Join us live on May 29th 2021 from 2:00PM-3:30PM EST (11:00AM-12:30PM PST) as we host a LIVE masterclass with world-renowned guitarist Bobby Broom. Not only will you be able to ask questions and interact with Bobby in this 90 minute webinar, but you will also receive the produced/edited version of this masterclass video for free!
Tonight (Apr. 29) I will be a doing my 7th spotlight feature on “Giants of Jazz Guitar!”
Tonight’s spotlight will showcase jazz guitar icon, Bobby Broom
7-10pm (Pacific Time), on the radio show “Jazz Tracks” with Michael Tanner on KSQD, Santa Cruz.
You can listen live and/or go to the archives at www.ksqd.org to check out the show anywhere in the world!
During these spotlights I will be discussing guitarists playing styles, technique, giving a bit of historical context, and providing 2 tunes to showcase the brilliance and artistry of each musician! I’m spotlighting guitarists from the 1920s up to the present.
AUDIO ARCHIVE: https://ksqd.org/two-week-archive/
Jazz returns to Sessions from Studio A this week with The Reggie Thomas Quartet, featuring acclaimed pianist and current head of Jazz Studios at Northern Illinois University, Reggie Thomas, along with guitarist Bobby Broom, drummer George Fludas, and bassist Dennis Carroll. The quartet gives us a passionate performance in Studio A, and we’ll also hear a conversation with band members about their jazz backgrounds and their thoughts on the social justice protests of the past year.
The accomplishments of these four players are far too many to list right here, so in the words of Bobby Broom on this week’s episode: “…let the playing do the talking.” Enjoy!
You can follow Reggie Thomas on social media and here on his website. Find Bobby Broom on facebook and bobbybroom.com, George Fludas at georgefludas.com, and fnd more from Dennis Carroll here.
The Reggie Thomas Quartet performs “Soft Winds” live in WNIJ’s Studio A
The Reggie Thomas Quartet performs “Everything I Love” live in WNIJ’s Studio A
The Reggie Thomas Quartet performs “Mo'” live in WNIJ’s Studio A
Jazz Guitar Today talks to the legendary jazz guitarist Bobby Broom about his journey, and about the ‘new direction’ of his current project.
Bobby Broom has done it all. He’s earned the respect of players all over the world. He’s earned his place in academia and is a renowned educator. But Bobby is not content with that and his drive and passion keep pushing him in new directions. Bobby is working on a project with a new sonic landscape for which we at JGT applaud. In this interview, we salute Bobby. His accomplishments and new directions to expand his palette of self-expression. Enjoy our salute to Bobby Broom.
Bob Bakert, JGT editor: We discussed ‘new directions’, what can you tell us about your new project?
Bobby Broom: The new record I’m working on is a bit of a turn from my past recordings, meaning, the trio-based, jazz records with a traditional slant. My last record (“Soul Fingers”) was a bit of a step away from that, in that I added additional sounds – horns, strings, percussion – to supplement various tunes. This record, however, is totally different. First of all, it’s electronic-based. We (drummer/producer/composer, Poogie Bell and me) are using sampled sounds and loops as the basis for composition and often the rhythm of the music. Those sounds are then being enhanced by real musicians and instruments– drums, bass, piano, keyboards and a variety of instrumental soloists.
