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Bobby Broom

Bobby Broom was born in Harlem, New York, on January 18, 1961, and raised on Manhattan’s

Upper West Side. He began studying the guitar at age 12, concentrating on jazz under the aegis of

Harlem-based guitar instructor Jimmy Carter. A 16-year-old prodigy at the High School of Music and Art (now known as the LaGuardia High School of Performing Arts), he played in the jazz ensemble and was awarded for Outstanding Jazz Improvisation during his senior year.

Chaperoned by Weldon Irvine (an early mentor of his, composer for Freddie Hubbard and Horace Silver, bandleader for Nina Simone, and lyricist of “To Be Young, Gifted and Black”), the 16-year-old Broom found himself in an East Side NYC jazz club for the purpose of being taught to sit in. That lesson became a reality for Broom when Al Haig, pianist for Charlie Parker, invited him to join in for a couple of tunes. Impressed by the youngster’s playing, Haig offered him the chance to play with him at Gregory’s on the Upper East Side whenever he wanted. Broom ended up playing two or three times a week there, and also got to play, with great awe, with another notable Bird keyboardist, Walter Bishop, Jr.

Broom was soon pursued by an even greater jazz legend, Sonny Rollins, whose guitarist at the time, Aurell Ray, saw Broom play in Irvine’s musical, Young, Gifted and Broke, in Brooklyn, and arranged to have him meet Rollins. After playing with the tenor colossus at a rehearsal, Broom was asked to go on the road with him. Still in high school, Broom (and his parents) declined.

But in 1977, Rollins invited Broom to perform with him at a Carnegie Hall concert, initiating a long musical relationship between them. Four years later, Broom began a six-year stint as a member of Rollins’s band, to which he would return in later years, appearing on Rollins albums including No Problem; Reel Life; Sonny, Please, and three volumes of the live Road Shows series. “Bobby is one of my favorite musicians,” says Rollins. “He explains why I like the guitar. He’s got a strong musical sixth sense. That makes a lot of explanations and directions unnecessary.”

Broom’s first two albums were Clean Sweep (1981) and Livin’ for the Beat (1984), pre-smooth jazz efforts that transcended the limitations (and sometimes harsh criticism) of that category. In 1984, for personal reasons, he uprooted himself from New York and moved to the Windy City.

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37
Album Review

Ron Blake: Mistaken Identity

Read "Mistaken Identity" reviewed by Jack Bowers


Once hailed as a promising young lion, Puerto Rico-born saxophonist Ron Blake is more a crafty old fox these days, bringing his wealth of experience and undeniable talent to bear on Mistaken Identity, his first album as leader in fifteen years. To assure a broad comfort zone, Blake invited guitarist Bobby Broom, a longtime friend and music partner, to join him alongside drummer Kobie Watkins and bassists Nat Reeves (five numbers) and Reuben Rogers (four). Among the ...

38
Album Review

Bobby Broom: Keyed Up

Read "Keyed Up" reviewed by Jack Bowers


On his latest album, Keyed Up, the well-traveled and well-respected guitarist Bobby Broom pays tribute to pianists “who have been an important part of [his] musical life." As he writes, ..."many great pianists who didn't need to include my six-string version of what they could already do harmonically and melodically saw fit to include me. Perhaps, among other things, this is my way of saying 'thank you' to them." Another way to thank them may have been ...

9
Multiple Reviews

Bobby Broom And Bobby Watson: Tried And True

Read "Bobby Broom And Bobby Watson: Tried And True" reviewed by Doug Collette


The conventions of traditional jazz can provide a refreshing simplicity. If proffered with sufficient panache and ingenuity, the music transcends its superficial stylistic principles and tenders what amounts to a reboot of the psyche. So it is with Bobby Broom's Keyed Up and Bobby Watson's Back Home In Kansas City; with both of these albums, the artists draw on their own history and by extension, that of jazz at large, using their cumulative knowledge and technical expertise to formulate long-players ...

1
Radio & Podcasts

Bobby Broom, Adi Meyerson & More

Read "Bobby Broom, Adi Meyerson & More" reviewed by Joe Dimino


The great New York-born, Chicago-based jazz guitarist Bobby Broom starts this week's episode of Neon Jazz with a tasty cut off his new CD Soul Fingers. As the hour moves forward, we focus on a musician that has played a great influence on Bobby, Walter Bishop Jr., and music from modern bassist Alexander Claffy. There is plenty more as this hour moves forward. We take a look into the world of Adi Meyerson on the bass and ...

6
Album Review

Bobby Broom: Soul Fingers

Read "Soul Fingers" reviewed by Jim Trageser


A thematic sequel to his 2007 release, Song and Dance, Bobby Broom's Soul Fingers is a deep-pile take on late 1960s--early 1970s pop, with Broom in his best Wes Montgomery vein, giving new soul-jazz life to one-time chart hits. And yet, it's also a break from Song and Dance because Broom has changed his backing combo since then and now fronts a guitar-organ-drum trio. The deep soul-jazz groove and Ben Paterson's Hammond B-3 mean that there is a ...

