CD Review: Rutland guitarist celebrates his faith in new album

There has been a dearth of finger-style guitar albums produced in Vermont in recent years so it’s good when a new album by a musician we haven’t heard before releases his first album. It’s equally encouraging when the album contains 18 hymns, spirituals and religious songs arranged by the performer.

Ron Pulcer from Rutland will be releasing “Uplifting Guitar Hymns” at Rutland’s Grace Church at 2 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 30 in a concert performance of the music on the album that will benefit the church’s Mission and Service programs. The church was the recording studio for the album recorded between September 2020 and May of last year.

Pulcer joins just a few finger-style guitarists we know of who have devoted an album to Christian music. He is preceded by El McMeen’s “Of Soul and Spirit” from 1991 and Jim Earp’s “Be Thou My Vision,” recorded in 2002.

Pulcer is a multi-instrumentalist who added harmonica, bass guitar and ukulele to his guitar arrangements. He also sings on several tracks in the 46-minute album. He was joined by Linda MacFarlane on mountain dulcimer, Anna Pulcer on flute and Phil Henry, the recording engineer, on djembe for one track.

Pulcer and his wife moved to Vermont in 1995 from Michigan where he joined the Grace Church Choir. He also played guitar in the pit band for the church’s productions of “Godspell” (2001), “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat” (2002) and “Jesus Christ Superstar” (2003).

He has been a music teacher for 30 years, teaching guitar and harmonica classes for community education and recreation programs in Michigan and Vermont. His performing credits include the Winter Farmers Market and Art Hops in Rutland. Interestingly, he currently plays bass in a local klezmer group.

Like many local musicians, the pandemic and its closing of performing venues allowed Pulcer the time to record the album. After a career in Information Technology, Pulcer’s time off gave him an opportunity to r release an album featuring his finger-style guitar arrangements. Pulcer selected 18 hymns, spirituals and religious songs from a variety that he had arranged over three decades.

The album was recorded in an upstairs room of the church under the steeple, which Pulcer said “provided amazing acoustics.”

The 18 tracks encompass a variety of religious-themed music from “Silent Night,” “Christ the Lord Is Risen Today,” and “Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring,” to more universal songs of hope and praise such as “We Shall Overcome,” “Amazing Grace” and “Lift Ev’ry Voice and Sing.” One of the most popular melodies in this genre is “Be Thou My Vision,” recorded also by McMeen and Earp. Some may have heard the melody in the Irish song “The Banks of the Bann.”

Pulcer enhanced the melodies with the addition of the other instruments. While harmonica might seem odd for an album of this type, it’s very effective as Pulcer has a very melodic approach to the instrument. We enjoyed the mountain dulcimer additions by MacFarlane and would have like to hear more of this sweet sounding instrument. Anna Pulcer’s flute on four tracks was also an enhancement to the guitar-centric music.

We were impressed with Pulcer’s arrangements for the guitar. Only “Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring,” arranged by Bartolome Calatayud and “Just As I Am Without One Plea” arranged by Chet Atkins do not carry the Pulcer imprimatur.

Ron Pulcer is a talented guitarist and arranger whose first recording shows his strong musical chops and his devotion to the music he has recorded. He says he has many more guitar arrangements and we hope we’ll hear them in ensuing albums.

artedel@myfairpoint.net