Upper West Side Story

Bobby Broom's trio can be compared with Sonny Rollins' and the classic John Coltrane Quartet.
Jazz Times

After 30 years of critically acclaimed recordings featuring compositions of the jazz and pop world's greatest writers, guitarist Bobby Broom releases Upper West Side Story, his first recording of entirely original compositions. Providing a most intimate look at Broom's musical personality and the trio's fully developed group chemistry, the tunes reflect a wide range of influences across a spectrum of genres while always remaining deep in the tradition of the modern jazz guitarist. Included is the first studio recording of Broom's "D's Blues," of which a live video has been a fan favorite online for several years.

Production Info:

Produced by Bobby Broom
Recorded by Josh Richter at Victorian Recording, Barrington, IL
January 17-19, 2011
Mixed by Brian Schwab at Schwab Music, Chicago, IL
Mastered by Allan Tucker at Tucker Sound/Foothill Digital, NY
Additional recording by Gary Mielke at Static Shack, Indianapolis, IN
Cover photography by Anna Dilthey
Design and layout by John Bishop

Reviews of Upper West Side Story

Downbeat (Frank Alkyer)
Guitarist Bobby Broom is one of Chicago?s true musical treasures. He?s lived in the Windy City since the early ?90s, and his influence is felt throughout the Chicago music community. Some may have caught him playing with Sonny Rollins over the years, which is a treat. But when he?s not on tour, Chicago?s the place to see him at one of his regular, ...

Urban Flux (Rob Young)
We?ve come to meet another chapter in the life of affluent guitarist, composer and producer Bobby Broom. What a joy it is to take the plunge, relax and listen to one of the most unique voices on jazz guitar. Throughout his music career, considered a prodigy at sixteen until now the native New Yorker with perseverance he has propelled upward through ...

Critical Jazz.com (Brent Black)
Sometimes when a release is billed as "intimate" or "personal" the words "dull" and "boring" can be easily slid in the mix and sadly be a pretty accurate representation of the end result of recording. I call this artistic death by self indulgence. Not here. Bobby Broom is an artist that is not doing as much of an autobiographical rele ...

Midwest Record (Chris Spector)
On his first all original composition album, Broom might be celebrating the section of New York where he grew up but he seems very much in touch with his inner Wes Montgomery. Putting his signature style right up front and center, his long time trio have no problem letting the boss strut his stuff proudly. Another dazzling record in a series of daz ...

The Jazz Page (Darryl Daniels)
Chicago-based guitarist Bobby Broom returns to his roots with his tenth and latest recording. Upper West Side Story finds the New York City native paying homage to the place of his physical and musical birth. The album has the feel of a big city guitar trio, with Broom and longtime bandmates, bassist Dennis Carroll and drummer Kobie Watkins, workin ...

Audiophile Audition (Robbie Gerson)
****1/2 Stars Unlike many jazz artists, Bobby Broom made a name for himself quickly. At the age of sixteen, he auditioned and was invited to tour with Sonny Rollins. His mother interceded and Broom attended Berklee School of Music in Boston instead. There he played with Branford Marsalis, Terence Blanchard and Donald Harrison. After returning to ...

Chicago Tribune (Howard Reich)
Chicago guitarist Broom has been turning in such strong work over so many years and in such different musical settings ? most notably with tenor saxophone legend Sonny Rollins ? that listeners might have forgotten what a distinctive voice he can be. "Upper West Side Story," Broom's homage to his early years in New York, will remind everyone of h ...

JazzTimes (Bill Milkowski)
Following clever takes on contemporary pop tunes (2001's Stand), Thelonious Monk (2009's Plays for Monk) and Stevie Wonder (2011's Wonderful! by the Deep Blue Organ Trio), Bobby Broom's tenth outing as a leader is his first collection of all originals. Named for the Manhattan neighborhood where he grew up (he's been a Chicago resident since 19 ...

Jazz Truth (George Colligan)
I am constantly being made aware of the major holes in my knowledge: I'm pretty ignorant about opera, I haven't seen "Predator", and I couldn't explain the Bosnian War if you offered me a million dollars. And also I've decided that I'm not as up on the great jazz guitarists as I should be. I've only recently been digging Charlie Christian, ...

