Giant Steps

Woody Herman & His Orchestra | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (October 21, 1994)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Ojc
• ASIN: B000000YJ4
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Audio Cassette  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #185,148 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Don't Miss This!, January 13, 2000

By 

C. Law "Charlie Law" (Las Vegas, NV USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Giant Steps (Audio CD)

Woody's first album for the new Prestige-Fantasy label, this was an instant Grammy winner! Great playing by another group of future all-stars, the showpiece tune on this one is Tony Klatka's GREAT arangement of Chick Corea's "La Fiesta." Great tunes, like you would expect from Woody, all arranged and played to perfection. Nobody ever played a ballad better than the Herman band, and Leon Russell's "A Song For You" just wraps you up in the music, as Bill Stapleton's lovely flugelhorn solo helps build the chart to a swelling conclusion. There is also Eddie Harris' "Freedom Jazz Dance," Bobby Troup's "The Meaning of the Blues" and the Coltrane great on the title tune "Giant Steps." Want more? Check Woody's lyrical playing on Thad Jone's "A Child Is Born!" And the "kicker," pianist Alan Broadbent's original "Be-Bop And Roses" (WOW!) Yes, it's a great album.....

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars One of the most versatile of the Big Bands, January 29, 2010

By 

Robert J. Ament "papacoolbreeze" (Ballwin, MO United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Giant Steps (Audio CD)

As has been pointed out in several of the earlier reviews, this album won a Grammy in 1973 for the best large jazz ensemble performance. It also placed 38th on Billboard's jazz albums for 1973.

Woody Herman's longevity in the big band business certainly was no fluke because he always kept pace with the times and gave a start to many musicians who have become well known in their own right. This versatility and the enthusiasm of the players which was inspired by the band's leader was a key to this success.

This 1973 recording featured such side men as Bill Stapleton on trumpet, trombonist Jim Pugh and tenor saxist Frank Tiberi. Greg Herbert, another excellent reed man, also has some outstanding solos on piccolo on "La Fiesta", flute on the Latin tinged "Think On Me" and displays some good tenor on the title cut and "A Child Is Born". Unfortunately this promising career was cut short due to death from his involvement with drugs while on a European tour with Blood, Sweat and Tears five years later.

Andy Laverne plays electric piano which was popular during the '60s and '70s.I always enjoyed that sound with small groups, but not particularly with the large bands......just a personal preference. I had forgotten about this album until I played it the other day and realized what excellent music it contained.

Chick Corea's "La Fiesta" was so popular that it seemed to me every college marching band played it during half time at their football games. My personal favorites on this cd are "The Meaning Of The Blues" showcasing trombonist Jim Pugh, the catchy latin rhythm of "Think On Me" written by a very under rated pianist, George Cables, Bill Stapleton's arrangement of Coltrane's "Giant Steps", the excellent treatment of "A Child Is Born" and the small group sound of "Be-Bop and Roses" written by another pianist, Alan Broadbent.

As you can tell by the titles and their composers, this is a very eclectic mix performed very well as evidenced by the album's awards. It is a welcome addition to any jazz lover's library.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Woodchopper's Ball, June 3, 2009

By 

C. C. Black (Princeton, NJ USA) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Giant Steps (Audio CD)

This album, I believe, marked Woody Herman's triumphant return to Big Band jazz in the 70s. It won for him a Grammy. If you listen to it, you'll understand that it was no sentimental award but richly deserved on musical merit. Interesting melodies, beautifully arranged, by a Herd that knew how to cook.