Song And Dance

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 Broom's take on the Little Rascals theme "Good Old Days," which I remember enough to know that this version sounds little like the original theme.
As an occasional sideman for Sonny Rollins (not to mention
past stints with Miles Davis, Kenny Burrell and others), the veteran guitarist knows thing or two about extemporizing, but unlike the tenor titan he chooses to get his point across in the five to seven minute range. There are several highlights here, including originals "Blues For Modern Man" and "Waiting And Waiting"; but the one gripe here is that Broom doesn't share enough and the his comrades rhythm section are too low in the mix. Even so, there's a lot for guitar geeks and fans of 60s era Blue Note stuff to dig into.