Search - Gordon Stone :: Even with the Odds

Well-played straightforward jazz

J. Ross | Roseburg, OR USA | 08/30/2002

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I suspect it couldn't have found a more unlikely reviewer. The top of my CD pile has banjo projects by such folks as Tom Adams, Steve Sparkman (neo-Ralph), Earl, and even Raymond Fairchild, but there's nary a Bela to be found. And yet it's in a Bela-esque context that Stone deserves to be considered. His band consists of Andy Cotton on bass, Josh Stacy on electric, acoustic, and reso guitars, Russ Lawton and/or Gabe Jarrett on drums, David Gusakov on violin, and Stone himself on banjo and occasional pedal steel. As the instrumentation suggests, the music is straightforward jazz (with mildly country colorings). And it's well played. Even during extended improvisations (when at my ability to see the melodic relationships has fallen away ), a strong sense of musicality persists--the jams never seem self-indulgent. My favorite cuts are #1, "Pachysandra," which, though jazz-like in its complexity, has an "almost-pop" feel, somewhat reminiscent of one of the directions that Nickel Creek takes. Cut #8, "Sunday Driver," rounds a decidedly more bluegrass turn and reminds me of some of the grassier work turned in by Newgrass Revival or some Tony Trischka combination. Clearly Stone can pick grass when he chooses. And it's fun to hear him drop from his roll to suddenly enter into a bridge that sounds to my ear like slow blues, then to work his way smoothly into grassland again. One last favorite--probably my very favorite--is the final cut, "Tiramisu." It's hard to make a banjo sound pretty, and a common weakness of many banjo players is that once they have the chops to do things that are harmonically complex--and just flat pretty--they often have not developed an aesthetic that tells their hands what to do. Not so with Stone. "Tiramisu" is a tiny masterpiece just a bit to the left of some of Alan Munde's work--it's definitely outside the standard bluegrass fare, but so pretty even Gunther would have to lift a leg and hit the replay button. So if I listen to Stone in a banjo state of mind, I don't make it past cut #2. But as tasteful jazz to leave on my computer when I'm working on something else and can't afford the stunning distraction of Tom Adams or Mike Stahlman, it's a very decent CD....one I'm glad to have in my collection."

Great stuff from a banjo master

Ell | PSU | 08/08/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Gordon Stone is wonderful. He plays an incredibly eclectic set on this album. Many different instruments are involved and it is truly a musicl journey. If you are a fan of Bela (particularly his newer, louder, funkier stuff) you should check this one out."