As far as the musical style(s) involved, I assume that jazz-heads (of which I’m one), will question if this is Jazz. The answer is probably yes, but not your grandfather’s Jazz. The title of the record, “Bloodlines,” refers to the undercurrent, or strain that can be found in all musical styles rooted in the African American diaspora. Many of our jazz greats, Duke Ellington, Max Roach, Miles Davis, Nicholas Payton, etc. have bemoaned that word, Jazz. I’m not trying to start a debate, but I do understand the issue(s). But I’m not ready to release that title’s musical association because of the devotion of all of the lives that were involved in making for the creation of the music and to develop, evolve and preserve its integrity. So much hardship went into it, so to call it something else now, after all that, seems like giving up way too much. I also agree though, that clarity needs to be established around what jazz is, or maybe more importantly, what it isn’t. Who decides that is really closer to the real issue, I believe. Many of us musicians who are playing it don’t really need to call it anything in particular, we’re just playing what we feel. It can take on different guises, as long as it contains certain elements and features, and can still be considered Jazz as far as we’re concerned. But I suspect that certain people, critics, certain types of musicians (professionals or amateurs on group threads), need the name for their own reasons. Those same people may be turned off by my new music because of the various beats, the blues and frankly just how Black the music is. That is, if they even care to pay attention to it at all. I’ve encountered my fair share of that in my career as well. LOL
Because I came up in the 70s, I was fortunate to benefit from hearing top 40 radio which was not segregated or compartmentalized at that time. So a hit song could be in country, soul or R&B, soft rock, hard rock, jazzy big band, doo-wop, bubble-gum, or whatever style. Melody was still very important, as was an artist’s performance – meaning how they sold the song with their interpretation, the attractiveness of their musical voice, etc. Songwriting was still substantive – not that it isn’t anymore, but that’s not what’s being marketed as Pop music anymore – there was still song form and harmonic movement. The great American songbook or Tin Pan Alley style of songwriting was still influential in popular music in the 70s. Saying that to say that I heard a lot of music. Melodies, harmony, hooks, bass lines, instrumental sections and ornamental embellishments… I was paying close attention to all of it, so by the time I heard jazz, all those melodies that they were playing over the chords made some kind of innate sense to me immediately. Of course, I had to get the specific language together and understand everything from a jazz music perspective… and learn how to play my guitar… LOL. But that’s why I play a lot of those pop songs. Because of what they meant and mean in my life.
What I like about the new record is that I’m getting to do something else that I really want to do and I hope some people like it. Hell, I recorded “Monday, Monday” by the Mamas and Papas! So obviously I’m okay with taking chances. So now I’m playing and paying homage to certain other stylistic feelings that influenced my musical aesthetic. We’ve got a song on there that sounds borderline disco, or like it could be played for roller-skaters. Really it’s more like a steppers tune, like – for the sake of reference – an R. Kelly type thing. But folks are going to hear it the way they hear it (or not at all) and say whatever they want to say about it. The other cool thing is that I’m trying to use many of the active and important voices that I’ve connected with in one way or another during my time in Chicago. So, this music links Jazz to its roots and all of its various offshoots through a jazz guitar voice that has absorbed or borrowed from all of it and realizes the significance of those connections. For all those reasons I thought Bloodlines was a good title.
Because I did different things and went in different directions during my career – like choosing to play “jazz-funk” (with GRP Records, Tom Browne, Omar Hakim, Marcus Miller, Victor Bailey, etc.) rather than joining Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers for example, or by making my own debut record for GRP, moving from NYC to Chicago, or playing with Dr. John, Hugh Masekela… or on the track for one of R. Kelly’s hits – when I finally had the opportunity to try to establish myself as the jazz guitarist that I know am and always have been, despite what other work I’d done, I feel that I had to kind of force the issue. I mean that I had to establish a significant body of work with my guitar trio records and my organ trio records. I had to establish my voice by releasing on a regular basis, and thankfully I was getting good air-play with all those records, which meant that the many jazz fans that listen to jazz radio across the nation hear(d) me, liked my sound and what I was doing. Although I’m not a chosen jazz figure, I have been able to hand-craft a respectable reputation as a jazz guitarist because of the relative success of those recordings.
Below are some text excerpts from the JGT interview – for the full interview, check out the video.
