Bobby Broom

Song And Dance

Origin 82475



I am not surprised to hear a wonderful CD showing a talent fulfilled.
Ron Carter

Guitarist Bobby Broom has been turning heads ever since the release of his 1981 GRP Records debut, Clean Sweep. Twenty-five years and a lifetime of experience later, including stints with Sonny Rollins, Miles Davis, Kenny Burrell, Stanley Turrentine, Charles Earland and Dr. John, the 45-year-old guitarist is at the peak of his powers, swinging with authority and ingenuity on Song And Dance, his debut on Origin Records and his sixth overall as a leader. Along with bassist Dennis Carroll and drummer Kobie Watkins, the Chicago-based guitarist reinvents familiar pop and r&b staples from the '60's and '70's on this lively set while also contributing three affecting originals.


Track Listing:

1 Can't Buy Me Love 6:51
2 Where Is The Love 6:21
3 Little Rascals Theme 5:37
4 Coming Home 6:39
5 Blues For The Modern Man 5:02
6 Superstar 6:15
7 Smile 8:29
8 Wichita Lineman 7:27
9 You And The Night And The Music 5:40
10 Waiting and Waiting 6:17

Performers:

BOBBY BROOM - guitar
DENNIS CARROLL - bass
KOBIE WATKINS - drums

Production Info:

Produced by BOBBY BROOM
Recorded and mixed by BRIAN SCHWAB
at Curried Bagel Studios, Chicago, IL
Mastered by DANNY LEAKE
at Urban Guerrilla Engineers, Chicago
Recorded February and March, 2005
Photography TODD WINTERS
Photo retouching by ANNE BENJAMIN
Design & Layout by JOHN BISHOP


Reviews of Song And Dance

Downbeat, April 2007 (Michael Jackson)
Bobby Broom is so steeped in the music, whether his own or plumbing the structure of an ostensibly cheesy pop song, that you feel the guitarist could keep weaving lines endlessly, a proclivity he shares with Pat Metheny, Pat Martino and English guitarist Jim Mullen. Broom's trio has long been a favorite on the Chicago scene, particularly among musi ...

JazzWeek (Tad Hendrickson)
THERE'S BEEN A school of thought since the '60s that jazzmen can groove and vamp their way through any modern pop song, keeping the accessibility but jazzifying it. Song And Dance is cut from that mold, opening with the Beatles' "Can't Buy Me Love" and following it with a decent version of the fluffy classic "Where Is The Love." More interesting is ...

Audiophile Audition (Jeff Krow)
Bobby Broom has to be one of the hardest working jazz guitar slingers in the business. As well as being Sonny Rollins' choice guitarist, both for recording and touring, Broom also plays in the funky Chicago Hammond B-3 group, Deep Blue Organ Trio, which holds court at the Green Mill nightclub on a weekly basis. Broom's resume is extensive going bac ...

Chicago Jazz Magazine (Edward Ford)
When listening to Bobby Broom's Trio perform on his new CD, Song and Dance, one is immediately struck by how much s-p-a-c-e there is. With lesser musicians that could be a problem, but Broom and stalwart Dennis Carroll on bass and relative newcomer Kobie Watkins on drums, do an excellent job of presenting the necessary notes, pauses and attacks to ...

Rochester City Newspaper (Ron Netsky)
Over the last three decades Bobby Broom has played with the giants, including a long stint with Sonny Rollins and a short one with Miles Davis. But there's more room to showcase his mastery of the jazz guitar on trio albums like Song and Dance. Broom's technique, reminiscent of Grant Green and Wes Montgomery, is put to good use on an unusual mix of ...

All About Jazz (Mark F. Turner)
Most everyone has a favorite tune: A song that lingers in memory and takes you back to another time and place. For many years jazz musicians have transformed popular songs into instrumental pieces such as John Coltrane's version of the Rodgers and Hammerstein hit "My Favorite Things." There is magic in taking something familiar and transforming it ...

Conneticut Music (Owen McNally)
Even when not orbiting the solar energy field ruled by his longtime boss, Sonny Rollins, guitarist Bobby Broom generates much warmth and power while presiding over his own musical universe. "Song and Dance," in fact, is a fine reminder that Broom, a consummate sideman with such heavyweights as Rollins and Dr. John, is also a capable leader. Most ...

www.JazzChicago.net (Brad Walseth)
Bobby Broom is a traditionally grounded guitarist in the vein of Wes Montgomery, early George Benson and Grant Green. Originally from New York, Broom has made his home in Chicago since the mid-80s and has developed a considerable following from live gigs with his trio, as well as the Deep Blue Organ Trio and many others. He has worked with Art Bla ...

Rochester Democrat & Chronicle (Jack Garner)
The veteran jazz guitarist (and frequent accompaniment for Dr. John and Sonny Rollins) brings his unique touch as a leader to an impressive range of songs from outside the "typical" jazz spectrum. With masterful skill, he reinvents the Beatles' "Can't Buy Me Love" as a swing romp, even finding ways to echo "A Love Supreme." "Where is the Love" gets ...

All Music Guide (Alex Henderson)
Bobby Broom had recently turned 44 when he recorded Song and Dance in February and March 2005. In youth-obsessed markets like hip-hop, teen pop, or dance-pop, any artist who is 44 and successful probably became established 20 or 25 years earlier. But jazz is a different ball game. In jazz, age is a plus; it means more years developing your skills, ...

All About Jazz, L.A. (George W. Harris)
Known primarily as Sonny Rollins' sideman, guitarist Bobby Broom has put out a few discs on his own, and this latest one might be his best one yet. Spaciously accompanied by Dennis Carrol (bass) and Kobie Watkins (drums), Broom grooves through a set of cleverly selected tunes, and makes them swing and sway. Clever arrangements of The Beatles' "Can ...

