Song And Dance

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 musicians, who admire bassist Dennis Carroll's no-non-sense style and Broom's melodic surgery as well as his dedication and concentration on intimate formats, notwithstanding occasional tours alongside Dr. John and Sonny Rollins.

"Can't Buy Me Love" is a selection I can't fully applaud, although there may be personal irony in the title for Broom. Likewise, "Smile," forced to function as a channel for chiselly upbeat blowing and bluesy half-time walking bass, defeats the object of the song's sentiment (nice as it is to hear Carroll on his own). However, "Wichita Lineman" seems conceptually apt, conjuring imagery of twanging telephone cables, plus the pioneering stance of the trio soloist. It isn't a vignette. Broom gets absorbed in guitaristics, double-timing before the recapitulation of the head, but the insistent yet dwindling vamp at the end - a Broom specialty - echoes like the telegraphed communications in the original lyric; you can hear him "singin' in the wire."
(3 1/2 stars)