The Jazz Word (John Barron)
Chicago-based Guitarist Bobby Broom pays tribute to his childhood upbringing in New York with Upper West Side Story, his first recording of all original material with longtime trio mates Dennis Carroll on upright bass and drummers Kobe Watkins and Makaya McCraven. Broom is in top form throughout, unfolding horn-like lines that are full of surprise ...

Downbeat Magazine (Jon Ross)
**** 4-Stars Starting with the very first notes of "D's Blues"--a languid but powerful riff atop busy drums and droning bass--Bobby Broom bleeds simple, unadulterated blues from his guitar. He keeps it up, with a quiet intensity, for the rest of Upper West Side Story. His use of clean, pure guitar sound gives his chords a bit of jangle, w ...

Chicago Examiner (Neil Tesser)
On his new album "Upper West Side Story" (Origin), guitarist Bobby Broom focuses entirely on his own hard-to-categorize compositions. That?s not a new trick in jazz. But it?s something Broom avoided for decades. "I purposely waited to make a record of all originals," states Broom, who leads his trio (bassist Dennis Carroll and drummer Makaya ...

Bird Is The Worm Jazz Blog (Dave Sumner)
Guitarist Bobby Broom, who has played with a Hall of Fame roster of musicians that includes Sonny Rollins, Stanley Turrentine, and Art Blakey, and who has led his own groups, including the Deep Blue Organ Trio and the Bobby Broom Trio, has a new album out. This time, it?s all original compositions, and based on the results, it?s obvious he?s been ...

All Music (Ken Dryden)
One of the top guitarists of his generation, Bobby Broom's preferred setting is a small group, while he excels in the demanding trio setting with bassist Dennis Carroll and drummer Kobie Watkins (with Makaya McCraven replacing him on three songs). Upper West Side Story includes nine originals, none of which is likely to become a jazz standard, but ...

Cadence (Jerome Wilson)
This recording marks the first time guitarist Bobby Broom has ever done a CD of only his own compositions. All of his melodies here, like the tricky blues vamp of ?Major Minor Mishap? and the sleek cool of ?Lazy Sundays? are attractive and provide good showcases for the dexterity and natural soul in his playing. His fat, laid back sound ,with trace ...

Billybop.be (Belgium) (Mr. Blue Boogie)
**** (4-Stars) Bobby Broom is one of today?s Top guitarists in the world of Jazz music and with his Upper West Side Story; he comes as trio with 9 terrific tracks. All of them are original, but none of them will become a Jazz Standard. However that really doesn?t change a lot to the fact that the songs are great and full of energy. "D?s Blues ...

San Jose Mercury News (Richard Scheinin)
Best 20 jazz albums (so far) of 2012 Bobby Broom: Upper West Side Story (Origin). This is a super-good CD from Broom, one of the most unpretentious (and best) jazz guitarists. He plays as if he's playing for his life: Nothing "clever" about it, though if you were to analyze his solos, they probably would turn out to be way more advanced than ...

Jazz Inside NY (Mark Keresman)
The business of America is business, and part of that business as far as music is concerned is the tribute album. The ?tribute? concept can give prospective listeners a handle on the artist and/or a particular album?sometimes the concept can be a little shaky (a performer interpreting the songs interpreted by another interpreter, for example) or ca ...

Chicago Jazz Magazine (Dan Healy)
Although Bobby Broom has been a mainstay as one of the great modern guitarists in the Chicago scene for many years, he pays tribute to his upbringing in Harlem with his new disc, Upper West Side Story. The recording is Broom?s first that features all original compositions, as performed by some of the finest modern musicians in Chicago, including De ...

Vintage Guitar Magazine (Dan Forte)
As in nearly all things, there are some exceptions (for instance, child prodigy Julain Lage, who's now a grown-up veteran at 24), but it seems like players still thought of as "young guns" of jazz guitar, whose rise began several years after the previous clutch of players to carry that mantel, are what used to be considered middle-aged--and in s ...

Examiner.com (Carol Banks Weber)
Bobby Broom is a name synonymous with visionary modern jazz music. Originally from New York City?s Upper West Side, the guitarist left his roots in 1984 for a different, Chicago vibe without missing the scene. He kept up with Sonny Rollins on tour, hooked up with Kenny Burrell & the Jazz Guitar Band, Dr. John, and Miles Davis, and became the face o ...