JOHN STEIN

NEXT GEN

Tiger Turn Records

John Stein, guitar/composer; Ed Lucie, bass guitar; Mike Conners, drums.

John Stein has released eighteen highly regarded albums.  This newest release is near and dear to his heart because he has composed five of the eleven songs on this album for his five beloved grandchildren.

He opens with “AJ” composed to celebrate one of his high energy granddaughters.  It’s a minor blues that opens with Ed Lucie’s catchy bass line.  When John plays the melody, the top of the tune reminds me a lot of the Wes Montgomery’s changes on “Bumpin’ on Sunset.”   But Stein quickly establishes his own melody that’s quite different from Montgomery’s.  One thing both have in common is a simplicity of style.  Ed Lucie takes a notable bass solo, with Mike Conners pushing him ahead on trap drums.

Another original Stein has penned is for a grandson who is a fast runner on his school’s track team.  This one is called “Kai.”

“Usually, when I compose music I think about musical issues of melody, harmony, rhythm, groove, tempo, etc.  Once a new tune is completed, I then search for something to title it. …In this case, I had the titles ahead of time, my grandkids’ names,” John Stein explained.

He also knew all their little personalities, intentions, quirks and talents.  In each original song he wrote, Stein included that personal knowledge into each arrangement. For example, “Ellie” is a song written for a bubbly two-year-old.  It swings and has a melody that’s repetitious and fun. Mike Conners is given the spotlight to shuffle and solo his drums during this arrangement, followed by Lucie’s melodic walking bass. When John Stein takes his improvisational solo, his guitar is rich with bluesy tones and happy, flighty moments. It sounds like the terrible-twos, with chubby little legs rushing around and getting into everything a child’s inquisitive fingers can touch, tear or taste.  Lidianna is an easy-going personality with a calm spirit and bright, intelligent eyes. Her song is arranged as a Latin bossa nova tune. Stein’s song “Elyas” swings briskly and represents another smart, cocky, grandson.

John Stein educated music students at Berklee College of Music for 36-years. When he retired, he was a professor of the Harmony Department.  As an accompanist, he is tasty and considerate.  Witness him in this videotaped concert with Cindy Scott, a vocal teacher at Berklee College.

This album spotlights Steins sophisticated harmonic delivery, his rhythmic ideas and flawless technique. This trio has been playing together four years.  Their close chemistry and friendship sparkles. During this production, while celebrating his grandchildren, Stein also plays familiar jazz tunes we know and love like “Lover Man,” Monk’s “Misterioso,” the wonderful “Star Eyes” and Wes Montgomery’s unforgettable “Road Song.”  This album celebrates John Stein’s ancestry as well as a handful of standard jazz tunes.  It will be available to the public January 31, 2025.

Reviewed by Dee Dee McNeil

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