speaking of piano geniuses, shortly after coltrane recorded his landmark tune giant steps, a tune usually associated with its complicated brainiac theoretical exercise of rapidly changing chords + key centers, jaki byard recorded a version on which he just swings the fuck out of it like he's whistling dixie while strolling in central park. part of the lore surrounding that tune is that, on the original recording, the shit was so complex that tommy flanagan, no slouch himself, couldn't really hang with the then-state-of-the-art changes (which are now standard curriculum). it always bugged him to have his mistakes forever on record, and perhaps it was byard's version that showed flanagan how it could be done. 23 years later, he finally felt ready to take it for his own spin around the park.

 

ain't no half-steppin',

 

_DJ Grape Ape