1982, I had just become a Jazz Guitar snob and was soaking up as much Jazz Guitar music and information as I could lay my hands, and ears on. It was around this time that I also had great seats for my first Montreal International Jazz Festival which featured amongst other great players like Pat Metheny and Mike Stern (with Miles), a fine young guitarist by the name of Bobby Broom who was playing alongside Sonny Rollins in a group that also featured drummer Jack Dejohnette, bassist Bob Cranshaw and second Guitarist Yoshiaki Masuo. I remember being impressed with Bobby’s sound and style and looked forward to hearing him do his own thing as a leader.

A couple of years later I picked up a Bobby Broom album that featured some decent guitar playing but was too “smooth” for my taste at the time. Then I kind of fell out of touch with Bobby’s career until his impressive performances with Kenny Burrell’s “Jazz Guitar Band” on the Blue Note label around 1987. I would have loved to have seen that group perform live but alas, it was not to be.

Well it’s now 2008 and I have recently been able to hear Bobby Broom in a musical situation that I feel fits him like a glove: Straight-Ahead! He’s a great player and to hear him in this type of situation, especially in his current Trio format and organ format, makes me wanna just hear more.

There’s a great bunch of clips on Blip TV that feature Bobby in both a playing situation and an interview format. Check out what he has to say. I’m sure you’ll find it of interest and I’m sure you’ll dig the music as well. I hope he continues on in this tradition and I look forward to becoming reacquainted with the man and his music. Way to go Bobby…:)

Jazz Guitar Standards Chord Melody Solos. By Multiple Authors. For Guitar (All). Solos. Warner Bros. Jazz. Level: Intermediate. Book/CD Set. 144 pages. Published by Mel Bay Publications, Inc. (WMB011BCD) See more info…