On playing with all the incredible musicians over the years…
Yes, I feel very blessed. I feel very blessed to see that list. Sometimes it’s like, Whoa, really That, that happened. I mean, I know it’s there, but man… I remember practicing as a kid in my room in New York. I had a bunch of records by then and I was hell-bent on being one of those guys. This is what I wanted to do. And then one day it dawned on me, I was in my room practicing and the thought hit me. Dude, you’re not going to do that because these guys are already adults and they’re doing it. And you’re 15. You’re not, you were born too late. Not knowing really about how the music works and the mentoring and apprenticeship that’s involved – and how the music is passed through generations. I didn’t, I wasn’t thinking of all that. I was just thinking like a kid, and it was upsetting to me, but then I thought, I don’t care. I’m just gonna do it. I love this music so much. I’m just going to practice. I just want to learn how to play. So if there’s a way or like an imaginary kind of membership to this jazz thing, I want to be eligible! And I don’t care what happens.
Favorite formats to play…
I can’t really say, I know solo guitar is not one of my favorite things. I appreciate it when I do it – and it turns out halfway decent, I enjoy engaging and interacting with other musicians. And, the trio setting has just been something that kind of happened over the years. I wanted to have a guitar trio without another harmonic instrument and that just evolved over time and a bunch of recordings. So that’s that, so the organ thing is kind of in the blood – and in the lineage of jazz guitar.
Pursuing a master’s degree…
When I first started teaching I wasn’t a capitalist. So I didn’t accept the offer from Jackie McLean to head to the Guitar program at the University of Hartford. I was 22 years old, had no degree and had never taught (other than that first year for him). If it wasn’t for my integrity I’d be retired by now! But I continue to teach…
On his position Northern Illinois University…
I arrived at the situation, which is, a blessing. It was honest, it was not calculated. It was just a part of the gift. I’ve been gifted a lot in this life. And this is another one of those situations where it couldn’t have happened at a better institution at a better time. I feel like, I always dreamt that I would find a place. Well, I didn’t know that I would, but I wanted a place where I could be myself. Where I could be a practicing jazz musician and would be supported in that. Like where does that exist? I don’t know of too many…I don’t know of too many institutions in academia where that is actually the case.
The saying has been on teacher’s walls, waiting rooms and my childhood refrigerator: “Life is a lot like jazz. It is best when you improvise.” However cliche George Gershwin’s quote may be, it speaks to jazz’s applicability to life as an art form grounded in spontaneity, conversation and connection.
Each of these communal processes were at the forefront of the latest performance by the Schwartz Artist-in-Residence Program. The Schwartz Center Virtual Stage kicked off Emory’s 18th annual Jazz Fest on Feb. 12 with an accomplished trio of touring jazz professionals — guitarist Bobby Broom, bassist Kenny Davis and pianist Gary Motley. Each musician has made their mark in the world of jazz performance, recording and touring with jazz icons like Sonny Rollins, Charlie Parker, Miles Davis, Fred Anderson and Herbie Hancock in venues from “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon” to New York’s Carnegie Hall. But in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, these accomplished artists had to reconfigure their knowledge of live performance to fit a virtual setting.
Rather than performing live on stage, Broom, Davis and Motley created a pre-recorded concert from their respective offices using headphones that allowed them to listen to and layer their instrumental recordings on top of each other. Although these physical limitations inhibited some of the visual communication typically available to jazz improvisers, each piece performed served as a case study in imaginative and thoughtful musical conversation. The evening’s program struck a balance between classic jazz themes reimagined as vessels for modern experimentation and striking original compositions by Broom and Motley, respectively.
The trio’s introductory piece reconfigured the 1931 American hit “Sweet and Lovely” with a cautiously tender guitar melody and harmoniously rich piano interlude. Similarly, their renditions of undying jazz standards like “Jitterbug Waltz” and “Easy Living” demonstrated funky ‘70s-inspired bass lines, cascading vacillations of piano and guitar arpeggios and rhythmically significant lifts.
