Bobby Broom and His Trio
To Appear at Birdland, NYC, 8/18
In a Series of U.S. Club Dates
Supporting New Origin CD
"Plays for Monk"
CD Is #5 with a Bullet on JazzWeek's National Airplay Chart
July 13, 2009  |
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 Just three weeks after its release, Bobby Broom Plays for Monk is one of the most-played CDs in the country. Featuring the Chicago-based guitarist with his longtime working trio, the CD is currently placed at number 5 with a bullet on the JazzWeek national airplay chart. Broom is taking advantage of his exposure on jazz radio by hitting the road with bassist Dennis Carroll and drummer Kobie Watkins.
First, Broom plans a CD release event at Chicago's Green Mill on Friday 8/7 and Saturday 8/8. The trio, which has held a weekly gig at Pete Miller's in Evanston, IL for more than a decade, makes its New York debut at Birdland on 8/18 (Broom is Harlem-born, and raised on the Upper West Side). They're also scheduled to play the Redmoor in Cincinnati 8/20; the Jazz Kitchen in Indianapolis 8/21; Blues Alley, Washington, DC 9/29; and the Firefly, Ann Arbor 10/2. Other dates are in the works.
"I got my jazz upbringing and cut my teeth in my career as a New Yorker," says Broom. "Having been born and bred in the city, that's an everlasting part of who I am. I feel good about coming back home for the opportunity to bring my group there to play. I'm looking forward to visiting all of the cities on these upcoming dates because I know that jazz fans have heard a little of what we're doing in recent years via our recordings. I want to let people get to know this group even better."
 Some early press reaction to Plays for Monk:
[Bobby Broom] tackles the nearly sacrosanct works of renowned pianist/composer Thelonious Monk with an artful mix of grit and grace. . . . [He] 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.
--Jon Regen, Billboard
Broom's take on Monk has resulted in some rich but accessible music. Even though many of the selected Monk standards will be very familiar to most jazz listeners, his bluesy approach makes them sound fresh. It is a great disk for late night hangs and one of the strongest Monk tributes in recent years.
--Joe Bendel, Epoch Times
Rather than try to mimic Monk's falling upstairs playing technique, Broom applies his smooth guitar to the barbed compositions without compromising Monk's genius. The results are fresh and surprisingly warm.
--Marc Myers, JazzWax.com
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.
--Bob Weinberg, Examiner.com
Track of the Day: "Ask Me Now"--I enjoy the cover, with its playful reference to a classic Monk LP. But the music is the real treat here. . . . Broom shows again that he is one of the most musical guitarists of our times, a player who can improvise what he hears and not just what his fingers have learned by rote. There are plenty of Monk tribute CDs on the market, but you should make room in your little red shopping cart for this release.
--Ted Gioia, Jazz.com
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