"Each of John's solos is a clear statement shorn of non-essentials, rooted in the blues and bebop, and played with an immediately identifiable sound in a distinctly contemporary style . . . John is also a composer of tunes that stick in the listener's memory even as they challenge the band. The music John wrote for this session covers a wide range of jazz styles -- bossa nova, boogaloo, hard bop, odd meter, soul jazz . . . Music this honest, this direct, and this lyrical is not easy to make . . . Of course, the true mark of the artistry and craftsmanship of John Stein and his band is that they make it sound easy."(Ed Hazell, from the liner notes to Portraits and Landscapes)