It was fun doing Giant step again. If you are listening to the audio stream you may get a bit confused correlating photos of players to the music you hear. I think the first hour doesn't have any live playing on it- i reckon the first little jam will happen in the next hour- we were all down stairs gossiping away like old men-oh wait a minute we are old men

A great review by Gotbeatzzz for our 15 year reunion show at SOB's. If you missed this historic day you can now listen to sound clips from that night at www.giantstep.net

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Giant Step 15 Year Celebration at S.O.B.’s (Sun, Oct 30)

To quote a too-soon-departed Rick James, “IT’S A CELEBRATION!!!!!” Yes, the 15th anniversary for Giant Step was just that: A celebration of the music, the DJs, the freedom, the love and the parties that resonated through the 90s. As soon as I stepped into S.O.B’s in NYC, I knew I was in for a special time. On the decks were the one and only Jazzy Nice with the original Giant Step live band that was in full effect.

I arrived around 10 PM, 15 minutes before a crush of patrons hit the door. Among them was Mehmet from Giant Step - an actual Giant Step office-type in the flesh :) . Taking a seat at the perimeter tables, I began to soak in the vibe. Jazzy Nice was warming things up with mid nineties acid jazz (a la Brand New Heavies etc) and hip-hop cuts, the beautiful people were coming in and it was like one big reunion - pounds, hugs and kisses for everyone. The connection these disparate souls had in common was Giant Step. You could overhear the “remember when’s” and “how about’s” as the night progressed.

Then the band hit the stage. Seamlessly they intersected with Jazzy’s grooves layering it with conga, bongo, percussion, flute, organ and keys and weaving a tapestry of sound that obviously was the genesis for the likes of J. Boogie’s Dubtronic Science. Interestingly, the floor was hesitant to open up; many folks were too swept up in their personal moments with the music (myself included) to really get going. But then it happened. The music had its way with many and we celebrated the night away. Sweat and soul perfumed the air with the congas in the background. The one regret I had was that I had to leave to soon go back to Philadelphia that night!


Reviewed by Giant Step contributor Jeff Green (Gotbeatzzz)
November 2005
View Gotbeatzzz’s profile: www.giantstep.net