Music, Children - Fiction & Literature

John Coltrane's Giant Steps

Name: John Coltrane's Giant Steps
Author: Chris Raschka
ISBN: 9780689845987

by Chris Raschka

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Overview

You may be surprised

at the tricky music

a box,

a snowflake,

some raindrops,

and a kitten

can make.

Right before your eyes.

And on the pages

of this book.

There is someone

backstage

watching, encouraging

our performers

but keeping them

under control.

Why not

listen along?

John Coltrane's musical composition is performed by a box, a snowflake, some raindrops, and a kitten.

Synopsis

You may be surprised

at the tricky music

a box,

a snowflake,

some raindrops,

and a kitten

can make.

Right before your eyes.

And on the pages

of this book.

There is someone

backstage

watching, encouraging

our performers

but keeping them

under control.

Why not

listen along?

Publishers Weekly

This innovative visual deconstruction of one of jazz saxophonist Coltrane's most beloved compositions may be Raschka's (Mysterious Thelonious) most ambitious picture book yet. After a playful introduction ("Good evening. And thank you for coming to our book"), the unseen narratorconductor introduces the performers a box, a snowflake, some raindrops and a kitten a tongue-in-cheek nod to Coltrane's version of "My Favorite Things"). The book does not require previous awareness of the jazz great's work, however. Each performer (representing percussion, bass, piano and sax) appears in a different color and shape (Raschka riffs on primary red, yellow and blue, and the basic square, triangle and circle). The performance begins, only to be interrupted when the kitten ("the melody on top of everything") takes steps a little too large ("People, people! What happened?"). Some coaching finally produces what Coltrane called "sheets of sound." Raschka's transparent watercolors layer colors and shapes the way a musician would notes and harmonies. Stunningly simple, the concept provides a compelling introduction to Coltrane's genius. Those who possess a little musical knowledge will delight in such arch references as "remixed by Chris Raschka" on the title page and the conductor's hilarious critique ("First of all, raindrops, you were rushing on page 19"). Even the jacket repeats the book's central conceit: a clear plastic wrap featuring the kitten, painted in thick black outline, overlays the other elements. A must for jazz enthusiasts and, for first-timers, a clever introduction to this wildly creative musical genre. Ages 4-7. (July) Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information.

About the Author, Chris Raschka

Chris Rashka was born in Huntingdon, Pennsylvania, which is named for Selma Shirley Hastings, Countess of Huntingdon in England, the leader of Calvinist sect of the Methodist Church, known for her missionary zeal. He grew up in Lombard, Illinois, named for Josiah L. Lombard, a landowner; then later lived in Ann Arbor, Michigan, named for the wives of John Allen and Elisha Rumsey, both named Ann. He now lives with his wife and son in New York City, named for the grand old Duke of York.

Also by the author are the following books: the Caldecott Honor Book Yo! Yes?; Charlie Parker Played Be Bop; Mysterious Thelonious; John Coltrane's Giant Steps; and Can't Sleep.

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Editorials

Publishers Weekly

Children's Literature

Once again, as in Charlie Parker Played Be Bop and Mysterious Thelonius, Raschka makes connections between music, in this case jazz, and visuals on the pages of a book. The transparent plastic jacket with his almost crude linear black kitten covers the cover's overlapping areas of transparent watercolors. The book plays with these elements in response to some imagined "sheets of sound." The text encourages us to "see" a Coltrane composition as colored shapes intermix and the kitten moves across the pages. "Steady! 1234! Hey. Whoa! Careful!" There's even an internal analysis of "some trouble spots" and then the correction. To "dig" this picturebook, one probably should be familiar with the sounds of Coltrane or at least of some of his jazz contemporaries. Or perhaps to try to compose some of your own. Some information on Coltrane is included. 2002, A Richard Jackson Book/Atheneum Books for Young Readers/Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing Division,
— Ken Marantz

School Library Journal

PreS-Gr 3-Chris Raschka's latest jazz title (Atheneum, 2002) is greatly enhanced with this audio version. His creative and clever introduction to "Giant Steps" is a wonderful first exposure to both jazz music and Coltrane's piece. Richard Allen narrates, echoing into his nightclubbish microphone, "Good evening. And thank you for coming to our book." The text introduces the visual elements that will represent the instruments: the percussion, raindrops; the bass, squares; the piano, snowflakes; and the saxophone is a kitten. As the music and shapes begin to play together, they are a bit jumbled and out of rhythm, and the narrator stops the ensemble to "correct" the performance. The rest of the piece is played out in perfect harmony, both audibly and visually. Raschka's watercolor illustrations layer themselves as the music intensifies, providing an excellent visual for the musical concept represented here. Following the book's text, John Coltrane's 1960 version of the piece is played as the book's author introduces the band used in the just-heard recording. Raschka goes on to briefly explain the concept of jazz and introduces a bit of history for Coltrane's "Giant Steps." This title will be a reach for some children in the intended age group, but for those listeners who understand, it will provide excellent exposure to this musical genre. Appropriate for story times, music education, and general listening, it will be appreciated by librarians, teachers, and parents looking for a way to introduce children to jazz music.-Kirsten Martindale, Buford Academy, GA Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.

Kirkus Reviews

In a picture book that is simultaneously simpler and much more abstract than his earlier celebrations of Charlie Parker (Charlie Parker Played Be Bop, 1992) and Thelonious Monk (Mysterious Thelonious, 1997), Raschka attempts to depict visually saxophone great John Coltrane's "marvelous and tricky composition," "Giant Steps." A hip, avuncular narrator greets readers and then introduces the performers: a box, a snowflake (rendered as two, overlapping, squashy triangles), a raindrop, and a trademark Raschka kitten. The geometric shapes appear in translucent pastel watercolors; the kitten is outlined in dark gray with swift brushstrokes. The "characters" layer themselves over one another to create colorful "sheets of sound" to the accompaniment of narrative interpolations: "Hello, snowflake. Our snowflake is taking the piano part tonight, / showing us the harmony, the beautiful frame. Niceness." This layering manages uncannily to deliver a visual approximation of the layers of sound in the composition; the kitten in particular, with her sometimes swoopy, sometimes angular lines that dart across the page, evokes the complex melodic line with its runs and stops, her onomatopoetic "Meow!" echoing the sound of the sax. This offering differs from the two previous in that it seeks to deliver a purely visual representation of sound with no melodic textual accompaniment, and once the characters are set up, there isn't anywhere to go. The narrative constructs a sonic/visual train wreck of sorts, in which the characters lose control of the music. There follows a diagram of the "problem," with circles and arrows to point out where each player got it wrong: "Now box, box, my friend. Much too heavy onpage 18. I know you're our foundation and you've got to be strong. But can you be strong yet light? Hmmmmm? Try." This hiatus approaches preciousness, and while it gives the narrative an opportunity to discuss Coltrane's genius, it does exactly what "Giant Steps" does not-it causes the piece to lose its momentum. Raschka has set the bar high for himself: conceptually, this interpretation nears brilliance, but in the end it loses control. Nevertheless: a fascinating and ambitious attempt to render the purely aural in a purely visual form. (Picture book. 5-8)