Bobby Broom – No Hype Blues

Guitarist Bobby Broom, who played with Sonny Rollins’ band for five years, on this CD had his first opportunity to lead his own record date in a decade. The best moments on the quartet session with pianist Ron Perillo, bassist Peter Washington, and drummer Lewis Nash are during such standards as Wes Montgomery’s “Twisted Blues,” “How About You,” and “Pent-Up House.” Broom has his own sound within the Wes Montgomery/George Benson tradition and swings but in a consistently thoughtful way (Scott Yanow/AllMusic).

Bobby Broom – Bobby Broom Plays for Monk

As the holidays arrive, and I have been spending more time with my family, I’ve found myself thinking more about my own childhood.

Growing up in NYC in the 1970s was idyllic in a lot of ways. I was fortunate to catch the tail-end of Harlem (where I was born) when it was still a thriving, all-Black community. Rather than feeling segregated, the community felt self-sufficient. I remember being a young boy, walking up and down Lenox Avenue with my parents on the weekends. Errands took all afternoon, stops for conversations included!

We moved to the Upper West Side to an integrated, rent-controlled apartment in 1968. From my 18th floor bedroom window, which faced north up Columbus Ave., I remember looking out into a sea of other high-rise apartments that spanned the area for as far as you could see. Looking at the windows of light, I felt a sense of oneness among all of the lives that existed in all of those apartments. My time here inspired my 2012 album “Upper West Side Story.”

I cannot imagine a more perfect childhood, and I am incredibly grateful I had the opportunities I did, thanks in large part to my local community, family, and friends. As the holiday season presses on, I suggest you remember to cherish every moment of your journey from pre-teen to present day.

For more information about my music and upcoming events, see my Link In Bio. 🔝

The Pace Report: "Mr. Soulful Soul Fingers" The Bobby Broom Interview

Welcome to another edition of the Pace Report featuring guitarist Bobby Broom and the Organi-Sation performing music from his latest CD "Soul Fingers." The Harlem, New York native formed this new group when he was asked to open for an upcoming tour for Rock and Roll Hall of Famers, Steely Dan. The Organi-Sation features Kobie Watkins on drums and Ben Paterson on Hammond B3.

Over a span of over four decades, Bobby has had the honor to record, tour, and play with the likes of Dr. Lonnie Smith, Art Blakey, Dave Grusin, Al Haig, Sonny Rollins, Donald Byrd, and Hugh Masekela.

I sat down with Bobby last week at Dizzy's to talk about his new group, his love the organ in jazz music, and how the band stage helped him perfect his art as a guitarist.

Last summer, Chicago guitarist Bobby Broom put together a new organ trio at the behest of Steely Dan, which wanted an opening act for its “Jamalot Ever After” tour.

Broom obliged, creating his Organi-Sation, a band that put the jazz guitarist in front of Steely Dan’s huge and devoted audience in a whirlwind three months of performances. But that unit – with Ben Paterson at the organ and Kobie Watkins and Makaya McCraven playing drums on varying dates – hasn’t been performing since the Steely Dan tour.

Until Friday night, when Broom reconvened the musicians for a weekend run at the Green Mill, which launched what amounts to the band’s second act: The trio will open for Steely Dan again at Ravinia on Friday and Saturday, with a recording session to follow.