A never ending cycle.
Reincarnating with every step.
I am before I was.
But I will, before all.
In 2002, I was introduced to many incredible things. One of those things was, "Giant Steps". The song first, then I went to Tower Records and purchased the album. Never had I heard such a fantastic sound. Prior to the great Coltrane tune, my only real Jazz experience was with Miles Davis's "So What". An equally hypnotizing work, but in a completely different way. While Miles drew me in with his cool blue fervor, Coltrane got my attention through his blazing fast intensity. "Giant Steps" had everything I looked for in music at the time. It was fast, smart, virtuosic, and with all the technical aspects it presented in itself, it was completely human, soulful and beautiful. Of course, that opinion is where I have come today. At the time of introduction I cared only about one thing. SPEED.
To me, Jazz was a slow and old genre. Sure, it was not as bad as I initially thought (as "So What" proved to me), but I still didn't believe it was interesting or worth my time. It was Rock or die for me. But what is a kid to do with himself when something like "Giant Steps" makes its way into a steady diet of Metallica, The Damned, and Pearl Jam? Clearly, the answer is to go buy the album (Giant Steps), listen to it, and then put it on the shelf for mild amusement every now and then for 4 years. As interestingly speedy as it seemed, "Giant Steps" did not make me fall in love with Jazz as I thought it would.
