John Coltrane's Giant Steps (Richard Jackson Books (Atheneum Hardcover)) - Hardcover

Raschka, Chris

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0689845987 ISBN 13: 9780689845987

Publisher: Atheneum/Richard Jackson Books, 2002

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?

About this title

About the Author

Chris Raschka is the illustrator of The Hello, Goodbye Window, which was awarded the Caldecott Medal. He is also the illustrator of the Caldecott Honor Book Yo! Yes?; Charlie Parker Played Be Bop; Mysterious Thelonious; John Coltrane’s Giant Steps; Can’t Sleep; In the City; and The Magic Flute. He lives with his wife and son in New York City.

Reviews

PreSchool-Grade 5-Paw forward, the cat featured in Raschka's Simple Gifts (Holt, 1998) graces the clear cellophane jacket of this book. Her thick, black, inked contours overlay the watercolor, biomorphic forms on the book's front cover-a box, snowflake, and raindrop-the performers of Coltrane's jazz classic "Giant Steps." An offstage narrator/conductor prepares listeners for "swirling, leaping, tumbling 'sheets of sound.'" In the ensuing double spreads, the 4/4 tempo is introduced by a quartet of raindrops (drums); the foundation is then formed with an overlay of boxes (the bass). Snowflakes (the piano) build up next to represent harmony, and, at last, the kitten (sax) dances across the shapes, bringing the melody. The conductor, however, is not pleased, so after some comments, the piece is played again, winding down to a quiet curtain call of the four isolated images. The sequential design and layering of the organic forms are a creative, joyful, and energetic match for the pulsing momentum and resolution in the music. Raschka manages to distill body and soul and "remix" Coltrane's sound graphically, and the book offers an engaging intellectual and sensory experience. Presenting it with the music itself is a must. Bravo, maestro!-Wendy Lukehart, Washington DC Public Library
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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.
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

Chris Raschka is well on his way to putting together an all-star jazz orchestra. He has an alto saxophonist, Charlie Parker (Charlie Parker Played Be Bop, 1992); a pianist, Thelonious Monk (Mysterious Thelonious, 1997); and, now, a tenor sax player, John Coltrane (John Coltrane's Giant Steps). Unlike most jazz bands, which tend to perform in dimly lit nightclubs or, perhaps, on college campuses, Raschka's group plays in a most unconventional venue: on the pages of children's picture books. Too hip for the room, you say? Better not jump to conclusions, lest we be accused of violating a cardinal rule of the post--baby boom era: never underestimate the imaginations of our-ever-more precocious children.

As his celebrators will tell you, Raschka has never been guilty of breaking that rule, but in Charlie Parker, he at least took the time to gaze out from his self-created bandstand and observe his audience. It was possible, in this case, for his young readers (or listeners) to enjoy the book even if they couldn't really get with the premise--that, without ever having listened to Parker's landmark version of "A Night in Tunisia," you would be able to "hear" the music by looking at the pictures. Raschka's rendering of Parker's solos into a form of kid-friendly nonsense speak ("Be bop. Fisk, fisk. Lollipop. Boomba, boomba. Bus stop") is likely to prompt a giggle from even that rare youngster whose musical taste runs to "Three Blind Mice." And the delightfully energetic watercolors, whether of Parker himself, blowing mightily into his horn, or of those frisky lollipops swaying across the page, add spectacular color and, yes, a kind of rhythmic bounce to the proceedings. If jazz-loving parents get a kick out of playing "A Night in Tunisia" along with the book (and pretending that their young charges will soon be running the chord changes on their own), what's the harm?

Flush with the success of Charlie Parker Played Be Bop, Raschka moved on to Thelonious Monk, perhaps an even more demanding musician, but by this time his focus was entirely on what was happening on stage, not in the audience. The premise of Mysterious Thelonious goes well beyond the "hear music you've never heard through the pictures" gambit. This time Raschka matches the tones of the chromatic scale to the values of the color wheel (got that?) to produce a visual equivalent of Monk's haunting tune "Mysterioso." Again, the watercolors are charming, squares of color dotting the pages along with oddly hyphenated words jumping up and down to suggest the pianist's heavily syncopated, staccato style. But this time there's no "Boomba boomba bus stop" to engage the "Three Blind Mice" crowd; instead, there's a touchy-feely moral ("There are no wrong notes") sure to make imagination-nurturing adults feel good. Most kids' only chance for entertainment here rides on their jazz-loving parents making funny faces while they explain what the chromatic scale is all about.

And on to John Coltrane, the innovative tenor saxophonist whose harmonic sophistication and "sheets of sound" solos left fellow musicians awestruck. Sure, why not turn "Giant Steps," Coltrane's breakthrough composition, a nearly five-minute sheet of sound played at breakneck pace, into a sequence of watercolors that will teach kids what the innovative tenor sax player was all about? Children's imaginations are limitless, right? Not to mention the fact that Raschka's fans (adults, that is) seem willing to follow their pied piper anywhere, no questions asked.

The premise this time is to build a jazz composition out of shapes (raindrops are the drums, squares the bass, snowflakes the piano, and a big, black cat is the saxophone). The shapes pile on top of one another, spread by spread, theoretically illustrating the idea of harmony, and then the cat pounces--its "giant steps" becoming the melody atop the rhythm section. (And you thought that chromatic scale thing was tricky.) Halfway through the piece, Raschka stops the "band" and chides the performers for doing it wrong. For the first time in any of these three books, there is a two-page spread composed almost entirely of text. Forget "Boomba boomba." Raschka has ascended to the podium. Here are his instructions to the snowflake: "Remember: Coltrane's music is dense but transparent. Okay?" No, not okay. Abstract language used to describe the performing arts rarely communicates much of anything (except perhaps pomposity), but in this case, it is laughably inappropriate. Just try explaining what "dense but transparent" means to the picture-book crowd.

Fortunately, Raschka can draw. His watercolors, suggesting colored tissue paper folded into intriguing shapes, stand on their own, Coltrane aside. The busyness of the drawings has instant kid appeal, but does the jumping cat on the page help you to hear or appreciate John Coltrane? It's pretty to think so, but that's all it is. Why wasn't this book published with a recording of the Coltrane piece, at the very least? Or, even more, why is it a book at all? Here is one case when a video might have worked better than a book. If Raschka's band--cat, snowflake, et al.--were in motion, with Coltrane playing in the background and an experienced, lively music teacher explaining what was happening, then maybe it would be possible to make some tentative connections between jazz, harmony, colors, and shapes.

In the original liner notes to Giant Steps, which was recorded in 1959, Coltrane is quoted by Nat Hentoff as saying, "I'm worried that sometimes what I'm doing sounds like just academic exercises." If only Raschka were similarly concerned. Bill Ott
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Edition details

• Publisher: Atheneum/Richard Jackson Books
• Publication date: 2002
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0689845987
• ISBN 13: 9780689845987
• Binding: Hardcover
• Illustrator: Raschka Chris
• Number of pages: 32