Ronnie Montrose — a guy who knows a little bit about trying to
\nmake a living playing instrumental guitar music — once told me he
\nadmires anybody with the guts and talent to take a shot at it. Add
\nto Ronnie’s theoretical list of admired musicians one Bob Margolis
\nof Maryland, a talented guitarist who self-publishes instrumental
\ndiscs in between playing sessions and teaching.<\/p>\n
\nImpetus<\/i>, Margolis’ third self-released disc, finds him
\nexploring a variety of textures and tones on both electric and
\nacoustic. Of the ten tracks on display here, eight are Margolis’s
\nown compositions, and they’re strong ones, the kind of smooth
\ninstrumental jazz-rock that inspires the listener to imagine a
\nstory to go with them.<\/p>\n
On the electric tracks, Margolis proves his chops without ever
\nbeing showy. Cuts like “Impetus” and “Convergence” are about feel
\nand melody more than power, despite their essential drive. “Rub It
\nIn” might be the one place where Margolis struts a little, laying a
\nstinging solo over a blues beat.<\/p>\n
The acoustic tracks are equally strong. “Kinship” is mellow and
\nthoughtful, “Philosophical” starts slow but has a nice build from a
\nsimple melody into an engaging electric-acoustic duet, and
\n“Two-fo-pa” has Margolis picking sweet high notes off the top of a
\nrumbling jazz-funk bass line. In a classy move, Margolis closes
\nwith a very pretty solo acoustic rendering of Gershwin’s classic
\n“Summertime.”<\/p>\n
And now, for Margolis’s one minor misstep. You’ve gotta admire
\nthe guts of any undiscovered guitarist who takes on Jeff Beck’s
\nlegendary “Freeway Jam”; it’s kind of like a club-circuit rock band
\ncutting a remake of “Stairway To Heaven.” Margolis gives it a
\nspirited try — he obviously loves the song — but it’s just too
\nbig a mountain to climb if your listener is familiar with Beck’s
\nexplosive original.<\/p>\n
Maybe the highest compliment I can pay Bob Margolis is that this
\nalbum reminds me a lot of Larry Carlton. Like Carlton’s work,
\nImpetus<\/i> is full of elegant, tasteful guitar lines and an
\nunderstated power, while also serving as a celebration of the pure
\njoy of playing. That’s nice company to be in.<\/p>\n