Bobby Broom - Plays for Monk

[jazzbo]

Have/like.

[birdmonk]

August 10, 2009

CHICAGO TRIBUNE

ENTERTAINMENT

Guitarist Broom gives Monk a tune-up

By Howard Reich - Arts critic

Thelonious Monk seems to bring out the best in Bobby Broom.

For though jazz listeners know Broom for the buoyant, blues-based sensibility of his guitar work, he attains a new degree of fervor in the music of Monk.

Certainly he did over the weekend at the Green Mill Jazz Club, where he celebrated the release of his latest CD, "Bobby Broom Plays for Monk" (Origin Records). Even more than on the recording, the Chicago guitarist addressed Monk with relentless intensity, leading the same explosive trio that's on the CD.

.....By all indications, Broom is approaching a new plateau in his art. It will be fascinating to hear what more it yields.

[birdmonk]

Monday, August 10, 2009

SANTA BARBARA INDEPENDENT

Jazz Here Now?

By Josef Woodard

Bobby Broom: Bobby Broom Plays for Monk (Origin).

An engaging and cliché-dodging “mainstream” jazz guitarist, Broom lately has been bursting forth more under his own name, after years in Sonny’s sidelight. On Plays for Monk, Broom expertly addresses the dearth of thinking guitarists bringing lively voices to the classic, quirky Monk songbook.

[sheldonm]

...Bobby brings his trio to Indy's Jazz Kitchen this coming Friday (8/21).....Terence Blanchard here tomrrow night!

m~

[marcello]

Everyone is entitled to their opinion(s) Tom and as they say "de gustibus..." (i.e. there's no accounting for taste) but clearly you are in the minority regarding Bobby Broom's CD -- and the fact that it is has been in the top-10 on the JazzWeek Top-50 chart for a month including 2 weeks at #5, is being played on 150 stations in North America and featured on XM, MusicChoice and several times as interlude music on NPR's "Morning Edition" clearly "Plays For Monk" is resonating with A LOT OF PEOPLE.

When I comment about things I do so from my life experience which is why I refrain from criticizing the playing of musicians since I can't play it better -- this goes for other areas besides music (for example would not DREAM of telling you how to pour concrete, buy building supplies, etc. :-).

By the way it is Motian not MOTION.

Have a nice day!

I've got it now:

Hi Mitchell!

You can tell me how to pour concrete any day. I'll listen.

Best,

Tom

Edited August 16, 2009 by marcello

[AllenLowe]

all you guys out there who can't play saxophone better than Kenny G - I guess you can no longer criticize him -

of course, it may be difficult to find anyone who can't play better than Kenny G -

[Tom Storer]

I like the Broom record quite a bit. It's not a sui generis masterpiece, with each member of the trio playing flawlessly well, respecting the very essence of Monkness and yet adding a unique personal viewpoint. That doesn't ruin it for me like it appears to do for some. It feels good and I really like Broom's sound. Maybe I'm just not picky enough.

[AllenLowe]

wait - I thought this was Broom Plays the Monkees -

never mind, than -

[fomafomic65]

"I'm sure Mr. Rollins will be considering your comments regarding Broom and Watkins soon... "

actually, probably not, since Sonny hasn't listened to his rhythm section since, like, 1973....

Well, this tread suddenly wakes me up: this is speaking straight!

Rollins is God; Rollins really was a greater one just when he used to have such players to match him and play with him. That was great music.

And this in my humble experience stops happening after his RCA/Victor and Impulse! recordings. Later on his musicians were young, fresh, gifted but simple, rarely experienced and strong (exception: De Johnette), never much interesting and strong as in the past. Miles rised many young musicians later becoming leaders and major artists. Rollins had no one, no future Giant working with him, if Broom will ever be the first, eventually. Really, Rollins stopped listening his rhythms way in the back. It's a Saxophone Colossus soliloquy, and a great show anyway even if we keep on being much, much more thrilled by that old music of him.

[medjuck]

Hey this record is the KCBX (San Louis Obispo) featured record of the week this week!

[jazzypaul]

I like the Broom record. Here was my review for Chicago Jazz Magazine...

Over the past couple of decades, Bobby Broom has proven himself to be an amazing musician and fascinating guitarist on weekly gigs, both solo, and with the awesome Deep Blue Organ Trio. Throw in playing time with amazing musicians including Sonny Rollins, and you’ve got a guy who’s played with the best and learned from the best. It’s no wonder that his discography has found him moving all over the place, from an attempt to recreate the Benson Cookbook band, to an album made up entirely of 60’s and 70’s pop tunes that cast a few of those chestnuts in whole new lights. His previous two solo efforts, both also on Origin records, found him playing with the same trio that plays here, and the cohesiveness that is on display here is the byproduct of a band that has been gigging and recording steadily for a handful of years now. Of course, it doesn’t hurt your cause if you decide to base an entire CD on some of the most beloved work that has ever been produced in the jazz idiom. And Bobby Broom Plays for Monk does not disappoint. This is exactly the disc that anyone in the know would expect it to be: excellent playing, effective arrangements and great soloing on some of the best tunes ever written.

