|
BOBBY BROOM PLAYS
FOR MONK
Origin Records
BILLBOARD July 04, 2009
ET Bobby Broom Plays for Monk Jon Regen
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.
Bob Weinberg Miami Jazz and Blues Examiner Cool jazz for hot summer nights June 27, 2009 Bobby Broom: Plays for Monk (Origin). 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.
|
