We’re in something of a golden age for instrumental guitar. As evidence, SoCal-based music professor Molly Miller leads her trio through blends of jangly rock, jazz, twang, and film music.

“Cine” is an axe-forward jam with melody and chordal improvisations. The ballad “Blues to Green” sits on clean-ish arpeggios, bluesy licks, and double-stops inspired by obscure heroes like Sister Rosetta Tharpe and Mickey Baker. It’s heartening to hear those guitar influences bubbling up from the past, filtered with textures resembling the explorations of Julian Lage or Hermanos Gutiérrez. Miller nails that tricky combination.

Tonally, the guitarist digs wobbly modulation and time-based stompboxes, heard on “Saddles Back.” The groove is paramount in this threesome, as she strums the lightest chords imaginable and lets bassist Jennifer Condos step out front. The sultry “66 West” offers European savoir faire, be it a spaghetti-western soundtrack or bistro gig in Barcelona. Miller’s guitar tone mostly comes from a Telecaster and ES-335 through Fender tube amps, with just a hair of sonic breakup, and her beloved pile of pedals.

The best part of The Ballad of Hotspur is that it shows musicians playing real guitar music in real time. This is what jamming is meant to be.

This article originally appeared in VG’s August 2024 issue. All copyrights are by the author and Vintage Guitar magazine. Unauthorized replication or use is strictly prohibited.