Remixes are the expansion of ideas. This expansion of ideas is what creativity thrives on. Without this, cultural and social development and improvement would seize. This evolution of methods and ideas is natural, and most of the time inevitable. Whether in music, movies, literature, or technology, the impulse that inspired the idea that led to the creation of something new is a testament to a naturally occurring remix. The two pieces of media that I chose to compare are two different versions of the song “Giant Steps” originally written by John Coltrane. I chose these because they naturally embody the rawest form of musical remixing known. Jazz music developed from an early form of remixing. Created out of the troubles of blacks in the south turned into song, jazz is a remix of emotion into another form. On top of that, what makes jazz music unique is that in order to be classified as jazz, it cannot be played in the same manner by any individual other than its creator. Jazz thrives on creativity and change. Improvisation, a major component of jazz, in essence is remixing an original composers idea, and conveying it from a slightly deviated perspective. Here, I posted the original recording of “Giant Steps” and another interpretation written by Steve Smith, Victor Wooten, and Scott Henderson. The underlying idea remains the same, but with a new approach to how the music can be received. This is a facet of jazz music known as “ragged” time, where a theme is altered from it’s original form, but maintains subtle characteristics that keep it identifiable. I can tell which is the original through the straight forward chord arrangement. The “remixed” version tends to deviate from this “straight-time” much more. The four part series supplied me with the perspective of remixing in a variety of mediums that I wasn’t aware of. This has given me the awareness that accreditation for work done isn’t always attributed to one single source, but a plethora of different sources.

Below are the two variations of Giant Steps. The first is the original by John Coltrane. The second is an interpretation by Steve Smith, Victor Wooten, and Scott Henderson. Enjoy!