Bobby Broom Plays for Monk

On the heels of a similar Peter Bernstein project, Sonny Rollins sideman Bobby Broom takes an imaginative stroll through the Thelonious Monk songbook with his trio of bassist Dennis Carroll and drummer Kobie Watkins. Of course, there's the novelty of hearing a guitar trio play Monk (the pianist never recorded with guitar, although apparently bootlegs exist of a 1940s jam with Charlie Christian at Minton's), but beyond that, Broom is an extremely engaging artist whose playing never fails to captivate. The guitarist gets the humor inherent in Monk, and it's great fun to hear him navigate the tricky angles of tunes such as "In Walked Bud" and "Work," at once jaw-dropping in his technical virtuosity but also full of heart and originality. Makes you feel as if you were sitting at a nightclub, just feet away from the stage, watching the trio work its magic. And there's nothing cooler than that.