [F#m7, B7], and E [Dm7, G7]) – “created a harmonic revolution”, and became a ‘substitute pattern’ applicable to any standard jazz chord progression.  In The Jazz Theory Book Mark Levine points out that “although Giant Steps is a very challenging tune, its 26 chords (10 key changes equal to 11 tonal centres) are just V-I and II-V-I progressions in only three keys: B, G, and Eb.”

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Andrián Pertout

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