(Clockwise from top left) Bobby Broom, Kenny Davis and Gary Motley perform ‘Jitterbug Waltz’ at the 2021 Emory Jazz Fest. (The Emory Wheel/Isabel Packard)
Motley’s original piece, “Changes,” was one of those songs you couldn’t help but move around to, especially given the freedom of listening at home rather than a watchful concert hall. The debut of his composition “Mandla,” whose title means “power and strength” in Zulu, was similarly engaging. Rhythmically surprising and masterfully conversational, the piece featured a captivating interplay between the piano’s uplifting melody lines and rhythmic punctuations by the bass and guitar. Broom’s 1995 original “No Hype Blues” was nothing short of a modern masterpiece which Broom himself described as his “contribution to blues melodies.” Leading guitar lines soared over masterful piano trills with unison melodies and introspective solos establishing a steady pattern of push and pull that guided the music to a contemplative conclusion.
The evening’s penultimate piece, “Stairway to the Stars,” featured nostalgic ascending chord progressions and sparkling piano flourishes that created an atmosphere of magic, reminding one of the imagination of childhood and hopeful secrets whispered into darkness. The trio closed their concert with a smashing rendition of “Oh, Lady Be Good!,” a 1924 hit previously recorded by artists like Ella Fitzgerald, Fred Astaire and the Benny Goodman Trio. A seminal sound with a captivating lightness and joy, “Oh, Lady Be Good!” paid homage to the history of the piano, guitar and bass trio in jazz music through striking riffs, broad harmonies and a fascinating dialogue between instruments that left the audience wanting more.
A masterclass with the artists followed the concert on the morning of Feb. 13 and featured a discussion between Broom, Davis, Motley and Emory student Sawyer Gray (22C). The musicians discussed the importance of steeping oneself in foundational jazz repertoire to create a soundboard for jazz improvisation. According to Broom, “improvisation is a misnomer,” as jazz musicians rely less on making up music as they go along and more on hearing and rearranging sounds they have already practiced to fit into the piece they are performing. In this way, performing is like speaking — jazz musicians piece together building blocks from a complex language of sound into coherent pieces.
In a pandemic that has been defined by a loss of daily interaction and simple intimacies, the Jazz Fest’s themes of building a common language, connecting with others and allowing room for improvisation seem especially poignant. One thing about the trio’s performance is certain: these musicians were expertly speaking a language of their own.
Bobby Broom, assistant professor of jazz guitar and jazz studies in the School of Music was featured, for the second time in five years, in DownBeat magazine’s annual reader’s poll edition. In the December 2020 issue, Broom was chosen as one of the top guitarists in the industry.
The DownBeat readers’ poll is in its 85 year. DownBeat is an American magazine devoted to “jazz, blues and beyond,” the last word indicating its expansion beyond the jazz realm which it covered exclusively in previous years. The publication was established in 1934 in Chicago.
Harlem Born, New York City raised, Bobby Broom has been heralded as “one of the most musical guitarists of our time” by jazz historian and author, Ted Gioia. Playing Carnegie Hall with Sonny Rollins and Donald Byrd at age 16, Broom recorded his debut as a leader, “Clean Sweep,” for GRP Records at age 20. He’s played and /or recorded with Kenny Burrell, Hugh Masakela, Art Blakey’s Jazz Messengers, Stanley Turrentine, Dave Grusin, Charles Earland, Miles Davis, Kenny Garrett and Dr. John, among others. As a leader he has recorded with the Bobby Broom Trio and the disbanded Deep Blue Organ Trio for the Premonition, Delmark and Origin labels. Bobby’s most recent, 2018 recording is “Soul Fingers” (MRI Entertainment/US, Jazzline/EU), which features his newest organ trio, ‘the Bobby Broom Organi-Sation.’ The album explores his reinterpretations of his childhood radio hits and was produced by the legendary drummer/producer, Steve Jordan.
Broom has released 12 recordings in total as a leader. Many have received airplay resulting in national jazz radio chart positions of #1 to #3, resulting in his being recognized as one of the top guitarists by Down Beat magazine’s annual Reader’s Poll in 2015, as well as their Critics Poll for four years, from 2012-2014 and again in 2017.
