With a résumé packed with gigs with A-list names like the Gregg Allman Band and groups led by both the former Allman Brothers Band’s founding drummers, keyboardist Bruce Katz’s credentials are unassailably solid and his inclinations are obvious. But he kicks it up extra when the gig is his own, and this third release by the Bruce Katz Band for American Showplace is particularly forceful. With Chris Vitarello back on guitar and vocals, and Ray Hangen taking over the drum stool, the trio manages to mine the classic organ trio sound while nudging past those confines into other musical regions. The blues is at the core of all they do—the opening “Hesitation Blues” is the kind of kickass intro you need and want—but tracks like “Shine Together (Tribe of Lights)” dive into funk territory while “Beef Jerky,” preceding that one, is straight out of the NOLA playbook. Jaimoe returns the favor by guesting on three tracks, the album’s title track being especially mighty, and bassist Matt Raymond contributes acoustic or electric bass to several tracks. But it’s the core trio that does most of the heavy lifting—each is an accomplished player with sharp instincts and the chops to keep things sparkling and stimulating throughout. When Katz sits down at his Hammond B-3, which is most of the time, he simultaneously recalls everything that’s regal about that instrument while taking it into places it rarely goes.