Marcus Strickland's 'Plateaus': A Meditation on "Giant Steps" for Coltrane at 100

WBGO | By Angélika Beener

Published September 23, 2026 at 5:00 AM EDT

Marcus Strickland's "Plateaus": A Meditation on "Giant Steps" for Coltrane at 100

Marcus Strickland's new single "Plateaus" is an exciting, brand new ode to John Coltrane's iconic composition "Giant Steps," released on the centennial of Coltrane's birth. In this WBGO exclusive, Strickland joins Milestones: Celebrating the Culture host Angélika Beener, to talk about the piece and the classic song that inspired it.

Strickland unpacks the magic of "Giant Steps," from its radical structure and performance, to its pull on trained musicians and casual listeners alike. "Plateaus" is his meditation on that composition, honoring Coltrane's spiritual, mathematical, and social legacy. Featuring Keith Brown on piano, Ben Williams on bass, and E.J. Strickland on drums, it makes its world debut on WBGO.

The conversation also moves from the meeting of modal and harmonic thinking in Coltrane's 1959 works to the role of artistry in the age of AI. Strickland argues that Coltrane's enduring relevance lies not only in his innovation but in his relentless search for betterment, a spirit as needed today as ever.