A dedicated jazz educator throughout his career, Professor Broom holds a Master of Music degree in Jazz Pedagogy from Northwestern University. His teaching experience began under the direction of NEA Jazz Master, Jackie Mclean, at the University of Hartford’s, Hartt school of Music. Prior to his appointment at NIU, he was a jazz faculty member at North Park, DePaul and Roosevelt Universities and the American Conservatory of Music. He continues to conduct clinics, master classes and lectures worldwide and is a teaching artist/instructor and mentor with the Herbie Hancock Institute and the Ravinia Jazz Mentor Program.
Guitarist Bobby Broom joins the New West Guitar Group for an interview on the High Action podcast. To hear the full episode please visit and subscribe:
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast…
https://newwestguitar.com/highaction
The Year of Chicago Music will celebrate Chicago’s Jazz and World Music Festivals with virtual performances over the Labor Day holiday and Sundays throughout September.
Mayor Lori E. Lightfoot and the Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events (DCASE) announced today new and reimagined Jazz and World Music events as part of the Year of Chicago Music – now extended into 2021.
“Music has long been our universal language and the common thread that ties people together across culture, time, and now, more than ever, physical distance,” said Mayor Lightfoot. “These creative renditions of this year’s Jazz and World Music events will provide ways for people to enjoy the spirit of a Chicago festival season while prioritizing health and safety. As the birthplace of Gospel and House music, electric Blues and modern Jazz, Chicago’s sounds and melodies reflect the diversity and dynamism of the people and communities we all call home.”
Millennium Park at Home: Chicago Jazz and the Virtual World Music Festival are part of a robust calendar of virtual events honoring many of Chicago’s beloved festivals that were canceled in response to the coronavirus pandemic to protect the health and safety of residents and visitors. Additionally, while Millennium Park remains open and Chicago City Markets continue this fall – permitted special events are canceled and the Chicago Cultural Center will remain closed through the end of this year as part of the City’s comprehensive COVID-19 response plan.
Millennium Park at Home: Chicago Jazz
The “Millennium Park at Home: Chicago Jazz” series will offer four days of free, virtual performances programmed with the Jazz Institute of Chicago over Labor Day Weekend starting Thursday, September 3 through Sunday, September 6 from 4-8 pm. Millennium Park at Home: Chicago Jazz will feature top local and national Jazz artists and include special performances by Chicago artists Tito Carillo and Rempis, Reid, Abrams (September 3), Victor Garcia and Bobby Broom (September 4), Reggie Thomas and Marlene Rosenberg (September 5), and Twin Talk and Bethany Pickens (September 6). Each evening will also showcase the NextGenJazz emerging artist series, highlights from the Chicago Jazz Festival archives, and performances co-presented with local music organizations and filmed at music venues. This program is made possible with support from Millennium Park Foundation, Chicago Community Trust, 90.9fm WDCB Public Radio and Chicago Transit Authority (CTA). For the complete lineup and details, visit MillenniumPark.org.
Virtual World Music Festival Chicago
The reimagined “Virtual World Music Festival Chicago” will offer a series of free concerts featuring artists from across the globe each Sunday in September from 1-3 pm. Highlights include the annual celebration of Indian classical music, Ragamala: A Centennial Tribute to Ravi Shankar (September 6) recorded at the Chicago Cultural Center and co-curated with People of Rhythm; Afro-Diáspora y Folklore (September 13) recorded and co-curated with Segundo Ruiz Belvis Cultural Center; the Chicago-based traditional Irish supergroup Anam Mór (September 20) recorded at and co-curated with Martyrs’, and the Chicago Immigrant Orchestra (September 27) recorded at Epiphany Center for the Arts and co-conducted by Fareed Haque and Wanees Zarour. This program is supported in part by an award from the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) and is sponsored by the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA). For the complete lineup and details, visit WorldMusicFestivalChicago.org.