As soon as I’d heard that this was Broom’s next project, I got excited. After all, I’ve heard Bobby tear up everything from The Little Rascals Theme to The 12th of Never. Monk tunes should be a free for all for this trio! And I was not let down in the least. The most interesting part of …Plays for Monk is the sheer number of ballads here. Ask Me Now, Ruby My Dear, Reflections and Smoke Gets In Your Eyes are all fantastic tunes, but I didn’t necessarily expect to see them all pop up on one record.

Even more interesting is that Bobby Broom is brave enough to start off a record with a ballad. Ask Me Now is one of Monk’s most endearing down-tempo tunes, and Broom takes it a hair or two quicker than its usual pace. The first thing you notice here with Broom, Carroll and Watkins is how the groove is treated with absolute reverence. There are no flourishes, no hits, pops, cracks or brilliant and wily substitutions to be found. It’s all about establishing the groove. But, then, in yet another brave move, not only does the album start with a ballad, but then the first solo taken on the disc isn’t by Broom, but rather by bassist Dennis Carroll. Once Broom does start to solo, though, the results are splendid, taking his time to push things along. The pacing of Ask Me Now on this disc could not be more perfect.

Monk’s classic Evidence is up next. While Broom’s playing here is fantastic, it’s Carroll’s groove that really sets this version apart from the hundreds of other recorded versions I’ve heard. Kicking off with an insistent bass line that won’t quit, it fits amazingly well against one of Monk’s most strangely interesting melodies. By the time that Carroll and Watkins start swinging in earnest on the third chorus, an awful lot of tension is built up, and the release is just great. Watkins’ solo here is understated, but it gets the point across and quick: Kobie Watkins is a force to be reckoned with behind the drum kit, and he doesn’t need very long to remind you of that.

In Walked Bud and Bemsha Swing both get funk treatments to a degree. Bemsha Swing starts off as a quasi-second line thing, then it gets downright funky for half a chorus before Watkins and Carroll dig in and start swinging. If you’ve heard the Medeski, Martin and Wood version of it, you’ll understand where Broom and Company are coming from. In Walked Bud was the real surprise here, though. This is a funky, grooving and well thought out arrangement of the tune. What’s more surprising is how natural In Walked Bud feels over this arrangement.

The big charmer on Bobby Broom Plays for Monk is the inclusion of Work. One of the rarer entries in the Monk catalog, it’s a great song that bares so many Monkisms that it’s a shame that more musicians aren’t hip to it. Luckily, Broom is, and he milks the song for all its worth with an economic solo that is evokes Monk with every rest, every oddly placed note and every not entirely normal run he plays. It’s a highlight of the disc, not only because Work was never over played, but also because Broom and company just play the snot out of the tune.

Of course, Monk did more than his fair share of other folks’ music too, as witnessed by his love of solo treatments of some of the standards. Broom wisely tosses a couple of those Monk favorites into the mix as well. Smoke Gets In Your Eyes is lush and beautiful, and a nod to Monk’s solo albums that were stocked with great renditions of old classics. Lulu’s Back in Town works better, at least for me, because it’s more in keeping with the overall vibe of the record. It’s loping treatment is charming and immensely enjoyable.

I am always excited whenever I see that Bobby Broom (or a group that he’s a part of) is about to put out something new, because I know I’m going to be in for a major treat. And once again, I’m proven right by Bobby Broom Plays for Monk. It’s the perfect blend of tunes we know, surprising arrangements and great playing. I highly recommend checking this one out, and sooner than later. Pretty soon, you’ll be as excited about Bobby Broom’s upcoming CD’s as I am.

And as for other folks take on Monk's music, I can't believe no one mentioned this one yet...

[danasgoodstuff]

I liked Rumba Para Monk when it was new but haven't listened to it in a long time... Bobby Broom Plays for Monk is on 'the short list', but that may not mean much any more.

[7/4]

Monk's Music and the Guitar

by Bobby Broom

.

Edited October 14, 2009 by 7/4

[sonnymax]

Monk's Music and the Guitar

by Bobby Broom

AAJ included the cover of Broom's Monk CD, but failed to credit the photographer, our own MAAAARRK SHELDON!!!