5
Catching Up With

Bobby Broom: Classic Compositions from Yesterday to Today

Read "Bobby Broom: Classic Compositions from Yesterday to Today" reviewed by Corey Hall


What would your sensibilities say if an established jazz guitarist, supported by organ and drums, reinterpreted Seals and Crofts' “Summer Breeze," the Beatles' “Come Together," and Steely Dan's “Do It Again"? Perhaps you have heard this guitarist before with Sonny Rollins or Stanley Turrentine; maybe you heard the album where his guitar-acoustic bass-drums trio performed all Monk tunes. And now you see him leading the Organi-Sation, featuring organist Ben Paterson and drummer Kobie Watkins This ensemble's debut recording, ...

3
Album Review

Bobby Broom: My Shining Hour

Read "My Shining Hour" reviewed by Jack Bowers


Chicago-based guitarist Bobby Broom's Shining Hour encompasses nearly an hour of “Sweet and Lovely" trio jazz, showcasing seven memorable tunes from the Great American Songbook complemented by pair of three-steps, Fats Waller's “Jitterbug Waltz" and the Patti Page evergreen, “Tennessee Waltz." Besides the songs mentioned above, Broom's working trio (bassist Dennis Carroll, drummer Makaya McCraven) wend their way through “My Ideal," “Just One of Those Things," “Sweet Georgia Brown," “Oh, Lady Be Good" and “The Heather on ...

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Birthday

Jazz Musician of the Day: Bobby Broom

Jazz Musician of the Day: Bobby Broom

Source: Michael Ricci

All About Jazz is celebrating Bobby Broom's birthday today!

Bobby Broom was born in Harlem, New York, on January 18, 1961, and raised on Manhattan’s Upper West Side. He began studying the guitar at age 12, concentrating on jazz under the aegis of Harlem-based guitar instructor Jimmy Carter. A 16-year-old prodigy at the High School of Music and Art (now known as the LaGuardia High School of Performing Arts), he played in the jazz ensemble and was awarded for Outstanding ...

1

Recording

Guitarist Bobby Broom Celebrates The Jazz Piano Greats With 'Keyed Up,' Set For September 23 Release on Steele Records

Guitarist Bobby Broom Celebrates The Jazz Piano Greats With 'Keyed Up,' Set For September 23 Release on Steele Records

Source: Terri Hinte Publicity

Master jazz guitarist Bobby Broom casts his ear on the masters of another instrument—the piano—with the September 23 release of Keyed Up (Steele Records). An exploration of compositions by (or associated with) great jazz pianists, the album is also Broom’s first in almost 30 years to itself feature an acoustic pianist. Justin Dillard, a youngish, fast-rising keyboardist from Broom’s home base of jny: Chicago, joins his working trio with bassist Dennis Carroll and drummer Kobie Watkins. In fact, it was ...

Birthday

Jazz Musician of the Day: Bobby Broom

Jazz Musician of the Day: Bobby Broom

Source: Michael Ricci

All About Jazz is celebrating Bobby Broom's birthday today!

Guitarist Bobby Broom’s love of jazz has never blocked out his affection for the pop music which he grew up with. It’s been a frequent wellspring throughout his career. “It’s a lot of what I do,” he acknowledges. “Material is material, and I’m just trying to do things that are interesting to me and that I feel might be interesting to people.” Soul Fingers, his joyful 2018 release with his organ ...

Birthday

Jazz Musician of the Day: Bobby Broom

Jazz Musician of the Day: Bobby Broom

Source: Michael Ricci

All About Jazz is celebrating Bobby Broom's birthday today!

Guitarist Bobby Broom’s love of jazz has never blocked out his affection for the pop music which he grew up with. It’s been a frequent wellspring throughout his career. “It’s a lot of what I do,” he acknowledges. “Material is material, and I’m just trying to do things that are interesting to me and that I feel might be interesting to people.” Soul Fingers, his joyful 2018 release with his organ ...

3

Education

Guitarist Bobby Broom Joins Faculty At Northern Illinois University School Of Music, Plans Live Recording With His Group The Organi-sation

Guitarist Bobby Broom Joins Faculty At Northern Illinois University School Of Music, Plans Live Recording With His Group The Organi-sation

Source: Terri Hinte Publicity

Renowned jazz guitarist Bobby Broom has been appointed assistant professor of music in the Northern Illinois University School of Music. He will teach jazz guitar and improvisation in the school’s nationally recognized Jazz Studies Program. “I’m thrilled and honored to assume this position at Northern Illinois University,” Broom said. “I’m looking forward to sharing with my students, colleagues, and the community all that I’ve gleaned throughout my life and career of making music with many of the 20th century’s jazz ...

Birthday

Jazz Musician of the Day: Bobby Broom

Jazz Musician of the Day: Bobby Broom

Source: Michael Ricci

All About Jazz is celebrating Bobby Broom's birthday today!

