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A roundup of famous jazz standards featured in the hugely popular jazz manga BLUE GIANT

BLUE GIANT is a hugely popular jazz-themed manga that ran in Big Comic from 2013 to 2016.

After the European arc, its third American arc is currently being serialized as of 2023.

Many people first learned about the series thanks to the theatrical anime adaptation released on February 17, 2023, which received rave reviews and sparked such a response that it created repeat viewers.

Praised as a work where you can “hear the sound from the drawings,” BLUE GIANT features powerful artwork and, befitting its jazz theme, includes many classic jazz standards throughout the story.

In this article, we’ll introduce the jazz masterpieces loved by the characters—especially with jazz beginners in mind!

Summary of Famous Jazz Standards Featured in the Hit Jazz Manga “BLUE GIANT” (21–30)

Time WasJohn Coltrane

The scene where Dai Miyamoto performs jazz in front of his family for the first time—if you’ve ever moved from the countryside to the big city, even without aspiring to be a musician, it probably hit you right in the gut.

It’s an incredibly moving moment in the sense that Dai is setting off from his hometown to pursue a life as a jazz musician.

And the piece he plays there is John Coltrane’s classic “Time Was.” The choice makes it clear just how important Coltrane is to Dai, but there’s even more to read into it: the track appears on Coltrane’s first leader album, aptly titled “Coltrane,” and it was recorded as a one-horn number, which adds further depth to why this song was chosen.

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Maiden VoyageHerbie Hancock

Also known in Japan by the title “Shojo Kōkai,” Maiden Voyage is the title track of the 1965 album of the same name by Herbie Hancock—an artist whose ideas and talent extend beyond standard jazz, who has produced many innovative works and compositions, and who continues to perform actively even in the 2020s well into his eighties.

It is a masterpiece that stands in the history of jazz and remains a beloved standard number today, and in the story it is the memorable piece for which Dai Miyamoto earned his first fee for his own performance.

The fact that he expressed this piece using only a single saxophone is remarkable in itself—one can’t help but wonder what that performance was like.

Why not listen to the original track and imagine it?

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I’m a Fool to Want YouDexter Gordon

Dexter Gordon – I’m a fool to want you
I'm a Fool to Want YouDexter Gordon

In the story, the person the protagonist, Dai Miyamoto, calls “Dexter” is Dexter Gordon, a tenor saxophonist who represents the modern jazz world.

Despite a tumultuous life marked by personal troubles, he made multiple comebacks and is also known for his achievements later in life, including starring in a film and being nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actor.

The Dexter album that appears in the story is Clubhouse, which was recorded in 1965 but, famously, wasn’t actually released until 14 years later, in 1979.

The album jacket shown in the story is from the version reissued in 2007.

In this article, we introduce the standard I’m a Fool to Want You, known for being sung by Frank Sinatra, which is included on the album.

It’s the perfect romantic saxophone sound you’ll want to listen to alone at night in your room, wine glass in hand—overflowing with mature allure!

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Ruby, My DearThelonious Monk

Thelonious Monk Quartet – Ruby, My Dear
Ruby, My DearThelonious Monk

According to the protagonist, Dai Miyamoto, the person he calls a “genius” is the brilliant pianist Thelonious Monk, renowned both for his unique, improvisation-driven style and for composing standards that remain beloved today.

The work that Dai is presumably listening to in the story is Thelonious Monk with John Coltrane, a collaboration between Monk and his protégé of sorts, the later charismatic saxophonist John Coltrane.

Ruby, My Dear is the celebrated track that opens the album—a romantic ballad composed by Monk himself around 1945.

You can also hear this piece on Monk’s solo piano album Solo Monk, so I highly recommend comparing the two recordings.

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In conclusion

As mentioned at the beginning, many of you who aren’t very familiar with jazz may still be interested in listening to the jazz pieces that actually appeared in the manga.

That said, jazz can feel a bit intimidating… If you’ve been hesitating for that reason, these masterpieces we’re introducing are exactly what I’d love you to hear.

Listening to performances by the giants of jazz will deepen your understanding of the work, and you may get a sense of what the characters were feeling as they played!