Jeezum Crow Music

On Night Shade, pedal steel guru and banjo picker Gordon Stone covers a wide range of territory, from traditional sounding numbers like “Jelly Cake Rag” and its partner “Champ’s Reel” to a truly excellent, playful cover of Monk’s “Well You Needn’t” as the centerpiece, to the honky tonking “Slidewinder.” The disc is loaded with soaring steel for sure, but it also prominently features Erik Lawrence’s saxophone skills and a handful of cool breakdowns from drummer Sean Preece. The two tunes that best express the breadth of the project, though, are the finale, “Kaki Lambe” a polyrhythmic atmospheric exploration featuring a number of African percussionists, and the entirely funky, infectious title track opener, which proudly boasts blazing B-3 from Page McConnell.