Guitarist Bobby Broom’s love of jazz has never blocked out his affection for the pop music which he grew up with. It’s been a frequent wellspring throughout his career. “It’s a lot of what I do,” he acknowledges. “Material is material, and I’m just trying to do things that are interesting to me and that I feel might be interesting to people.” Soul Fingers, his joyful 2018 release with his organ ...

2

Recording

Guitarist Bobby Broom Introduces His New Group The Organi-Sation With Their Debut Recording "Soul Fingers," Due October 12

Guitarist Bobby Broom Introduces His New Group The Organi-Sation With Their Debut Recording "Soul Fingers," Due October 12

Source: Terri Hinte Publicity

Virtuoso Chicago-based guitarist Bobby Broom has always embraced the rhythm and blues core of jazz music. On Soul Fingers, his 12th album as a leader and first with his new trio Organi-Sation, Broom mines the rich repository of ’60s and ’70s pop music, offering inspired versions of hits by the Beatles, Procol Harum, Steely Dan, and Seals & Crofts, among others. Set for October 12 release by MRI Entertainment, the recording was produced by legendary drummer Steve Jordan. Broom, a ...

1

Birthday

Jazz Musician of the Day: Bobby Broom

Jazz Musician of the Day: Bobby Broom

Source: Michael Ricci

All About Jazz is celebrating Bobby Broom's birthday today!

Most musicians would be happy to experience one artistic breakthrough. Thirty-two years into his distinguished, wide-ranging career in jazz, guitarist Bobby Broom seems to have an endless supply of them. His 2009 album Bobby Broom Plays for Monk hit an artistic high-water mark with its “daring arrangements” (JazzTimes) and “small gems of musical discovery” (DownBeat). Featuring his long-standing Chicago trio... Read more.

Place our Musician of the Day widget on your ...

2

Birthday

Jazz Musician of the Day: Bobby Broom

Jazz Musician of the Day: Bobby Broom

Source: Michael Ricci

All About Jazz is celebrating Bobby Broom's birthday today!

Most musicians would be happy to experience one artistic breakthrough. Thirty-two years into his distinguished, wide-ranging career in jazz, guitarist Bobby Broom seems to have an endless supply of them. His 2009 album Bobby Broom Plays for Monk hit an artistic high-water mark with its “daring arrangements” (JazzTimes) and “small gems of musical discovery” (DownBeat). Featuring his long-standing Chicago trio... Read more.

Place our Musician of the Day widget on your ...

Birthday

Jazz Musician of the Day: Bobby Broom

Jazz Musician of the Day: Bobby Broom

Source: Michael Ricci

All About Jazz is celebrating Bobby Broom's birthday today!

Most musicians would be happy to experience one artistic breakthrough. Thirty-two years into his distinguished, wide- ranging career in jazz, guitarist Bobby Broom seems to have an endless supply of them. His 2009 album Bobby Broom Plays for Monk hit an artistic high-water mark with its “daring arrangements” (JazzTimes) and “small gems of musical discovery” (DownBeat). Featuring his long-standing Chicago trio... Read more.

Place our Musician of the Day widget on ...

“Broom is the full monty: Ultra-refined timing and tone, continuous flow of ideas, a touch of grease, a treat for the connoisseur" - John Corbett, DownBeat, 2014 "... one of the most musical guitarists of our times" - Ted Gioia, Jazz.com (Jun 16, 2009) "Bobby Broom's trio can be compared with Sonny Rollins' and the classic John Coltrane Quartet." - Owen Cordle, JazzTimes "The mighty fire of Broom’s playing…seems to have grown hotter and deeper in recent seasons." - Joe Woodard, Jazziz

Primary Instrument

Guitar

Location

Chicago

Willing to teach

Intermediate to advanced

Credentials/Background

Tenured Associate Professor of Jazz Guitar/Jazz Studies, Northern Illinois University, 2019 to present

Past Teaching Positions:                                                                                                                North Park University 2011 to 2018, DePaul University - 2002 to 2008 Chicago Musical College, Roosevelt University (formerly the American Conservatory of Music) - 1987 to 1992 Hartt School of Music, University of Hartford - 1982 to 1984 Ravinia Music In the Schools, Jazz Mentor 2000 to present The Thelonious Monk Institute in 1989 and presently

Ryan Fourt
guitar
Eric Zolan
guitar, electric

Photos

Music

Recordings: As Leader | As Sideperson

Mistaken Identity

7tēn33 Productions
2023

buy

Keyed Up

Steele Records
2022

buy

SoulFingers

MRI Entertainment
2018

buy

Soul Fingers

MRi Entertainment
2018

buy

My Shining Hour

Origin Records
2014

buy

Upper Westside Story

Origin Records
2012

buy

Call Me a Cab

From: Upper West Side Story
By Bobby Broom

Blues For Modern Man

From: Song and Dance
By Bobby Broom

Videos

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