The Way I Play: Live In Chicago

a no-frills bebop date recorded live at a Chicago-area steakhouse with bassist Dennis Carroll and snappy drummer Kobie Watkins. Best known for his long tenure with Sonny Rollins, Broom's solos have a soulful and bluesy bite, a gritty bob and weave as his lines snake through the harmony. There's nothing complicated to the eight standards here, and in some ways the record is woefully under-produced.

But casualness is the point. This is what jazz sounds like on bandstands across the country when quality players meet for their weekly gigs and inspiration strikes.