Bobby Broom Plays for Monk

Veteran guitar ace Bobby Broom has worked with an illustrious list of jazz luminaries, from the late organist Charles Earland to the legendary saxophonist Sonny Rollins. On Broom's latest release as a leader, he tackles the nearly sacrosanct works of renowned pianist/composer Thelonious Monk with an artful mix of grit and grace. Backed by the sympathetic rhythm section of Dennis Carroll on bass and Kobie Watkins on drums, Broom bluesifies Monk's "Ask Me Now," infuses funk and drum and bass backbeats into "In Walked Bud" and grooves with reckless abandon on "Rhythm-a-ning." With a seemingly effortless command of the guitar (and a fertile imagination to match), Broom turns what could have easily been a pedestrian "tribute" record into an inspired, swinging affair. Monk always played other people's tunes with his own sonic stamp?Broom returns the favor here, saluting the venerable composer with that same sense of adventure.