Encounterpoint

There are some jazz improvisers who set out to be innovators and engage in fearless experimentation, and there are other jazz improvisers who are content to provide albums that don't push the envelope stylistically but are still good, quality albums; John Stein clearly falls into the latter category. Encounterpoint, like other Stein releases, doesn't pretend to be groundbreaking or shockingly original. But it's a solid hard bop/post-bop effort, and Stein's lyrical, Jim Hall-influenced guitar playing is as skillful on his original compositions as it is on performances of Duke Jordan's "Jordu," Don Raye and Gene DePaul's "You Don't Know What Love Is," and two of Antonio Carlos Jobim's bossa nova standards: "Dindi" and "So Danco Samba." The warhorse factor is a little too high on Encounterpoint; instead of automatically recording standards that have been recorded by so many different artists in the past, how about surprising listeners with some of Jobim or Raye/DePaul's lesser-known gems? Regardless, Stein's playing is consistently enjoyable, and he has reliable accompaniment in John Lockwood (acoustic bass), Ze Eduardo Nazario (drums), and Koichi Sato (electric keyboards). Despite the fact that Sato is on electric keyboards rather than acoustic piano, this 2007 recording pretty much maintains a straight-ahead outlook and doesn't venture into fusion territory. Sato's keyboards, in fact, are sometimes used in an organ-like fashion and recall Larry Young's post-bop solos of the 1960s. Other times, Sato's keyboards recall electric piano solos of the 1970s. Encounterpoint won't go down in history as an album that pointed jazz in bold new directions, but those who have enjoyed Stein's previous releases will find it to be a pleasing and worthwhile addition to his catalog. ~ Alex Henderson