Chicago Tribune (Howard Reich)
We sometimes forget how many world-class jazz musicians live-- and work -- in our midst. Consider Bobby Broom, who happens to be the favorite guitarist of tenor saxophone icon Sonny Rollins. Broom has toured globally with Rollins in recent years, bringing his buoyant art to audiences who have applauded it. But Rollins, 76, tours only at selec ...

ejazznews (Glenn Astarita)
Guitarist Bobby Broom is one of the few jazz artists who can spin a pop standard into a deeply personalized musical statement. The artist's broad musical vernacular serves as a rock-solid foundation, enhanced by his enviable technical faculties. Nonetheless, Broom's longtime gig at Pete Miller's Steakhouse in Evanston, Illinois looms as just one an ...

artsjournal.com (Doug Ramsey)
Accompanied by bass and drums, the Sonny Rollins and Dr. John guitarist plays a relaxed program of his compositions and others by Schwartz & Dietz, The Beatles, Charlie Chaplin and Jimmy Webb. A highlight: Broom's harmonic adventuring in an extended cadenza in "Good Old Days," the Little Rascals theme. ...

OsPlaceJazz.com (D. Oscar Groomes)
O's Notes: Bobby takes us for a trip down memory lane with Song and Dance. He starts off cooking on "Can't Buy Me Love" but also includes some warm tracks like "Where Is The Love" and Wichita Lineman". He jazzed up the tune from the Little Rascals and I was dreaming of Darla! But our favorites were the burners like "Smile" and his mysterious arrang ...

Vintage Guitar (DF)
When he was 25, Bobby Broom was picked by jazz legend Kenny Burrell to be part of this Jazz Guitar Band, whose stint at New York's Village Vanguard resulted in two albums. By then, Broom had moved from his native New York to Chicago and already logged sessions with Dizzy Gillespie, Stanley Turrentine, and Sonny Rollins. He later held down a five ...

Amazon.com (RBSProds "RBS")
Five BLAZING Stars!! Master guitarist Bobby Broom has cranked up a winner of a guitar trio recording. With longtime Broom associates bassist Dennis Carroll and his supple stylings and Kobie Watkins' muscular, inventive drumming, this is a tight musical trio that knows where it's going and there is lots of musical ESP between the players. There are ...

JazzTimes (Mike Joyce)
Lennon and McCartney, Leon Russell, Jimmy Webb Don't let the fine print fool you. For all its ties to contemporary pop tunesmiths, Song and Dance aims to please mainstream jazz fans who are open to fresh and often surprising interpretations, among other pleasures. That much is evident from the outset when veteran guitarist Bobby Broom and his ...

Jazzreview.com (Thomas R. Erdmann)
Guitarist Bobby Broom has had a career in jazz envious of many. He's played with Miles Davis, Stanley Turrentine, Dr. John, Charles "Mighty Burner" Earland, and Sonny Rollins, to name but a few. Born in Harlem and currently living in Evanston, Illinois, Broom began playing the guitar in junior high school and credits his first guitar teacher with ...

All About Jazz.com (Scott Gilliam)
The guitar trio is a challenging format for any six stringer. So often the end result is an album full of knuckle busting licks and very little in the way of substance. Veteran guitarist Bobby Broom avoids those pitfalls on his latest effort Song And Dance. Broom, along with bassist Dennis Carroll and drummer Kobie Watkins, avoids a noodle fest and ...

Chicago Sun-Times (Lloyd Sachs)
Covering post-'60s pop hits has tripped up more than a few jazz artists, including "New Standards" man Herbie Hancock. There just isn't enough harmonic interest in most of these songs to lend themselves to open improvising. But Bobby Broom has figured out how to make this stuff hum. On "Song and Dance," the veteran Chicago guitarist, known for h ...

All About Jazz (Chris M. Slawecki)
"Survey with the Strings On Top" Beg your pardon for the atrocious pun, but it sort of introduces this survey of jazz and blues releases instrumented by bass and guitar players. Chicago native Bobby Broom has been playing guitar since he was about eleven. He decided to become a professional musician after hearing guitarist George Benson kick ...

The Davis Enterprise, July 05, 2007 (Ric Bang)
Bobby Broom has been part of the East Coast and Midwest jazz scene for a long time, and this album includes a tune - "Little Rascals Theme (Good Old Days)" - that I've never before heard played by a jazz group. If you like swinging guitar, this will be a worthwhile addition to your jazz library. ...

Jazz And Blues Report (Nancy Ann Lee)
This 10-tune CD, Bobby Broom's sixth recording as leader, finds the guitarist interpreting jazz and pop standards and contributing three originals with bassist Dennis Carroll and drummer Kobie Watkins. Broom's airy, mellow-sounding, mainly linear style allows his dynamic drummer to busy up with rim shots and cymbals work. But that doesn't oversh ...

Jazziz (John Frederick Moore)
Bobby Broom has been a featured sideman for several jazz legends, including Miles Davis and Stanley Turrentine, and he's come into the spotlight recently as a member of Sonny Rollins' band. But the guitarist has also periodically recorded as a leader for more than 25 years. For his sixth disc, Broom shows why his subtle, articulate approach has lon ...

Glide Magazine (Doug Collette)
The erstwhile guitarist (for Sonny Rollins among many others) mixes original songs and covers of unusual sources?the Beatles' "Can't Buy Me Love," Jimmy Webb/Glen Campbell's "Wichita Lineman"-- in a way that features the strengths of the compositions as well as those of the trio. Uncluttered production emphasizes a clarity of sound that further hig ...



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