Shady Lane

Claw hammer banjo player Brad Kolodner has long been a spark plug on the old-timey-Celtic music scene. He’s toured and recorded extensively with his father, Ken, founder of the ground-breaking band Helicon. Brad is also a founder of the acoustic roots quintet Charm City Junction.

For his latest outing, an all-instrumental collection of kick-up-your heels music, Brad has teamed up with New Zealand-born old-time fiddle master George Jackson.

This accomplished duo really makes the sparks fly on rollicking numbers like “Grigsby’s Hornpipe,” “Green Backed Dollar,” “Donald Blue” and “Sleepy Cindy.”

On soulful cuts like “Two Rivers,” “Crockett’s Honeymoon” and “Wandering Boy,” their instrumental interplay and drive is such that the music sounds like way more than the mere sum of their two acoustic instruments.

All in all, Jackson and Kolodner make this old-timey music sound new all over again while making listeners want to get on their feet and dance.