Both virtual concert series will air on YouTube.com/ChicagoDCASE and follow a busy summer season of more than 150 new and reimagined DCASE events that included many other virtual concerts, at-home dance parties, drive-in movies, farmers markets, and 21 community meals for frontline workers. To date, the Department’s virtual events have had a combined online audience of more than 365,000 views. Since April, DCASE has booked more than 100 musicians and provided nearly $2 million in financial relief specifically to Chicago musicians and music organizations – in partnership with the local philanthropic community including Arts for Illinois.
“During these Years of Chicago Music, DCASE and our partners are committed to showcasing and lifting up the incredible musicians, organizations, and venues that comprise our diverse and legendary music scene,” said Mark Kelly, Commissioner of DCASE. “While celebrating Chicago’s rich music legacy, we will also welcome artists from across the globe virtually, because music has the power to unite us.”
Additionally, a new fall series of hybrid in-person/virtual events showcasing Chicago musicians at neighborhood clubs and music venues will be announced soon.
Other DCASE venue, programming and permitting updates include:
In June, as a way of response to and support of, the Black Lives Matter movement, an ad hoc group of faculty in the NIU School of Music began collaborating to craft a statement with the objective that it would direct a path forward for the school, its students, faculty and staff.
The members of the committee: Reggie Thomas (professor and head of jazz studies), Rodrigo Villanueva (professor of jazz studies), Mary Lynn Doherty (assistant director of the School of Music, associate professor and coordinator of music education), Bobby Broom (assistant professor), Eric Johnson (professor and coordinator of choral activities), Geof Bradfield (professor of jazz saxophone and jazz studies) and Andrew Glendening (director of the School of Music and professor of music) sought to create a statement that promised actions they would commit to take.
“The intent,” Thomas said. “Was not to release an obligatory response filled with empty gestures, but a statement of real support and accountability. We wanted to express our desire to be purposefully anti-racist and create measures to hold ourselves accountable. Our statement is meant to be a framework for those in our community to create meaningful change when needed to our teaching, curating and recruiting.”
Glendening said the working group functioned as a “think tank” and he envisions that they will continue to work as a steering committee to develop a web page to report out on the progress of their intended actions.
The seven members of the committee were among those who had previously participated in a Diversity+Equity (CODE) workshop, and Villanueva said their discussions from the very beginning revealed the group was determined to develop a statement that would boldly defend the Black Lives Matter movement and make a commitment to seek real change.
Villanueva said he believes the outcomes from this process would include a commitment to actively engaging in anti-racist actions in a variety of areas from the recruitment of a more diverse body of students, faculty and guest artists, to multi-cultural experiences that proactively facilitate multicultural understanding and programming music that enlightens the minds of students related to social justice, to discussions of the history of civil rights in America and the importance of art—specifically music—as a catalyst towards meaningful social, cultural and economic progress.
“Going forward, our community should expect to see thoughtful programming in our performances that reflects our entire society,” Thomas said. “Students should expect to see language and practices in course materials that have been vetted for any unintended biases. We will hold ourselves accountable and responsible for recruiting efforts that make NIU accessible to all populations.”
NIU School of Music Black Lives Matter Statement
Black Lives Matter
Therefore we…
Commit to anti-racist practices that affirm our diverse School of Music community.
Pledge to continually critique our curriculum and pedagogy for bias, marginalization and inequity.
Listen to and learn from each other’s lived experiences to strengthen both our music making and our community.
Perform and study music that represents diverse voices and perspectives.
Recruit with the intention to build diversity in the School of Music that reflects the world in which we want to live.
We state this not as a platitude but as advocates in the fight for real change – change to systems that have too often been discriminatory to Black Americans. We recognize that to be silent is to be complicit in support of such systems.
In our community, we see one another fully and see ourselves in one another.
Therefore, we stand with members of our beloved community, especially when they need us most.
